Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

[John Galt]

I like how they had the inserts upside down in the one photo...
As far as the "mold" goes, depends on how it penetrated the felt fibers. Looks nasty for sure & to have gone all the way thru the brim. For that money with complete case, it is worth a shot at stain removal...

I'd try naptha & a brush for sure. Maybe naptha & a good old fashioned spinning would help.

 

[Landman]

:noidea:

...The opening dimensions will tell you U.S. size (add L+W and divide by 2) and if the form is wide oval, long oval or regular oval, which circumference alone (if it is measured accurately- often it is not) won't...

Alan,

I can't get this formula to work for me. I measured one of my custom hats from the inside of the sweatband to the inside of the sweatband. The measurements were 8.25" x 6.25" divided by 2 = 25.78". This measurement is much larger than the known measurement of the sweatband, which is 23.375". What am I doing wrong?

I'm probably going to be very embarrassed for asking this question :eusa_doh:

 

[TheDane]

A Japaneese made Stetson ... haven't seen that before!

 

[gtdean48]

:noidea:

Alan,

I can't get this formula to work for me. I measured one of my custom hats from the inside of the sweatband to the inside of the sweatband. The measurements were 8.25" x 6.25" divided by 2 = 25.78". This measurement is much larger than the known measurement of the sweatband, which is 23.375". What am I doing wrong?

I'm probably going to be very embarrassed for asking this question :eusa_doh:

Mike, Ellipse calculator comes up with 22.885 perimeter. Not sure what the divide by 2 factor is in circumference but Alan said to add the 2 measurements, not multiply, to get size... 7 1/4

 

[alanfgag]

...but Alan said to add the 2 measurements, not multiply, to get size... 7 1/4

yes... (L + W)/2.

 

[Landman]

yes... (L + W)/2.

Thanks Tom and Alan. I knew I'd be embarrassed for asking :embarassed:

 

[hatsRme]

:noidea:

Alan,

I can't get this formula to work for me. I measured one of my custom hats from the inside of the sweatband to the inside of the sweatband. The measurements were 8.25" x 6.25" divided by 2 = 25.78". This measurement is much larger than the known measurement of the sweatband, which is 23.375". What am I doing wrong?

I'm probably going to be very embarrassed for asking this question :eusa_doh:

I'm lazy about this, so I keep it bookmarked and know that it's always slightly subject to measuring parculiarities. However, it HAS provided successful guidance. Whether by luck or not, it seems to work.

http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/callipse.htm

 

[Landman]

I re-measured from reed to reed and it came out just right. Slightly bigger than a 7 3/8. Great tip. Thanks Alan!

 

[fedoracentric]

I saw that Japan-made Stetson, too. I was looking to bid on it, but it has at least one moth nibble that goes all the way through just over the ribbon and the bidding had already gotten higher than I'd pay for a hat with a hole in it--even if it is a rarely seen Japan-made Stetson. I let it go.

Still, it was pretty cool to see that they made Stetsons under contract in Nippon! I didn't know they did, but since the 1930s Japan was all about adopting certain modern ways to show it wasn't a backwards nation, so it makes sense to me.

 

[Landman]

I'm lazy about this, so I keep it bookmarked and know that it's always slightly subject to measuring parculiarities. However, it HAS provided successful guidance. Whether by luck or not, it seems to work.

http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/callipse.htm

That is what I have been using in the past Charlie. It has worked well for me too if the measurements are done correctly.

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Just curious, why not just go with circumference? All the size tags on the hats for women are measured by the circumference of the hat? Why is it different for men? Because of the hair? Now that I think about it, the only hat that I have come across that didn't use circumference was the Dobbs 20s cloche that I scored a few weeks ago, which makes sense since Dobbs makes hats for men as well.

 

[dnjan]

Because circumference has four syllables, and American men can't deal with four-syllable words.
For Europeans, it is fine. Size 57 is 57cm circumference. But in the U.S. it is size 7-1/8.

 

[ManofKent]

Because circumference has four syllables, and American men can't deal with four-syllable words.
For Europeans, it is fine. Size 57 is 57cm circumference. But in the U.S. it is size 7-1/8.

Where do us Brits with proper sizes fit in

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Because circumference has four syllables, and American men can't deal with four-syllable words.
For Europeans, it is fine. Size 57 is 57cm circumference. But in the U.S. it is size 7-1/8.

I see!

 

[alanfgag]

Just curious, why not just go with circumference?

In men's hats, the sweatband defines the elliptical shape of the head opening. The flexibility of this shape can be more or less firm, depending on the type of sweatband, whether or not it has an attachment reed and the stiffness and thickness of the felt. A certain size circumference, say 22" or a full size 7, can be made in different shaped ovals (wide oval, regular oval or long oval are a few standards). The length and width of these different head ovals will vary significantly and feel very different on, even though the circumference on all will be 22".

I'm not sure if it is different in women's hats. Perhaps they are of softer construction and more conforming, or were customized routinely by the milliner rather than off the shelf stock items.

 

[TheDane]

I'm not sure if it is different in women's hats. Perhaps they are of softer construction and more conforming, or were customized routinely by the milliner rather than off the shelf stock items.

Even the most soft feather weight fedoras will act strangely, when worn on another oval, than they were made for. Imagine you make a hat as a regular oval and iron the brim perfectly flat. If put on a long oval head, the brim will flare quite a lot. You can then put a long oval band-block (low block) in the hat-opening and iron the brim flat again. Now the brim will be perfect on a long oval head - but it will flare on a regular oval.

In this context I think, the brim - and it's ideal look - is the main difference between women's and men's hats(?)

 

[mayserwegener]

You see it often with stiff felts. They will bow and will not lay flat. It is so common (stretching, tweaking) that some believe this is how they were made.

Also a hatter friend of mine in Germany told me women are more accepting of padding and tweaking regarding fit. It's all about visual appearance.

 

[viclip]

Just curious, why not just go with circumference? All the size tags on the hats for women are measured by the circumference of the hat? Why is it different for men? Because of the hair? Now that I think about it, the only hat that I have come across that didn't use circumference was the Dobbs 20s cloche that I scored a few weeks ago, which makes sense since Dobbs makes hats for men as well.

Hat sizes were originally based on head diameter. So for my 24" head circumference, the diameter is 7.643" which is considered US size 7-5/8 (the precise fractional equivalent of 7-5/8 inches being 7.625").

Using the diameter probably made sense back when hatters made or ordered hat blocks, initially turned on a lathe, since calipers are used for measuring purposes by wood turners.

That's my theory.

I wonder whether at one time women's hats were assigned diameter sizes too?

 

[Joao Encarnado]

A Japaneese made Stetson ... haven't seen that before!

I have one made in... Spain.

 

[TheDane]

Using the diameter probably made sense back when hatters made or ordered hat blocks, initially turned on a lathe, since calipers are used for measuring purposes by wood turners.

Hat blocks are oval - not circular. They were chiseled out and sanded - today they are CNC-milled. To my knowledge, hat blocks have never been turned on a lathe.