Milan Mania

[bond]

Nice hats guys. One i had and unfortunately sold last year was a Borsalino that was awesome ,probably from the 50s -60s and it was
charcoal black with a 2' snap brim and there was some light flecks of silver in it as well. Easy come easy go,I havent seen another one
like it or any other Borsalino snap brim straws of that vintage ever since. Ill post apic if i can figure out how to do that.

 

[fmw]

It's not that easy for me FMV, for I'm blessed/cursed with a size 8.

Wow. It will take some serious luck for you to find something.

As far as I know, the Milanese don't braid whieat straw any longer. I think the Chinese do, however, and i think the Optimo milans are made from that. The milans made by Hatco are polyester and I wouldn't even guess about what you might get from any of the other manufacturers. Vintage milans are easy to find on Ebay (except in size 8, of course.)

 

[Wojo]

Yeah, better luck with the Lotto.

I just received one From Mr. Fawcett. Custom seems the way I have to go.

I have a couple Stetson Andovers that I am going to try and reshape. They don't seem to be thermo-set. If you really work them over they become quite malleable. So with some type of block and lots of shellac.... well, we'll see how that goes.

Beggars can't be choosers.

 

[Lexybeast]

Cross posted from new hats...

Here's a vintage Dobbs milan I picked up a while ago but only recently sent to Optimo for reblocking and all that. The straw is in great condition, but the leather sweatband needed to be replaced. The original one pretty much disintegrated when I touched it!

 

[Lawrence Ullman]

I won this vintage Pilgrim on eBay a few weeks ago. Just arrived in SoCal from Canada, and I couldn't be happier. Great condition, fits me perfectly, and should go with everything. Price was right, too. And I owe it all to this fine thread, without which I would not have known what the heck a "Milan" was.

 

[juggles]

Recently got this new Biltmore pork pie:

 

[DudeInBlack]

I won this vintage Pilgrim on eBay a few weeks ago. Just arrived in SoCal from Canada, and I couldn't be happier. Great condition, fits me perfectly, and should go with everything. Price was right, too. And I owe it all to this fine thread, without which I would not have known what the heck a "Milan" was.

Nice find, and welcome to the Lounge fellow SoCal native!

That unique fleur de lis button on the band really makes the hat. Color me jealous. Any chance we can get a shot of it on your noggin'?

 

[Rabbit]

5 5/8" x 2 5/8" natural-colored Milan w/ 16 L petersham ribbon (dark brown). The hat came with a synthetic pug with I replaced with the petersham ribbon. The pug didn't seem to be the original ribbon (pre-tied pug attached with 2 sticking tapes front and right side).

The silky fabric tip sticker was loose when the hat arrived. I removed the dried remnants of the glue.

Any recommendations for the right kind of glue to re-attach the tip sticker? I've searched the FL and found just one solution, which is hot glue from a glue gun. Is this the only option? Does it really work with straw/ is heat not a problem?

 

[Rabbit]

One more question to the knowledgeable loungers:
From the listing I expected this one to be a 1950s Milan. It does have a 5.95 $ tag, though. Any date estimates?
I hesitate to take a pic of the tag with crown height, brim width and price for fear of ripping the sweat.
Below is a pic from the auction showing the union tag.

 

[bowlerman]

Rabbit, that's my kind of Milan-- nice catch! I like that wider brim. Is it around 2 1/2"? Did that happen to be the one with the creamish-orange pug?

 

[Aureliano]

I used Elmers to re-glue the crown sticker of a panama. I'm sure it'll work for Milan, too.

 

[Rabbit]

Rabbit, that's my kind of Milan-- nice catch! I like that wider brim. Is it around 2 1/2"? Did that happen to be the one with the creamish-orange pug?

hey bowlerman,
no it was this one:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350516947680
It has a 2 5/8" brim and 5 5/8" open crown.
Ver fine weave and a beautifully executed brim edge. I don't know whether back weave is the proper word for a Milan, but it looks like a very fine back weave.

 

[Rabbit]

I used Elmers to re-glue the crown sticker of a panama. I'm sure it'll work for Milan, too.

Elmers glue, eh? Now if only I knew what the equivalent to Elmers Glue is over here in Germany...thanks anyway for the tip, I'll figure it out eventually.

 

[bowlerman]

excellent choice on the ribbon.

 

[alanfgag]

A very handsome milan, Rabbit. I have mentioned Fabri-Tac in other threads. I'd consider it as an alternative to water based adhesive like Elmer's or other white glues. I use it as a liquid "stitch." It dries instantly and is easily reversible with acetone if needed.

 

[Chepstow]

Rabbit, du kannst auch Ponal Holzleim nehmen, das benutze ich auch für lose Hutfutter. Klebt gut und schnell.

You can use Ponal glue, it works good on this, special for loose linings. Glues good and fast.

 

[Rabbit]

excellent choice on the ribbon.

Thanks! I'm not too fond of petersham ribbons in general but for the Milan I think it works quite well.

A very handsome milan, Rabbit. I have mentioned Fabri-Tac in other threads. I'd consider it as an alternative to water based adhesive like Elmer's or other white glues. I use it as a liquid "stitch." It dries instantly and is easily reversible with acetone if needed.

Thank you Alan. Right, Fabri-Tac. I did find this entry of yours in my search as well and wondered what kind of glue it was. So, Fabri-Tac is true-solvent based and Elmer's is water based.

Rabbit, du kannst auch Ponal Holzleim nehmen, das benutze ich auch für lose Hutfutter. Klebt gut und schnell.

You can use Ponal glue, it works good on this, special for loose linings. Glues good and fast.

Hello neighbour!
Ponal..hmm. Did you use this successfully on straws as well as as on felts? My concern is that it might go through the woven braid, sooner or later. You know, sort of slowly dripping (durchsickern) through it. I'll try it on a raffia braid first although the material is quite different.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks! Thank you Alan. Right, Fabri-Tac. I did find this entry of yours in my search as well and wondered what kind of glue it was. So, Fabri-Tac is true-solvent based and Elmer's is water based.

Yes. I've used it for similar applications without problems. It is very strong with some good viscosity that keeps it from penetrating too deeply. It is fully removable with acetone. Obviously not for acrylic plastic, and always good to use sparingly, testing the area as you go.

 

[Rabbit]

Well, I'll definitely test both a water based and a solvent based on some other braided material first. This is one killer Milan and I sure don't want to ruin :eeek: the crown.

 

[Chepstow]

Rabbit, I use Ponal on a Panama hat. Thats succesfull. No dripping out, only a thin coat with a brush.