My Experimental William Powell hat - UPDATE

[Brad Bowers]

I'm one step closer to my long-sought-after William Powell hat. $5 got me this fine NOS vintage white fedora that I can play with, so if I screw it up, it won't matter too much. I paid more for the shipping than the hat itself!

Stack1
Stack2
Stack3

The liner logo says "Stack," "Hats of Quality," and "South Norwalk, Conn." The brown leather sweatband has "The Printz Co." on it, and underneath is the tag that explains their "Cushion Vented" feature for "The Hat That Breathes."

The felt is slightly thicker than my lightweight Borsalino. It is not pounced quite as fine, and has some visible guard hairs. Black ribbon, wind trolley with a non-elastic string, and a Cavanagh edge. It is proportioned about like my Borsalino, and no taper at all. Probably a 1940s hat, but don't know for sure. I don't know anything about this brand.

The bad part is that it's a size 6 7/8, and I wear a 7 3/8 LO, but I figure, if I ruin it by stretching it, I'm only out a few bucks. The sweat will have to go, and the ribbon needs to be closer to a two-inch ribbon to match Powell's hat. By stretching it, the 2.5 brim should shorten up properly as well.

I just need to decide who to send it to for the work. I may wait until Art is back in business this fall.

Brad

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Good luck with it, Brad. It is a nice looking hat and maybe you can style it into a William Powell look-alike. If not, then you are not out much money.

We want to see photos when you are done, especially if it works.

I always see the most beautiful hats on ebay that are under size 7. Darn!

karol

 

[jamespowers]

Yes, pictures when you are done for sure. I don't think it will be that big of a stretch (pun intended) to get it just the way you want. You are starting with a very good candidate. I always like to start with great potential such as that. Cheap helps too.

Regards to all,

J

 

[feltfan]

William Powell hat?

Okay, I'm googling "william powell" and "william powell hat"
and mostly I'm seeing images of Powell with no hat or with a
top hat. Are you thinking of something like this?

http://www.filmweeklymagazine.com/images/WilliamPowellSep29.jpg

Got an image for the curious?

 

[Brad Bowers]

Here ya go, Feltfan.

Godfrey1
Godfrey2
Godfrey3

These are from My Man Godfrey, but Powell wears the same hat, or a very similar hat, in almost all of his 1930s films.

Brad

 

[jamespowers]

We will soon have pictures of the new My Man Brad with his Nick Charles hat.

Regards to all,

J

 

[scotrace]

Any results?

How'd it turn out? Anxious to see this!

 

[Johnnysan]

$5 got me this fine NOS vintage white fedora that I can play with, so if I screw it up, it won't matter too much. I paid more for the shipping than the hat itself!

FIVE dollars?? Wow, Brad...that's a great hat and quite a steal! Keep us posted on the rework!

 

[jeboat]

Bogie???

Where did you get the Bogie fedora I saw in you series of pictures. I did notice the brand said Beaver Brand, but where did you buy it???

jeboat :cool2: :cool2: :cool2:

 

[Brad Bowers]

Nope, not yet. I'm hoping to have Art do the work, so it will be a while. That, and paying down my wife's medical bills is also taking time!

As for the Bogey, I purchased it from Lee Keppler at Adventure-Supply.com. You can e-mail him from the site.

Brad

 

[Brad Bowers]

Update:

I recently acquired a 7 3/8 block, purportedly sold off from the wardrobe department at Warner Bros. studios. I stripped my 6 7/8 hat down, and held my breath as I worked the body down over the much larger block. The felt was still supple enough that, with some steam and some coaxing, it settled nicely onto the block. Once I get it flanged, it will have about a 5 3/4" crown and a 2 1/8" brim. Just about perfect!

Now all I need is a flange, a replacement sweat, and some 22 or 24 ligne ribbon. I think I can make the original liner fit. Maybe I'll have the hat ready to go by the time this thread reaches its one-year anniversary!lol

Brad

 

[besdor]

Brad , you are one very dedicated hat wearer! Isn't it a shame that there are so many nice hats on Ebay that are small sizes . I've seen some realy nice vintage hats that were 6 5/8 to 6 7/8 . I guess the head sizes were smaller back then .

 

[Marc Chevalier]

A lidded WILLIAM POWELL.

 

[Mr. Rover]

I'm not sure if Powell's nose is just really big and is creating an optical illussion, or if the brim is really that narrow...

 

[Brad Bowers]

UPDATE!

After the initial steaming and stretching to see if it would actually fit on the block, I got down to doing the wet block. I once again covered the block with plastic wrap to protect it from the water. The body blocked to almost the full six inches, maybe closer to 5 7/8" or so. It will make a beautiful 1930s-style hat.

It was a pain keeping the brim even all the way around. During the stretching process, it worked out to just over 2 ¼” now, and I had to tweak it to keep it the edge even all the way around. I can see why hatters don’t like to do reblocks on finished hats! I expect the brim to shorten a bit once the felt begins to tighten back up.

I bought a custom sealing iron like is used for applying the covering to radio-controlled model airplanes, since it looked like it would be good for small brim work, and I’ll be darned if I haven’t already found a great use for it! It’s narrow, so it fits the brim well, and its curve fits perfectly in against the Cavanagh Edge. When I was working the brim, I was worried that the Cav Edge would lose some of its beautiful profile, but that iron snuggled right up against it and brought it back with perfect definition. It's not a heavy enough iron for most other hat work, though. I ironed while the brim was still wet to prevent burning the felt, as I wanted to get it to start to lay down flat. For later ironing, I can't decide if I want to mist it with water, or if I want to protect it with a cloth. I'd like to be able to keep an eye on the Cavanagh Edge while I iron, so I may go with the misting and set a lower temperature on the iron.

Now I just need to wait a few days until the hat dries before I can finish it out. I need to find someone in town that has a band saw or sabre saw that will cut out a band block for me so that I can iron in the break once it's dry. I plan on pouncing it a little finer than the factory finish it came with.

Brad

 

[K.D. Lightner]

My goodness, Brad, you are turning into a hatter.

I'm impressed -- would never have the patience and initiative to do what you are doing.

karol

 

[Brad Bowers]

Thanks for the encouragement, karol! It is indeed daunting to begin this process. With the proper tools, research, support, and advice from good friends, I'll see this thing through.

Someday, with enough practice, I could open up the "7 3/8 Hat Store." Any hat you want, as long as it's a 7 3/8.lol

Brad

 

[BellyTank]

I'm a 7 3/8 Brad-

Well done!
Give us some more detailed info on the blocking process if you will...

That hat looks fantastic already!

What is the actual diameter of the block did you used?
Did you use the full height of the block..?

I've had my eye on a block in a nearby junk store...

Keep us posted and do tell all Mr. Bowers/Powell.

Thanks,

B
T

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Brad -- I think you should expand (downward) to 7 1/8. You can stop, there, if you like.

karol

 

[Brad Bowers]

Well done!
Give us some more detailed info on the blocking process if you will...

That hat looks fantastic already!

What is the actual diameter of the block did you used?
Did you use the full height of the block..?

I've had my eye on a block in a nearby junk store...

Thanks, BT!

The block is, if I remember correctly, about 23 3/8" or so in diameter. Can't measure it at the moment.lol It's marked as a 7 3/8, so if it turns out slightly small for me, I can stretch it a tiny bit. I taped a tape measure around the sweatbands on my hats, and they come out at 23", though when I run the same tape measure around my head, I seem to get 23 1/4". I now feel that my measurements around the sweat were more accurate, so it may turn out all right after all.

I used all of the full height of the block as I could, but there might be about a 1/8" that I couldn't use, as the rope tends to creep back up slightly, no matter how I tighten it and run it back down. I think, in any case, it will depend on how the break irons in later. There may be a trick to this that I don't know about, but I'm not too concerned if it's 5 7/8" instead of 6" in the final hat. I'm just happy to have it wear!

Not much to tell about the blocking. I made sure the body was clean, which wasn't too big of a deal since it was NOS, just needed a good brushing. Saturated it in scalding hot water until it was limp and workable, then worked it down over the block. Next, I tied on the cotton rope nice and tight and ran it down to the bottom of the block. I pushed and pulled the edge of the brim to keep it even all the way around, and then ironed it to get it to start to lay flat.

Get that block and start your own project! Just be sure to keep us informed.

Brad -- I think you should expand (downward) to 7 1/8. You can stop, there, if you like

If I had a block that size...lol

Brad