John Wayne's Akubra?

[hatophile]

Cole: "First gettin' shot, then gettin' married. Bad habits.

I also like the part where Clell Miller threatens to shoot the guitar player's hands if he doesn't play "I'm a Good Ole Rebel".

 

[monbla256]

Keepin this OT the final scene of the Proffesionals has the best put-down line I've ever heard.
Ralph Belamy: "You ba***rd!"
Lee Marvin as he is starting to saddle up to ride back to Mexico: "Yes Sir! Mine sir was an accident of birth. YOU SIR are a self made man"
and he saddles up and they ride back to Mexico

 

[Rodkins]

I think I can get close with this Royal Stetson DeLuxe

The felt is very thin and soft

 

[gtdean48]

I think I can get close with this Royal Stetson DeLuxe...The felt is very thin and soft

Looks like a perfect starting point!

 

[Sam Craig]

There you go.
Pinch fore and aft, roll the brim and add an officer's hat braid

I did the same thing with an older Resistol ... not that thin but it's what I had

Sam

 

[Rodkins]

There you go.
Pinch fore and aft, roll the brim and add an officer's hat braid

I did the same thing with an older Resistol ... not that thin but it's what I had

Sam

I think I will try everything with the exception of the officer's hat braid. I may consider it at a later time, but for now I think I'll stick with the thin ribbon.

 

[4spurs]

Amazing what one can do with a good toaster!

 

[gtdean48]

I think I will try everything with the exception of the officer's hat braid. I may consider it at a later time, but for now I think I'll stick with the thin ribbon.

If you notice in 1 close up of The Duke's hat, you can still see the thin ribbon beneath the hat cord....

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I have a Resistol at Hatman Jack's getting bent correctly for a John Wayne Cavalry hat. I just received a nice Indian wars Cavalry Shirt to wear with it from Cook Creek Old West store http://www.cooncreekoldwest.com/. I just ordered double loop Stampede Strings in horsehair to wear with it also. http://www.outwestsaddlery.com/index.html

The Resistol is currently 4 inches in brim. I'll probably just have the hat finished, then work on brim size. Anybody know the brim size on the Duke's hat?

Later

 

[gtdean48]

.... Anybody know the brim size on the Duke's hat?

I'd go with 3 inches at least but could be 3 1/4 to 3 1/2.

 

[Rodkins]

Here are a few shots with my first attempt
Open crown

I was having fun even though my expression seems to show defeat

 

[Sam Craig]

To be completely honest Mike, you look a little more like Pat Wayne than John Wayne, but believe me ... having met Patrick ... that IS a compliment.

Actually you look a little like Jeff Hunter from Sgt. Rutledge ... another great John Ford cavalry movie.

And the hat looks great.

Sam

 

[hatophile]

Great job, Mike. Just work on the expression a bit and you got it!

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I agree with the other guys about your expression, too much "F Troop" not enough "John FORD". PERSONALLY, I don't think I like the flipped up front. I didn't like Curly Bill on Tombstone, and I'm not John Wayne who COULD pull it off.

Later

 

[Corky]

Three minor tweaks you might want to try

Rodkins:

Remember that we are probably talking about more than one hat here. The Duke lost his favorite to Sammy Davis Jr., but they probably had a few identical ones for use in the movies. It was a unique costume item and they would have to stop shooting if the only one got lost or damaged. Plus extras were needed for the stunt doubles, etc.

Tweak # 1

I would experiment with pressing down on the sides of the hat. Grasp the brim under the ribbon bow and on the other side and pull the flat part down over your ears. This might exaggerate the brim curl while you are doing it, but it should leave the brim slightly more in the shape you are working towards.

Tweak # 2

The upturned curl in both front and back seems to look better if it is slightly off-center. Experiment with curling yours up over your dominant eye so it would be out of the way if you had to look down the sights of a rifle. See the photo below for an example of what this looks like.

Tweak # 3

The brim curl in the front seems to look best on mine if the curl goes down slightly BEFORE it turns up.

Look at the faint shadow on this photo:

NOTE: Visualize an analog clock face on the hat brim. Now observe that there's a faint shadow from 1 O' Clock to about 10 O'Clock. This is where the brim goes down a bit before it curls up.

The procedure I use to achieve this effect is as follows. Grasp the hat right side up by the brim. Again, visualize an analog clock face looking down on the hat. Place your hands at the 1 or 2 O'Clock and 10 O'Clock positions with your thumbs on top of the brim and your fingers underneath the brim. Press down with your thumbs while you are pressing up with your fingers.

Hope these tips are helpful.

Best of luck.

Corky

 

[Sam Craig]

One thing you have to remember when determining how to copy the John Ford cav hat crease is that they were being put in hats that were used to film a movie ... not to wear for every day.

The hats in the movies have extreme creasing ... the sort of thing that would quickly lead to the Rio Bravo hat if you aren't careful

While that hat looks cool in the movie ... in real life when you've got breaks in the felt you've got problems that don't get better with age

If you want to sacrifice a hat, or try to fix one that already has the holes, you can get a good decorator piece, but as most of us who have had westerns we've worn for years of work know, you quickly reach a point where the deterioration goes too far.

Sam

 

[4spurs]

Ok boys, I was able to watch about 15 min of Hondo this morning, 1953. Duke was wearing his signature hat, but it was not flipped up in the front. It was flipped down. Ward Bond was playing a scruffy character [as usual] and his hat was flipped fore n`aft.

Maybe Duke's hat flipped up at some other point in the film, but not while I was watching it. And just to break your hearts. I rec'd a vintage 7X CB 3.5" brim today

ebay item # 120805902315 The ebay photos make it look "silverbelly" gray, but's not, it's a tan, chamois color, and it's sitting on my head right now, drying out, with a new diamond crease, brim down . . . .

and yes, the felt is thin, and the ribbon is real thin, heck I've got shoelaces that are wider.

 

[4spurs]

Watching Rio Bravo (1959) Duke is wearing the same hat; but the front curl keeps coming and going. One scene they're all in the jail, Dean Martin has just thrown a bottle of beer at Claude Aikens. Duke and Dean leave the jail carrying a package to go to the hotel, but just before Duke leaves the jail he purposely pushes the front of his brim up making that curl, by the time he's out on the street the curl is gone. Watch the movie and watch that curl come and go; continuity person must have been snoozing.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Now that I went and ordered Rio Bravo from Amazon, they play it every weekend.

Later

 

[1961MJS]

One thing you have to remember when determining how to copy the John Ford cav hat crease is that they were being put in hats that were used to film a movie ... not to wear for every day.

The hats in the movies have extreme creasing ... the sort of thing that would quickly lead to the Rio Bravo hat if you aren't careful

While that hat looks cool in the movie ... in real life when you've got breaks in the felt you've got problems that don't get better with age

If you want to sacrifice a hat, or try to fix one that already has the holes, you can get a good decorator piece, but as most of us who have had westerns we've worn for years of work know, you quickly reach a point where the deterioration goes too far.

Sam

Hi Sam

Sooooooo, I have a Silver Belly Resistol 20x in Jack's to have made into a John Wayne Cavalry hat. Should I ask that they soften the creases a little? I don't plan on buying another one.

Thanks