My Grandfather's Hat

[AlanC]

My grandfather passed away in 1991 at the age of 81. I had never really considered that he wore hats; I never saw him in one other than a straw work hat. But he was from a generation that certainly wore hats, and my Dad mentioned that he thought there was still an old hat or two of my grandfather's. He checked with my grandmother, and sure enough, one of his old hats survives! Well, sort of:

As you can see, it's seen better days. It's an Adams with a brim of 2.5". Measured from the side, the crown is a little under 5". The lining is a mess; the sweatband has disintegrated. It's filthy. The good news is, I can't find any real problems with the felt other than some possible light moth damage to the underside of the brim.

Note the cool ribbon treatment.

My intention is to send this off to Optimo for a complete rebuild. I hope they can work a miracle and make it live again.

 

[HDRnR]

Pretty cool, the binding on the edge is in pretty good shape.

 

[Feraud]

I am sure the hat can be refurbished. It is a nice family heirloom.

 

[Zemke Fan]

Yeah, this will turn out VERY well...

This is going to look just like new when they're done with it. I am sure and THEN... his hat on your noggin. How cool will THAT be??

 

[Brooksie]

That is so cool that you found a hat of your grandfather's and you are going to have it made like new again!

Brooksie

 

[John in Covina]

Fedora Rescue Mission

Cool! If you get a chance check out the sticky with the different crease treaments so you acan tell'em how you want it blocked.

 

[RBH]

That is just too cool!
You will always have a treasure with that hat. Good luck on the refurb!

 

[mingoslim]

No doubt a family heirloom, to be treasured . . . and I am sure when it is refurbished, it is also going to look GREAT.

 

[thunderw21]

I like the ribbon treatment on that one. Rough but should fix up nicely, that is if you decide to refurbish it. I hope you do, it's a great hat.
Billy

 

[feltfan]

Looks like an Adam Executive. Mine has that same unusual bow.
Should be able to salvage the ribbon, too. Nice.

 

[AlanC]

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. I'm really excited about getting this done.

Looks like an Adam Executive. Mine has that same unusual bow.
Should be able to salvage the ribbon, too. Nice.

Yes, "Adam" is certainly correct according to the lining. I can't make much else out. Do you know from what period it would date?

 

[Dinerman]

well- it's not much to look at right now, but it's easy to see its beautiful lines. I can't wait to see it finished.

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

I beg to differ, there is plenty to look at. One must only have the ability to see. The craftsmanship, the styling alone are worth praise. That is a great hat, this is a great story, and I am very confident that it will have a great ending.

 

[mikepara]

ditto!

Make a note of this thread so you can post the results when it's done. Can't wait. Jealous: Wish I'd known my either of my Grandads' never mind have a hat survive.

 

[ValleyBoy]

Regardlessof who made it, it's history makesit priceless.

 

[ideaguy]

I'm with Bud all the way on this one; take as many photos as you can,
and ask Optimo if they can possibly shoot a few as well,and then keep
that hat close by. If you have any thoughts about this being a so-so
hat, that maybe....then look again at the name of this thread.

 

[Earp]

I can't wait to see some pictures of this hat when it's finished. What a wonderful heirloom and good for you on tracking it down and restoring it.

 

[DanielJones]

I can see that the hat was once a beauty. As long as the felt is in good shape they should be able to resurrect Lazarus. My Whippet was brought back so I see no reason that this Adam can't shine again. I can't wait to see the results. Are you going to have them recreate the ribbon treatment? That would look fantastic if they did.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[AlanC]

Some of you may recall the saga of my Grandfather's hat as recorded in the thread above. It was found hanging on a nail high in an old closet at my grandparents' house. It was a mess. Here are the before pics again:

Here it is now:

Ribbon detail:

My initials:

Some of you may have detected the restorer of the hat, especially with the nifty bow treatment. Our own Art Fawcett took it on. Currently I have a Panama and a summer felt in process with Art, and since he graciously does restoration work for customers he agreed to take this one.

The lining is the original, although the Adam logo completely soaked off; you can see that some leather dye stains also remain. Art did an inside out/flip it around job on the hat to get it back to its original color and to compensate for a couple of weak spots in the former front. After a lot of soaking he was unable to get the staining marks completely out of the felt, the brim particularly. Nonetheless, I'm thrilled with the hat, and find it amazing what Art did with it. I know that it must have a higher quality ribbon and sweatband than it did originally.

Art told me he bashed it before it left, but it arrived open crowned, so I assume the bash fell out along the way. The felt is very soft, so I can see how it happened. I've got to practice my bashing skills, and I hope to wear it to church tomorrow. I will post an 'in action' shot when I've got it where I want it.

I can't wait for my Granny to see it brought back to life, and I look forward to wearing my grandfather's hat with pride.

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

Just as I thought

That hat has a lot of character. Good for you!!!