How to repair my Akubra Squatter ??

[dman535]

I bought this hat in Australia 12 years ago. As of let it has a could of holes that have developed in it. I took a picture of it sitting on a lap so that the size and location of the holes/tears are more apparent. Any suggestions on how to repair ?

Thanks

Derek.-

 

[MattJH]

I can already hear it now. "See what happens when you handle hats by the pinch? See?!"

 

[Viper Man]

:eusa_clap I'd call that character. My advice is to order a new one and relegate this one as a beater.

 

[dman535]

I admit - I am a pinch handler. I also wear this thing in some inclement weather. I just want to lessen the size of the holes and prevent them from growing.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I'm no expert but I don't think you can fix that. I have a nice Stetson Vita-Felt like that and it's my yardwork/camping hat.

 

[shortbow]

I had one of those, loved it, but it developed that exact problem, continued to use it, the whole front of the hat eventually disintegrated. Since moving to vintage Stetsons and Borsalinos, with same bash, lots of years and inveterate pinch handling, they're still going strong. Not to put down Akubras, they're the best of the modern hats, but they just don't have the durability of the vintage beavers.

 

[MAB1]

I would wash it good, dry it, and brush the livin hell out of it, saving every lil bit of felt that comes off in the brushing. Then I would put some tape on the backside of the holes and glue the excess felt in.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

It never bothered this feller.

 

[Colby Jack]

Welcome to the lounge Dman535...It would probably cost more to fix than replace it. [huh]

 

[ADHD librarian]

One method I've seen from the bushies and farmers for their beater hats, is to stitch the hole closed, usually with big leather stitches around the crown.
It's an interesting look,
probably not what you wanted to hear,
but the truth is felt won't patch well, certainly not with holes that big.

Another method (for a smaller hole) is to get yourself a finger full of clear silicone and smear the back of the hole and along the line where the hole might spread.
If you then put the liner back in it won't be seen and the silicone will flex with the felt and help stop the hole growing.

Now, this is not a method to preserve a vintage, but would have worked fine on yours about 12 months ago (sorry).

 

[DrSpeed]

Accept the hole and wear it with pride.

 

[dman535]

I am not expecting to restore or repair this thing to 100%, just want to try and stem the growth of the whole.

I am surprised to hear that these things come apart as easily.

And thanks for the welcomes

 

[Feraud]

dman535, I would not say fedoras come apart so easily.
You will see that many members own vintage hats of 20-70 years old with no sign of wear in the felt.

Something to keep in mind is when you regularly handle the hat by the crown, and especially at a flex point, is you increase the possiblilty of weakening and eventually tearing the felt. Handling the hat by the brim is generally recommended.

Also, those who own more than one hat can spread the handling wear throughout several hats. This lessens the damage to any one hat.
I always use this excuse to the wife when buying another hat.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Dr Greg

Have a look here
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=8200&highlight=squatter
Dr Greg notes "the holes were kept at bay for a while with kangaroo hide " maybe contact him and see how you keep the leahter in place. Looks like a nice hat though.
Johnny

 

[ADHD librarian]

Dman,
if you're just after stopping the hole from becoming the whole, then a smear of clear silicone sealant around the hole will do that.
You want to make sure that you don't make it visible through the hole, other than that, pop the bash out then spread a finger full liberally around the inside of the hat along the line of the fold. Make sure that you don't let it dry before attempting the rebash or it won't fold properly.

I've done this on one of my son's hats and it seems to be working well (so far). No idea how ugly it will become if the felt wears through showing the silicone, but it has stopped the hole growing (so far)

 

[GWD]

You could have it re-blocked at a 90 degrees, the hole would be on the side. Of course you would need to have the sweatband and ribbon rotated also.

 

[AlanC]

Leave the light in it and wear it at night.

 

[Mark G]

Take the liner out, work the hat from the inside so the hole is closed and use a piece of single sided carpet tape to hold it together. Then put the liner back in. This will stop the weather from coming in and if you do it right will be harder to spot than stitches.