Liners

[Jsoftz]

When shopping for vintage hats on eBay, one of the things that I use to judge the quality of the fedora is the liner. One thing i've noticed is those little plastic liners on top of the satin/silk. I don't know really what they mean, but to me they look kind of cheap and I try to stay away from them. On the other hand if I see a hat that obviously has a real silk liner and it looks luxurious I can guess that it was more likely an older hat and a more expensive one as well. If I see one of those liners that looks really nice and it's pleated and such- I guess that it must be a REALLY nice hat. Granted, i'm totally speculating here. Buying an item off of the internet where you really can't see what you are buying lends me to just guess stuff once in awhile. Does anyone have any comments on the veracity of my assumptions?

Oh- and one little thing here. How much does Optimo charge for a reblock and about how long does it take? I might want to send in my grey Borsalino to have a new ribbon put on and the one that is for some reason underneath it removed, plus I'd like it to be blocked to a shape that looks more like Bogie's lid from Falcon .

Thanks, Josh.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

A reblock/cleaning is $25, and a new ribbon is $15(I think on the ribbon), plus the cost of shipping back to you.
It usually takes about 2 weeks, depending on how booked up they are.
Your best bet is to give them a call.773-238-2999

 

[Andykev]

Buying on Ebay

The plastic at the top was a protector from your Brylcreem hair oil. There is also on some hats a waxed silk liner between the felt and the sweatband. Added layer of protection.

ASK the seller IF THERE ARE ANY MOTH BITES, TRACKS, DIVOTS, or HOLES.
THAT IS CANCER to a HAT.

You can replace the ribbon, liner, sweatband, and even have the hat re bound on the edge....but YOU CAN'T PLUG the HOLES..and they RUIN the lool.

And I use Naptha to clean my hats...but on the "good ones" ...send them to the hatter. Really. If they don't make a living and pay the rent..they will go under. You really only need to clean a vintage hat once, to remove the years of storage,dust, smoke, etc.

 

[Matt Deckard]

The plastic at the top was a protector from your Brylcreem hair oil. There is also on some hats a waxed silk liner between the felt and the sweatband. Added layer of protection.

right on... This guy knows his stuff.

You find alot of plastic being used on hats from the late 40's and later. The oil silk cloth on the top of the liner was the antecedent and was found on some of the more expensive hats of an earlier time.

 

[Michael Mallory]

Remember, while today plastic is the symbol of all things cheap and cheesy, in the 1940s it was still the new wonder substance. Plastic in a hat could have been seen as a sign of quality and progress.

 

[Michael Mallory]

Speaking to the subject of getting a hat reblocked to conform to one from a movie...(and stop me if you already know this)...close examination of any old movie will reveal that virtually none of the felt hats were pre-blocked the way they are today. Back then, hats were frequently sold with open crowns and then the hatter or the purchaser would put the bash in (the hats worn by Charlie Chan, when not Panamas, were fedoras without the bash). So you might have better luck doing just that, reblocking open and then shaping it yourself. Bogart's hats always seemed to be tall (then again, on Bogart, anything would look tall) and his bashes were narrow triangles. That narrowness gives a kind of bell shape when the hat is viewed from the side. Conforming a Borsolino to a Bogart might be tough, though, since iold style American hats tended to be tall and straight (Indy style, if you like), while Italian and European designs featured tapered crowns which, once bashed, give a smaller, more pointed look.

 

[havershaw]

I personally kind of like the plastic in the tops of some of those hats...some of my older hats don't have 'em, and if I've just recently put the hair gunk in, I'm a little hesitant to wear one for fear of gooping up the liner.

one more thing I just have to add...Josh, I've actually sung into the exact microphone pictured in your avatar (it's a Neumann u47, currently residing at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles). it's a wonderful thing. (actually made me sound...decent!)

 

[Jsoftz]

Wow, really? That's amazing. I wish I could try singing in a microphone like that, my friends tell me i'm halfway decent. At any rate, it's fun to try and sing once in awhile. Just being goofy with friends.