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Making a Western hat by hand?

AbbaDatDeHat

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,825
OK finished up the Nutria hat. I still may make some changes to the brim shape but here it is for now. I included a photo to show the flexibility of the brim. The felt is soft yet holds its shape well and springs back. It feels lightweight while wearing it. It's not a masterpiece but I'm satisfied with this first attempt. I modeled this after the Stetson Dakota with a 5.5 inch open crown and 3.5 inch brim. My brim came up just shy of 3.5 but I did get a 5.5 inch open crown. I went with 3/8 inch silver belly ribbon rather than the 7/8 I initially considered.
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Most excellent all around Scott!
Thanks for sharing the build.
B
 

humanshoes

One Too Many
Messages
1,446
Location
Tennessee
OK finished up the Nutria hat. I still may make some changes to the brim shape but here it is for now. I included a photo to show the flexibility of the brim. The felt is soft yet holds its shape well and springs back. It feels lightweight while wearing it. It's not a masterpiece but I'm satisfied with this first attempt. I modeled this after the Stetson Dakota with a 5.5 inch open crown and 3.5 inch brim. My brim came up just shy of 3.5 but I did get a 5.5 inch open crown. I went with 3/8 inch silver belly ribbon rather than the 7/8 I initially considered.
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Very nice work there Scott!
 

Rockwater

A-List Customer
Messages
437
OK finished up the Nutria hat. I still may make some changes to the brim shape but here it is for now. I included a photo to show the flexibility of the brim. The felt is soft yet holds its shape well and springs back. It feels lightweight while wearing it. It's not a masterpiece but I'm satisfied with this first attempt. I modeled this after the Stetson Dakota with a 5.5 inch open crown and 3.5 inch brim. My brim came up just shy of 3.5 but I did get a 5.5 inch open crown. I went with 3/8 inch silver belly ribbon rather than the 7/8 I initially considered.
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Most excellent Scott! Something about it looks so..familiar.
 

RossRYoung

Practically Family
Messages
940
OK finished up the Nutria hat. I still may make some changes to the brim shape but here it is for now. I included a photo to show the flexibility of the brim. The felt is soft yet holds its shape well and springs back. It feels lightweight while wearing it. It's not a masterpiece but I'm satisfied with this first attempt. I modeled this after the Stetson Dakota with a 5.5 inch open crown and 3.5 inch brim. My brim came up just shy of 3.5 but I did get a 5.5 inch open crown. I went with 3/8 inch silver belly ribbon rather than the 7/8 I initially considered.
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Very very nice! Love that liner
 

Cornshucker77

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,691
Location
Northeast Nebraska, USA
Wow Scott! Excellent work. I might just have to give one a go. That’s a pretty spectacular hat at a good price!

Are you already planning on making another?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks J. I may make another but it might be a while. I have wanted to make a Boss of the Plains so maybe in the future. It was a lot of fun making this hat so if you have a desire to make one, I say go ahead and have some fun. :)
 

thundurchasur

Familiar Face
Messages
95
Location
South Texas
I'm a retired pro photographer and I live just west of San Antonio, Texas. I watched a video online yesterday of a guy making a fur felt hat from the raw fur. Amazing! I'm not ready to make my own felt but would love to pick up some beaver bodies and get started with blocking and shaping. My interest lies mainly in making my own fur felt western hat(s). I have zero experience but am an artist and have done a lot of work with my hands so I feel this is something that I might like.

I've been hangin' out for a couple of days and digesting everything I could find on hat making here, as well as YouTube, and ready to learn all I can from you guys.
 

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,098
Location
San Francisco, CA
Yes, seems like everyone wants to get into the hat making practice now. Supply of beaver bodies is limited, as Winchester is not always accepting new customers. As a non-hatmaker I might suggest not starting with the top of the line materials anyways as even experienced hatters sometimes have to discard a body and start over. Many folks, including Bob at Black Sheep Hatworks, cut their teeth, so to speak, renovating western hats which are relatively cheap and plentiful.
 

GHT

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,772
Location
New Forest
Jlee's advice does sound very sensible, personally I wouldn't even go there, then again I'm one of those people that phones an electrician when a light bulb goes pop. But if you really want to give it a go, this video is part three of four, everything from trapping the racoon, through to making the hat and even eating the meat. This part three video is all about making the hat.
 

thundurchasur

Familiar Face
Messages
95
Location
South Texas
Thanks, Jared. I have a few old Resistol wool blend hats laying around that I'm going to start with. Can I do a wet block with it so I'm going back to square one or is it best not to?
 
Messages
10,829
Location
vancouver, canada
I'm a retired pro photographer and I live just west of San Antonio, Texas. I watched a video online yesterday of a guy making a fur felt hat from the raw fur. Amazing! I'm not ready to make my own felt but would love to pick up some beaver bodies and get started with blocking and shaping. My interest lies mainly in making my own fur felt western hat(s). I have zero experience but am an artist and have done a lot of work with my hands so I feel this is something that I might like.

I've been hangin' out for a couple of days and digesting everything I could find on hat making here, as well as YouTube, and ready to learn all I can from you guys.
Welcome, spent a week in your neck of the woods this spring til we got spooked by the weather trying to kill us.....6 hour lightning storm, tornado alert 3 miles to the north of us and tennis ball sized hail stones. ….sent us back to NMexico. May visit again when feeling braver or luckier.
 

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