My Grandfather's Borsalino Lives Again

[warbird]

Several weeks ago I posted a pic of a hat of my grandfather's I had found in the bottom of an old hat box that I had forgotten about. It had sat in this box for better than 40 years.

It's a very old Borsalino Alessandria. A crumpled mess with one messed up spot next to the brim edge.

I took it to Mike Moore and asked him to clean it, reblock it and put in a new sweatband. The old one was shot beyond repair unfortunately. He also cut just enough of the brim off to take out the small hole. Today Mike dropped by with my hat. To say I am pleased would be an understatement. I can now wear this hat my grandfather wore.

So to commemorate the moment I took a few shots with the hat on. Included in a couple of shots are clothes like he would have worn while hunting in this hat. The coat is in fact one of his coats and the boots are nearly identical to a pair he wore 45-50 years ago. The shotgun is a New Ithaca Double 12 gauge, 30" bbl made in 1927 that belonged to him. I still use it to this day.

 

[billysmom]

Wonderful resurrection story! Thanks!

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Sue

 

[jimmy the lid]

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Mario]

Wonderful resurrection story! Thanks!

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Sue

:arated: It's great to see that hat come back to life again! :eusa_clap

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

Terrific story!

The Borsa looks brand new again. Fantastic.

 

[CRH]

Outstanding, warbird!

You were raised well! :eusa_clap

 

[David Conwill]

How wonderful. Oh but that I had one of my grandfather's felt hats. Sadly, even if I did, it wouldn't fit me.

-Dave

 

[indycop]

Excellent rebuild Coley!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap So will Mike make a house call on my next hat?

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Beautiful! I'm a big Borso fan and that one looks fantastic!!! Well done.

-dixon cannon

 

[RBH]

Well done Coley !
Great job Mike !
Coley, when I was at Mikes the last time he showed me the hat...MAN that thing is light!!!!!
Wear it well and remember your gandfather when you do!

 

[mayserwegener]

Super! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Spats McGee]

Outstanding!

 

[warbird]

Excellent rebuild Coley!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap So will Mike make a house call on my next hat?

Well I don't know. You gotta be purty spesshul for that kinda service. Though I would suspect if we have a cold winter Mike might be willing to deliver to Florida in return for a place to crash in warmth

 

[ScionPI2005]

Warbird, the hat looks great! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

 

[GA Wildlifer]

And the boots....

The hat looks great and the boots you are wearing are wonderful too. Who made them? Being a forester and wildlife biologist, I am partial to good boots.

Robert

 

[warbird]

The hat looks great and the boots you are wearing are wonderful too. Who made them? Being a forester and wildlife biologist, I am partial to good boots.

Robert

Ah yes the boots. My beloved, greatest feet friend's the Russell Moccasins. These are the Sheep Hunters, one of their Mountain Hunter series.

http://www.russellmoccasin.com/boots_mountainhunting/boots_mt.html

They are a triple vamp true moccasin construction boot. The standard height for these boots is 10", mine are 12". These are uninsulated, you can get 200 or 400 gram insulation in them. The leather is an extremely water resistant leather, as I said 3 layers, and mine are lined with an additional thin waterproof lining. There are no two seams in the boot which meet, so they are essentially completely waterproof w/o the need for Gore-tex or similar membrane. They also breathe exceptionally well.

These have as standard on this model heel counters and shock resistant midsole shank and wedge. There are many additional options available including a snake proof lining, your choice of lacing configuration, your choice of poron insert, your choice of about 20 different soles. And numerous other options

Each boot is made to the exact measurements of each of your feet, perfect with people with hard to fit feet or different sized feet or especially high arches. They take your measurements and then build a mold for each foot and build the boot from there. Each boot is hand stitched. Mine are wide and have high insteps with extra room to allow for an orthotic. It takes about 12 weeks to get your boots, but well worth the wait. They also are not cheap. However I know at least two men who have had theirs more than 40 years, only having had them resoled as needed.

I have two pair of Russells, these and my Safari PH boots, equally great for tracking the warm dry desert or terrain of Africa and similar, cooler than the Sheep Hunters.

These are my go to boots almost always. The only exception I make is for high country with rock and scree, such as I face sheep hunting when I need extremely rigid boots. For those situations I have Kenetreks, which I recommend nearly as highly as Russell. Great boots, though not of the classic style of Russell.

Due to the demands I put on boots I am somewhat of a boot nut. Most men I have met in your profession are similar and I take it you are as well.

 

[DanielJones]

Very nicely done! :eusa_clap And it goes with the hunting outfit perfectly.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[bolthead]

This is a great shot WB......

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[BobC]

Great story, Coley! And it's very cool that you have your grandfather's hat to wear in his honor. Congratulations. Wear it in health.

 

[indycop]

Sounds like how I feel about my Danners.