Hats at Burlington Coat Factory

[deanglen]

Awesome, Dean. Really nice -- I think in the near future you may be able to drop the "a" off your "avocation." :eusa_clap

And RBH's ideas sound like they'll work great. I look forward to the next generation of Budget Beater (or is that "Budget Beaver," as in whatever animal BCF uses for its felt) fedoras!

Thanks, Simon, actually I believe almost anyone could do what I've done. I like the doing, the wearing, and the sharing of the hats. I like the name Budget Beater for its multiple meanings: a) helps some of us enjoy "vintage" looking style without being limited by shortage of funds, and b) an inexpensive "everyday" hat that can take some wear and tear; a "beater". Somebody said Tonak hats at BCF are primarily rabbit, I think.

dean

 

[deanglen]

Nice looking hat Dean and a belated congrats to the father in law as well as the happy couple.

Thanks, Bud! Looking forward to shots of your black fedora.

dean

 

[feltfan]

Dean check out this place for blocks
http://www.hatshapers.com/Whats_a_Hatshaper.htm
I think a few of our fellow Loungers have and use these. I am thinking about one for my western to fedora hats, I would think it would be great to get out all the old bash marks.

Those blocks have a form for the crown and dents.
You'll probably need something like that for finishing the
hat (assuming the felt isn't so good that you can hand bash).
But what I was thinking of was a simple open crown block like
the ones in the fifth picture here:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=13238

You don't need the machine mthatter has just to take out the taper.
BTW, those blocks don't look too tough to make (and wouldn't be
too expensive to order from a local woodworker).

Another thing to consider with those plastic blocks is that you might
need to exert some pressure on the felt. Don't know how the plastic
takes heat and pressure. Personally, I find the plastic blocks a bit
sterile in their designs- something a little too pat, compared to a real
vintage block (keep in mind that I find most C-crowns too modern looking).
But I guess if you use one of those things and then beat the hat up
a bit its innate character will out.

 

[deanglen]

But I guess if you use one of those things and then beat the hat up
a bit its innate character will out.

I love the way you put that!lol :eusa_clap You read my mind, FeltFan, I started thinking of alternate ways of making things to accomplish the same end, again, I tend to think improvisationally due to resource scarcity. BTW, isn't it annoying how black hats photograph blue?

dean

 

[ideaguy]

Dean: How about advertising for blocks wanted? We've recently seen a couple of hatters' shops for sale, block,stock,and barrel- there just might be a few hordes of blocks out there, and since you're in a relatively narrow arena-Fedoras-you might score handily; start by asking our esteemed hatters if they have any wooden blocks available; I have read disparaging reports about the plastic molds-too plastic looking of a hat results... great work on the greyish hat- I'd love one with no taper/a reverse taper- take a 7 1/2 down to the 7 3/8
L.O. ??
Keep the peace M

 

[RBH]

Here is the hat shaper I was thinking af getting...
http://www.hatshapers.com/Product Pages/Straight_Sided_Dome.htm
Then you can put your custom bash in. I too am not as crazy about the 'factory' bash.

Here are a past thread on Hat Shapers.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=13857&highlight=hat+shapers
I think they would be fine for cleaning and blocking but maybe not for making a hat from the brim up.

 

[deanglen]

Hey, RBH,
Did you see what I meant about the Stratoliner pin being perfect for the hat? Really sets it off, I think.

dean

 

[RBH]

Hey, RBH,
Did you see what I meant about the Stratoliner pin being perfect for the hat? Really sets it off, I think.

dean

That hat set the pin off!
Really looks great.
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
What ya think of that last block? I think it would be perfect for the kind of mod work we are doing now.

 

[deanglen]

That hat set the pin off!
Really looks great.
:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
What ya think of that last block? I think it would be perfect for the kind of mod work we are doing now.

That's the one I noticed too, Of all of them, I'd buy that one.

dean

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Here is the hat shaper I was thinking af getting...
http://www.hatshapers.com/Product Pages/Straight_Sided_Dome.htm
Then you can put your custom bash in. I too am not as crazy about the 'factory' bash.

Here are a past thread on Hat Shapers.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=13857&highlight=hat+shapers
I think they would be fine for cleaning and blocking but maybe not for making a hat from the brim up.

That is one I own... Buy it smaller than your head size so the hat fits over the shaper.

http://www.hatshapers.com/Product Pages/Straight_Sided_Dome.htm

 

[RBH]

That is one I own... Buy it smaller than your head size so the hat fits over the shaper.

http://www.hatshapers.com/Product Pages/Straight_Sided_Dome.htm

Thanks Sharpy.
I wear a 23 1\2 so I would take a 22 1\2 then. Also I assume you have to remove the sweat?
Thanks for the info... thats what makes this place great.

 

[kiltedjeeper]

well I'll be darn, why didn't I think of this.

What'd it run you?

I lucked out today- I found a Fedora-esque hat [to my eyes, anyway-- and it immediately drew a "oh you bought an Indiana Jones hat" from the wife] for $29 at the local Boot Jack. Surprising, since it's a western shop- I felt sure I'd only see cowboy hats, or overly-expensive lids.

Not so-- found this http://www.suncatcherhats.com/pics_woolfelt/15028.jpg sort of hat (the band is only slightly different)- for $30!

Sure it's not top of the line, not vintage, etc. I don't care. It's variety- I've been wearing strictly oiled leather Aussie bush hats for years. This one's a crusher as well, so it ought to survive me

Part of what I find interesting about these hats
you've been doing, Dean, is that they come out
nicer than most hats you see in hat stores these days.
There's just a little extra umph to your hats that
isn't in the factory lids.

It goes to show you what a little attention to detail
can do.

 

[RBH]

Nice looking hat kiltedjeeper ..
Imagine what Dean could do to it with a little ribbon lol

 

[kiltedjeeper]

don't think I haven't thought of this! I will very likely be going back and grabbing another one in the darker color for this sort of treatment.

I just need to learn how to get the thing to take a proper bash, and I'm golden.

 

[Roger]

You did an excellent job. Very original and artistic.

 

[Johnny Turner]

Well I am a BCF convert now. My wife is a little miffed that I found my fourth or fifth budget hat there. I have been going at least once a week and picking through the decent selection. They seem to get new hats in once a week. What's fifteen or thirty bucks once a week?

 

[Sir Dobbs]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is Burlington Coat Factory? I've never seen one in these parts.

 

[Mindraker]

offtopic I've also been wondering about the recent passage in Congress of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Is there a substantive difference, aside from cultural prejudices, between consuming a horse and consuming a cow?

When I was in Belgium back in '86, horse meat was still for sale, "viande chevaline"/"paardenvlees". My parents had noticed that its popularity was fading noticably since their previous visits back in the seventies. When I went back in '91, it had faded out even more -- apparently horse meat was something you ate "during the war", according to the Belgians.
Another concern, horse meat apparently contains almost no fat. If you eat exclusively horse meat, your body will have insufficient fat, and give you dietary problems.
Of course, not to mention that in the United States, the beef industry is topping $80 billion, and I sure don't ever remember seeing "horse meat" in the Winn-Dixie. The beef lobby (in Washington, D.C.) did a schweet cover up of Mad Cow disease by having it magically stop in Mexico. That was awfully nice of those Mad Cows. Just like the immigrants. Stopped at the Mexican border, realized they didn't have a visa, and went back home.

 

[chucklehead]

Hats at Burlington Coat Factory

The has been an influx of wool felt hats at Burlington Coat Factory.
Are they high quality? No not really. For those on a budget they would be great.

 

[Undertow]

You don't happen to have any pics do you?

I know I bought a fedora from there a year or two ago and for the longest time I thought it was wool felt. It wasn't until recently that I actually looked at the tag on the inside of the liner to realize it was labeled as "fur felt".

The quality was terrible but hey, it was only $15. I think it was made by Aaron and Sons, whoever that might be.