How are the cowboy conversions done?

[David Conwill]

I've been reading the old cowboy conversion threads and there are some very neat hats out there. Until I discovered this site, I never realized how much one could change a felt hat around.

Is there a step-by-step someone has done on this topic? I haven't found it yet. Old cowboy hats are easy and cheap to find, but maybe the conversion itself is beyond me.

What kind of equipment is necessary? Does one have to have a hat block, or could you get away with just a re-bash, a trimming of the crown, and a new ribbon?

Still, even if one had a professional do the makeover, it might end up being cheaper than buying a new dress hat of a similar quality, right?

Please, teach me.

-Dave

 

[tonyb]

Cowboy hats are generally of a heavier (read thicker) felt than fedoras, so a converted cowboy hat will still be a different animal. This isn't to say it wouldn't be a worthwhile effort. You're right, old cowboy hats seem about a dime a dozen, eh? And old fedoras, well, they're a good deal scarcer.

I've never done such a conversion, so I'm hardly an authority. But I have rebuilt a handful of old hats (just finished another one a few minutes ago) and I can tell you that a block and a brim flange ought to be acquired. And not just any block and brim flange. But that's a subject for another thread, I suppose.

I've yet to cut down a brim, but I'd be reluctant to do it without a rounding jack. Maybe some people have steadier hands than mine and can do a passable job of it with a pair of scissors, but ...

 

[Custom79]

Not comfortable with this question

It took a long time for me to be converted to a cowboy. I'm proud of my cowboy ways and I'm not sure I like the idea of being converted to something else.

All kidding aside. I have three beautifully handcrafted cowboy hats that I would never convert to anything else.

I guess that is why I am now interested in fedoras. It offers me another avenue to explore my interest in hats.

Cheers.

C79

 

[thunderw21]

Hey David.
I am one of those souls who converted a cowboy to a fedora. It's not at all that hard; I've converted two cowboys and it only took me a couple hours per hat.

Of course you need a hat. It's smart to clean it before making any changes. Also, before you do anything you need to know what style fedora you are going for. Stingy? Thin ribbon or wide? Brim shape? etc.

The first thing that I always did was cut down the brim to the size I wanted. I used a ruler and chalk and marked off multiple spots around the brim where to cut. Once you make enough you'll have a pretty good guide. I used regular scissors to cut the thick felt and it worked well, but you might want to try scissors specifically designed to cut fabric and the such. Once cut, I found some fine grit sandpaper and sanded down any rough spots on the newly cut brim.

Next I removed the old thin ribbon and acquired ribbon of the right color and width. 100% polyester ribbon can be made to work but it just doesn't work as well as ribbon specifically made for hatmaking. I can't remember the mix of this special ribbon, but some places do carry it. 100% polyester ribbon doesn't stretch and shape like the hatting ribbon.

I then measured (and measured) and cut the correct length of ribbon to go around the crown. If your hat has taper you need to account for it (this is where 100% polyester ribbon doesn't work well). Stitch it down with several stitches along the bottom of the ribbon. If you look at a vintage fedora you can see how the stitching was done.

Then I made the bow. There are multitudes of different types of bows to choose from. Make the desired bow using the ribbon material and then attach it to the hat when it is finished. Again, examine vintage hats to see how this is done.

And finally, you need to shape and bash the hat to your wishes. You will need to steam the hat very well since cowboy hats are not only thicker but also have a lot of stiffener. The steam will help soften it up and make it keep its shape. Having a hat block and flang will definitely help in this step.

Once you finish this you have a completed hat, unless of course if you decide to add some edging to the brim. I never did this so someone else will have to tell you how to do it.

Hope this helps. Here are my two conversions.

My first, I call it the "Noir".

My second, I call it the "Chinatown".

They're far from perfect but it's always fun to try your hand at hatmaking and you get to personalize it. How cool is that?

 

[tonyb]

I'm likin' that second one, thunder. It looks like you can handle a pair of scissors, man. But then, you're the guy who decided he'd try his hand at tailoring, right?
Did you reblock that one? Or was it a nice, tall, straight-sided thing to start with?

 

[thunderw21]

I'm likin' that second one, thunder. It looks like you can handle a pair of scissors, man. But then, you're the guy who decided he'd try his hand at tailoring, right?
Did you reblock that one? Or was it a nice, tall, straight-sided thing to start with?

Thanks Tony.
Yeah, that's me.

I didn't have to reblock that one. It was tall and straight-sided when I got it, though it did have a cattleman's crease. A good amount of steam took care of that though.

 

[Woodfluter]

Timely topic!

I'm in the midst of converting two Resistol hats that I've had about 15 years. Says "XXXX Beaver", but maybe they had a tame beaver they let swim around and shed a little in each batch of bunny fur? Dunno. Will post pics when done. Anyhoo...

Suggestions:

Trim with scissors after marking as others have suggested, but make sure these are really sharp shears! Also have on hand some small scissors, such as for grooming or nails - you'll need that later.

I haven't had much luck with sandpaper in the past for evening up the cuts. Maybe I'm too particular. I want it to look perfect in dimensions and smoothness of curves. A file will work if the brim is stiff, as on most westerns, but it is very slow going and raises a lot of fuzz (that's why you want the little scissors). But if you can get your hands on a very small plane, and can keep the blade very sharp, it can smooth off and do final shaping very easily, cleanly and quickly. Bought mine in a woodworking specialty shop. You might be able to use a standard block plane, only that is about 20x larger and heavier than what I'm describing...only about 2.5 inches long.

I haven't found steaming necessary. A spray bottle will suffice, with application on both sides (remove lining if it's still in there). Steaming might be OK but I don't want to risk tapering the thing by shrinking it.

Question for y'all:

Have already trimmed and reshaped the black hat, and the tan is next. But in the course of doing that first one, I rediscovered why I'd quit wearing it. Even cool water running off it carries black dye that will stain clothes (well, I don't know that for a fact but my fingers and thumbs are still dark and I had the devil of a time getting it off a white counter top). Close inspection of brim edge suggests that it was vat dyed after construction. Now don't lay into Resistol too hard here, you won't think of any words I didn't use myself last night. But do any of you have any suggestions for fixing (stabilizing) the dye at this late date? Perhaps spraying with alum as a mordant? Or would alum damage fur?

- Bill

 

[DanielJones]

I've had two Conversions.
The first was a Stetson Low Places. One of my old rodeo hats.

And another rodeo hat, my old Resistol.

They were just sitting in boxes in the back of a closet not getting worn, so I converted them over so they could get a new lease on life.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Thunder, love your "noir", congratulations!
Dan, your "Stetson low places".
Looks to me like those western hats are beautiful material.
Should be sturdy stuff, too.
Hmmm... gives me ideas.
Paul