Fedora Lounge dress hat test

[Matt Deckard]

Okay... here is what we are going to do.
We're going to do an official test.

November 17 at the Queen Mary open to public view.
The Fedora Lounge will come up with the criteria.

The hats will be submitted to the tests equally. All hatters are welcome to enter their fedoras.

More to come.

 

[MK]

Actually....

...we will conduct the tests on Saturday November 18th in full view for all to see. It will be an exciting time.

More to come.

 

[jml90]

Why should we limit it to the dress hats?
Why not felt hats in general?

 

[tonyb]

For the long-term test, send 'em my way. (Yes, Sarge, I know it's hazardous duty, for somebody has to do it.) I get around the Great Northwest quite a bit. Within 30 miles of where I sit at present is a rain forest. A hundred miles the other direction is a desert. I see days of nonstop rain and lengthy stretches of sunshine and, during my wintertime voyages up and over the Cascades, lots and lots of snow.
So, in the interest of science and humanity, I offer my services. Free.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Why should we limit it to the dress hats?
Why not felt hats in general?

Because it is a dress hat test. We'll do the Cowboy hat test some other day.

 

[tonyb]

Are we aiming for a test that comes close to reflecting real-world conditions? You know, normal wear and tear and all that?
That would require impartial testers subjecting those lids to regular use in all sorts of weather, wouldn't you think?
I have no dog in this fight, but I'd still like to see a fair contest.

 

[Matt Deckard]

You can do your own test if you like. The Fedora Lounge test is going to be open for all to see and the tests will be designed and divulged at a future date.

 

[Andykev]

Spill it, Mister!

SO? Is this non-destructive testing? Application of oil, fire, rain?

I have a SILVER BEAVER vintage that is BETTER than ANY HAT..I put $100 bucks against anyone else!

What does this "test" entail, and what makes it "official"?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Well you're helping come up with the criteria... we're just not going to let it out 'til we're ready!

I'll call you from Seattle.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

SO? Is this non-destructive testing? Application of oil, fire, rain?

I have a SILVER BEAVER vintage that is BETTER than ANY HAT..I put $100 bucks against anyone else!

What does this "test" entail, and what makes it "official"?

I have a Million X Platinum Beaver by Art Fawcett that I will put up. Oh! sorry wrong forum, we tell the truth here... :eusa_clap

 

[tonyb]

Curious to see what y'all come up with. I'll reserve judgment until then, but right now I'm having a hard time imagining how a short-term trial would accurately reflect how hats would wear over long-term use. Drenching a hat once and leaving it to dry is not quite the same as exposing it to a bit of rain repeatedly over months and years, no? And what of the notion (Steve's) that an old hat ("dead" felt, as he puts it) has grown accustomed to the shape it's in, and is therefore less likely to taper than it might have when it was new? Is there anything to that? I dunno, but I'm not prepared to say there isn't.

 

[DOUGLAS]

This sounds like a great Idea. I can't wait for the details. This could really be fun and informative.
May I participate?

 

[MK]

.

Everyone at the Queen Mary event will have an opportunity to witness the test.

The rest of you will have to read about it in Classic Style.

 

[Feraud]

A great idea. Old versus new!
"It's a walkoff!"

 

[MK]

.

And what of the notion (Steve's) that an old hat ("dead" felt, as he puts it) has grown accustomed to the shape it's in, and is therefore less likely to taper than it might have when it was new? Is there anything to that?

Actually that for the most part is the point.

That's not Steve's notion. That has been the prevailing word on the street for many moons....except the "dead" vs. "live" felt terms.

Actually.....I think they're all dead.....at least I hope so.

 

[Feraud]

Actually.....I think they're all dead.....at least I hope so.

lol

I look forward to the experiment. Besides settling an old question it will probably raise new ones for our experts to ponder.

 

[Fedora]

Curious to see what y'all come up with. I'll reserve judgment until then, but right now I'm having a hard time imagining how a short-term trial would accurately reflect how hats would wear over long-term us

Exactly. Matt originally said he would have to wear the hat a long time in order to determine its quality, as he could not tell just by examining the felt. Now it seems he can, if tested over a weekend. No, if this is done, I want it to be a long term test, in the out of doors. That is a real life test. Afterall, that was what he was maintaining must be done in order to really know the quality of any felt. And I think regular sun exposure will bring out the weakness in dead felt. Something most never see because I doubt many members were their fine vintage hats like the Indy fans wear my new hats.

I have not changed my mind on quality felt. A quality felt can be finished smooth(assuming it was originally felted to be a smooth felt) and it is dense.

I do think pure beaver felt will outlast an old blend in real world wear and tear. But I would not throw a Royal Stetson in this fight. You better use the best quality vintage hat you have, as long as it is a blend. I know how the Royal Stetsons holds up as I have already seen how they can't take what I put my hats through. The dead felt falls apart with rough wear and UV exposure. OF course the easiest way to do this test is to just place both hats outside, 24 hours a day for a year. In the weather. Side my side. At the end of the year, you will be taking a pic of one hat. The new one.(I am joking, but would not be surprised) There will be little left of the vintage blend. We need an environment that sees heat and rain. Lots of rain, and plenty of sun. This would be the only way both hats got subjected to the exact same conditons, and allows for no monkey business, as long as the tester is honest. No vintage beaver hats allowed. We would also check how much each hat faded, or washed out in color. At the end of the contest, the field tester could send me the AB for a reblock, as it would still be a great looking hat, and he could keep the hat. You could send the vintage to perhaps another hatter for a refurb to see if it would make it through the pulling and stretching without tearing.

This test will yield the results and end arguments. I am all for that, although I do love to argue about hats. lol Fedora

 

[Byrne Sherwood]

I agree with Fedora that a long term test, e.g. a year, would be more legit and honest than a weekend test.

 

[MK]

.

That's all fascinating.....but it's not what we are doing at this time. This thread is about the Fedora Lounge fur felt test being conducted on November 18th.

Initial car tests are reported then they follow up with the long term report, not the other way around.

There will be about a hundred members in attendance. It will be great to finally have a testing of our ideas about felt. I imagine we will all learn something and this will inspire conversations for years to come.

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm not going to be there (have no idea where or when this is), but if you're going to have a "test", the academic in me says that prior to the test, you should determine and publish:

• criteria
• methods of assessing how well the criteria are met
• numbering or scoring system

This would help me understand what in the world you intend to do, as saying you will "test hats" is a phrase with null meaning. If you want to have a contest based on beauty and material feel, fine. However, the discussion so far gives me no clue as to what will be tested or how.

If I were a hatter, I would have no interest in bringing hats to a test/contest with no criteria, no method of assessment and no scoring system. Given that all three had been published, I would review them and bring the hats that I thought would generate my greatest advantage.

In other words: "what in the gee-whiz do you have in mind, anyway?"