Now Forming! the Campaign Hat Corps

[deanglen]

looking good dean , what height did fit the vent?

Good question! I think it's 3 1/4". Never saw a spec on that. I estimated based on photos and drawings of originals. Actually the right side vent is probably the correct height, but slightly further back of the other vent, a fact realized after making the hole for the vent.:eusa_doh: But since you can't see both at once, well, it's not a major difference!



dean

 

[Picard1138]

Stetson 1889 campaign hat conversion project update:
The 1/8" brim trimmer arrived in the mail from Hawkeye Tack ($50 plus shipping), and works flawlessly with little practice. It takes off a little more than 1/8" so measure everything and adjust accordingly. The brim was trimmed to a hair over 3", and then sanded to smooth out the edge. Turned out perfectly, and the trimmer was a good buy, a solid tool for many future projects.

Any recommendations for thread color for the three rows of brim stitching?

The sewing awl arrived as well, and I ordered a sweatband and ribbon in case I decide I'm adventurous enough to try it myself. I will be reading up on both in the meantime.
Photo below of the finished trim:




-Max

 

[deanglen]

Stetson 1889 campaign hat conversion project update:
The 1/8" brim trimmer arrived in the mail from Hawkeye Tack ($50 plus shipping), and works flawlessly with little practice. It takes off a little more than 1/8" so measure everything and adjust accordingly. The brim was trimmed to a hair over 3", and then sanded to smooth out the edge. Turned out perfectly, and the trimmer was a good buy, a solid tool for many future projects.

Any recommendations for thread color for the three rows of brim stitching?

The sewing awl arrived as well, and I ordered a sweatband and ribbon in case I decide I'm adventurous enough to try it myself. I will be reading up on both in the meantime.
Photo below of the finished trim:

View attachment 6681


-Max

Max,


Here's a shot of the brim stitching on an original M1889 that you may have seen:

And then note the section of these Specs regarding the brim trim as a tapered brim wider on the sides than the back and front!:
1889 Campaign Hats

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Quartermaster General’s Office

Specifications for Fur Campaign Hats.

Mixture.—To be composed of fur in the following proportions and kinds, for twenty-four (24) dozen hats: Fifteen (15) pounds Y. C. Ex. Ex. coney; thirty (30) pounds Y. C. No. 1 coney; sixteen (16) pounds W. C. No. 1 coney; twelve (12) pounds W. C. mottled coney; five (5) pounds W. C. hare’s bellies; ten pounds blown nutria; ten (10) pounds American rabbit.
Weight.—Hat bodies to be weighed, four and three-fourths (4 ¾) ounces heavy.

Shape.—Block to be five and three-fourths (5 ¾) inches deep to center of tip.

Brim.—To be two and three-fourths (2 ¾) inches wide in front and rear, and three (3) inches at sides; and to have three rows of stitching on edge.

Color.—To be drab, shade of standard sample.

Trimmings.—To be trimmed with eight-ligne union band, same quality and style as on hat, to be sewed on by hand. Sweat to be an imported lined leather, two and one-forth (2 ¼) inches wide, sewed to the reed by zigzag stitch. Each side of hat to have an opening for ventilation consisting of small punched holes of size, and arranged in design, as on standard sample hat; the center of design to be about three and one-quarter (3 ¼) inches from brim.
The hats to be doe-finished, as per sample.
To be packed three hats in each band-box.

Adopted February 8 1889, in lieu of specifications of December 14, 1883, which are hereby canceled.

S. B. HOLABIRD,
Quartermaster General, U. S. A.



The finished project will be awesome! Can't wait to see it, from lots of different angles!



dean

 

[Picard1138]

Max,


Here's a shot of the brim stitching on an original M1889 that you may have seen:

And then note the section of these Specs regarding the brim trim as a tapered brim wider on the sides than the back and front!:
1889 Campaign Hats

WAR DEPARTMENT,
Quartermaster General’s Office

Specifications for Fur Campaign Hats.

Mixture.—To be composed of fur in the following proportions and kinds, for twenty-four (24) dozen hats: Fifteen (15) pounds Y. C. Ex. Ex. coney; thirty (30) pounds Y. C. No. 1 coney; sixteen (16) pounds W. C. No. 1 coney; twelve (12) pounds W. C. mottled coney; five (5) pounds W. C. hare’s bellies; ten pounds blown nutria; ten (10) pounds American rabbit.
Weight.—Hat bodies to be weighed, four and three-fourths (4 ¾) ounces heavy.

Shape.—Block to be five and three-fourths (5 ¾) inches deep to center of tip.

Brim.—To be two and three-fourths (2 ¾) inches wide in front and rear, and three (3) inches at sides; and to have three rows of stitching on edge.

Color.—To be drab, shade of standard sample.

Trimmings.—To be trimmed with eight-ligne union band, same quality and style as on hat, to be sewed on by hand. Sweat to be an imported lined leather, two and one-forth (2 ¼) inches wide, sewed to the reed by zigzag stitch. Each side of hat to have an opening for ventilation consisting of small punched holes of size, and arranged in design, as on standard sample hat; the center of design to be about three and one-quarter (3 ¼) inches from brim.
The hats to be doe-finished, as per sample.
To be packed three hats in each band-box.

Adopted February 8 1889, in lieu of specifications of December 14, 1883, which are hereby canceled.

S. B. HOLABIRD,
Quartermaster General, U. S. A.



The finished project will be awesome! Can't wait to see it, from lots of different angles!



dean

Dean,

That's one of the photos I'm going by. Unfortunately my hand crank Singer machine can't do a stitch like that, but I will try to get it as close as possible. And I'm going to test a few different color upholstery threads, as my hat is a little darker than the spec. I have "Army tan" heavy duty thread that would be perfect for the standard (or faded) hat, but perhaps I'll try it with a more brown thread so as not to stand out too much.

As for the brim width, my proportions are very similar to the regulations, but I allowed the brim to be a little wider (2 7/8" in the front and back, about 3 1/8" on the sides) to account for my larger size head.

You'll hear from me soon, with more photos as I continue this hat!

-Max

 

[liten]

MAX! most of the theards they used faded in the weather, so deans pic would be of faded theard! so a lighter color wouldnt really matter.

-Max[/QUOTE]

 

[Picard1138]

1889 Campaign Hat update: I took off the original grosgrain ribbon (gently, so as to keep the ribbon in case I'd like to put it back on). The fading difference was evident, the hat being darker underneath the ribbon giving a distinct line around the felt. I used a sponge to clean it, then I blended the line in the felt with some sandpaper. Keep a vacuum cleaner with hose attachment at the ready! It is still a little visible in the flash photos, but I'm confident that once the thinner ribbon goes on the hat will fade evenly and it will disappear after a few times out in the sun. Next steps: I have a replacement sweatband on order, as well as some 5/8 grosgrain ribbon from Britex, which should arrive in the next few days.

Last night's project; the three rows of stitching, easily accomplished with my trusty Singer 66 and handcrank. I had it set to its maximum stitch width, but unfortunately I couldn't match the stitch width from the photos of original hats unless I did it by hand. I am happy with the way the stitching turned out, however. Let me know what you think:



-Max

 

[deanglen]

Max,

You aced the stitching! Well done! Your work is truly inspired! Love it!:eusa_clap





dean

 

[Picard1138]

Max,

You aced the stitching! Well done! Your work is truly inspired! Love it!:eusa_clap





dean

Dean,

Thank you. I have another update about a SECOND conversion project that I started just a few days ago:

Since the first conversion project is essentially an "officer private purchase" darker shade (as seen in many original photos), I kept looking for a lighter shade Stetson to convert to an 1889 Campaign that an enlisted man would wear. Finally, last week I scored a dead ringer Stetson on eBay, in the correct issued lighter shade and lighter weight fur felt, with a tall 7" crown. I have since trimmed the brim from 4" down to 3" (with slight taper in front and back), sanded smooth, bashed the crown with a deep "cattleman" crease as seen in many photos, and have installed the two snowflake vents at the correct height. I used a lighter needle this time on the snowflakes to closer match the originals. The sweatband is in great shape so I will be leaving it in. Next steps: brim stitching and ribbon. Photos of the hat so far:



Please comment with suggestions, questions, etc. These have both proven to be a lot of fun!

-Max

 

[Picard1138]

Also, just to explain, the photos are taken in my bathroom because that is the brightest room in my apartment. Above the sink I have five antique-style Edison incandescent bulbs which throw off very good light, and show the hats in their correct shades. The flash on my camera bleaches them out terribly so this is the only other option. I also work on these at night so I couldn't just take them by the sunny window unfortunately.

Carry on

-Max

 

[deanglen]

Also, just to explain, the photos are taken in my bathroom because that is the brightest room in my apartment. Above the sink I have five antique-style Edison incandescent bulbs which throw off very good light, and show the hats in their correct shades. The flash on my camera bleaches them out terribly so this is the only other option. I also work on these at night so I couldn't just take them by the sunny window unfortunately.

Carry on

-Max

Max,
Great finds on ebay! I need to take more time searching. Time is hard to find. I'm glad someone else here appreciates these hats, they are unique and doing a homemod repro is a lot of fun! The needle/vent technique looks to work quite well! Never would have occurred to me. I tried just pushing a large needle through once, bit the holes just closed back up, so I went to using a punch. Looking forward to trying it out on my next project.




dean

 

[Picard1138]

Max,
Great finds on ebay! I need to take more time searching. Time is hard to find. I'm glad someone else here appreciates these hats, they are unique and doing a homemod repro is a lot of fun! The needle/vent technique looks to work quite well! Never would have occurred to me. I tried just pushing a large needle through once, bit the holes just closed back up, so I went to using a punch. Looking forward to trying it out on my next project.




dean

Dean,

When I can't sleep at night I troll eBay for a very specific set of searches. So far I'm 2 for 3, the first hat I found was way too light, second was the dark one (OK for officers), and the third was perfect.

The red hot needle technique I can not claim as my own, Jim from Eureka Arsenal suggested it so I owe credit to him for the brilliance. I have been making the 1889s because he has retired from doing them for the most part, and I had initially planned on getting one from him. So, necessity has brought me to customizing my own hats, which is pretty cool because I have now stepped a little further into a hobby I have always admired. Other than steaming crowns and brims I had never worked on a hat before these projects.

-Max

 

[deanglen]

Other than steaming crowns and brims I had never worked on a hat before these projects.

-Max

Max,

All the more reason to admire your work even more! So you know the guy at Eureka Arsenal! His site's photos and info have been my biggest source for my homemodding. You could indeed take up the slack! The next hurdle for me will be sweatbands. (But right now I feel proud coming up with a decently even three ring brim stitching!). With each attempt, I get closer to my ideal. You're a ways ahead, but another inspiration to me. Will we ever see you modeling your work? I now also know there's someone else hunting hat candidates on ebay with the same goal in mind. I'm always looking for 7 3/8 to 7 1/2. Getting the color right is pretty tough, for so many reasons.



dean

 

[liten]

Also, just to explain, the photos are taken in my bathroom because that is the brightest room in my apartment. Above the sink I have five antique-style Edison incandescent bulbs which throw off very good light, and show the hats in their correct shades. The flash on my camera bleaches them out terribly so this is the only other option. I also work on these at night so I couldn't just take them by the sunny window unfortunately.

Carry on

-Max

looking good max , the high crown hats seem to be the best , they give you more block to play around with , and the choice to try different campaign hat shapes

 

[deanglen]

looking good max , the high crown hats seem to be the best , they give you more block to play around with , and the choice to try different campaign hat shapes

One of my my favorite photos of campaign hat shapes and ribbon variations, presently serving as my avatar:

Another fav that got me interested in this style of hat:

dean

 

[Cattus Petasatus]

Great work Max. I'm really impressed with what you've done. I don't suppose those are 7 3/4's?

This thread always gets me thinking about doing another conversion. Hopefully I'll win the auction I'm keeping an eye on. I'd like to make my next one more period specific.

Good to see you again Dean. You always seem to pop up when campaign hats are mentioned. BTW, what does your congregation think of your choice of headwear? My folks at church just roll their eyes and say, "There goes Cattus again."

 

[deanglen]

Great work Max. I'm really impressed with what you've done. I don't suppose those are 7 3/4's?

This thread always gets me thinking about doing another conversion. Hopefully I'll win the auction I'm keeping an eye on. I'd like to make my next one more period specific.

Good to see you again Dean. You always seem to pop up when campaign hats are mentioned. BTW, what does your congregation think of your choice of headwear? My folks at church just roll their eyes and say, "There goes Cattus again."

Cattus,

These hats are just special to me, and the congregation knows how I like them. They take it well! Worf needed a larger size for his M1883. Between Max, you, and myself, I bet we can find one. He does better work, which only fuels my desire to emulate it! Either way, great to keep in touch with you. Have to keep the Isle of Campaigners visible in the Sea of Fedoras here, don't you know!



dean

 

[Picard1138]

Gents,

I wear a 7 1/2, so both of my campaigns are about that size. The lighter shade one is a 7 3/8, probably long oval because it fits very nicely. I have given some thought recently to doing this for others as well. I may seriously consider it if these turn out well.

-Max

 

[liten]

One of my my favorite photos of campaign hat shapes and ribbon variations, presently serving as my avatar:

Another fav that got me interested in this style of hat:

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n197/deanglen/ST-1229c.jpg[/IMG
its a intresting pic dean , it show that there was no haard fast rule on the color, so the shade , probly varied from contract to contract, and also a obvious difference in crown heights aswell

 

[deanglen]

Added a little swoop to the brim, not uncommon in period photos. Gives a more graceful line than the flatter brim I used to labor to achieve. I like it.

On original that gave me the idea:

dean

 

[Picard1138]

Dean,

Nice brim adjustment! That's a great look, I have also tried to get the flat brim with moderate success. The lighter colored 1889 project I kept some of the original curl in the brim because it gives it some character as well.

-Max