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Have any of you ever trimmed the brim...

theinterchange

One Too Many
Messages
1,673
Location
Why do you ask?
I personally would never attempt cutting a brim with scissors. I can barely cut a straight line on a piece of paper without effort, would hate to think what would happen to a brim in my hands! :eeek:

Now if I had a rounding jack, or form to follow, it'd be different.

Randy
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
I personally would never attempt cutting a brim with scissors. I can barely cut a straight line on a piece of paper without effort, would hate to think what would happen to a brim in my hands! :eeek:

Now if I had a rounding jack, or form to follow, it'd be different.

Randy

That's the very reason I go out for all hat work. A hatter has the tools, the experience, and the imagination necessary when guesswork is involved. I hate to hack around on something that I would wear on my head. I suppose I could learn how to do it, but why not go to someone who already knows, and is very likely to do a good job.
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
Well, I'd never have dreamed of cutting a brim, either, but this makes it look feasible: http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/...px?feature=Product_1&kw=craftool+strap+cutter

I read about it here. Has anybody used it?

I haven't used one of those but actually have a brim cutter that works off the same principal. The key is at the end when you come back around to the starting point. Since these items use the edge as a guide & cut the desired depth into the brim, you have to be careful or you'll cut based off the edge where you started & trim more than planned.
 

frussell

One Too Many
Messages
1,409
Location
California Desert
I have a brim cutter from Hawkeye Tack and Western Wear in the 1/8" setting, and it works just great. About $53, and it's already paid for itself. I've cut seven or eight hats without changing the blade so far, with nary a false cut. I've used strap cutters, I like this better because it has a nice rounded edge guide that's specifically made for the edge of a hat. Frank
 

Akubra Man

One of the Regulars
I use the Tandy tool and as GT Deans states in his post, care must be taken when coming areound to the starting point not to overcut. I swerve outward when there is about 1/4" left to cut and use scissors to trim off that bit. I Also, I move the cutter slowly to make sure it does not slip.....I learned a lesson the hard way and created and unintended stingy brim out of a western conversion by slipping with the cutter when going too fast. Otherwise, no problems with it.
 

Gromulus

Practically Family
Messages
573
Location
NE Ohio, USA
OH MY GOD ! Trim the brim on a Bushman !! HERESY, that's like altering the Holy Campdraft here :)

Onward thru the Fog :)

Ah, now come on Monbla. you know that you would have a Camp Draft of they were sold here in the states. As for not being an authentic Aussie style, neither is the Bushman these days.
 

MCrider

A-List Customer
Messages
360
Location
hills of West Virginia
Personally I ordered the trimmer from Tandy Leather and found that the blades they send had too small of holes for the screws in the body of the trimmer. After several tries and several broken blades I ended up doing my Squatter with a pair of scissors. Not as pretty, but now my hat has ummm character. LOL
 

monbla256

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,239
Location
DFW Metroplex, Texas
Ah, now come on Monbla. you know that you would have a Camp Draft of they were sold here in the states. As for not being an authentic Aussie style, neither is the Bushman these days.

I'll give ya the Bushman, but I have the ORIGINAL Campdraft, my fathers 1050's Open Road. Remember, all the Campdraft is, is a renamed Aussie market only Open Road :) Though from what I can find out the Bushman WAS a style Akubra made back in the '40s and DM resurected it as a specific model for his shop back in the'60s. :)

Onward thru the Fog :)
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
OH MY GOD ! Trim the brim on a Bushman !! HERESY, that's like altering the Holy Campdraft here :) Onward thru the Fog :)

A long time ago there were people that would take a Bushman, trim the brim dimensionally and put a new ribbon on it to get to an approximation of the Indiana Jones hat.

There are a number of people that have altered Campdrafts, mostly replacing the thin ribbon with something wider.
 

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