Now Forming! the Campaign Hat Corps

[T Jones]

View attachment 260243 View attachment 260244
Appears to be 1/8” on this 2 row Stetson Nutria Quality. Circa early 60s i believe.
B

Excellent. Thanks Bowen.

I need to find a Marine insignia like that. When the Marines first arrived in China in 1900, (during the Boxer Rebellion, 1899-1901), they wore the insignias on the sides of their hats. It was very shortly after arriving there that they began putting the insignias on the front of their hats, if what I read was correct. I'm still up in the air over doing a Marines campaign China hat or a Spanish American War campaign hat.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Excellent. Thanks Bowen.

I need to find a Marine insignia like that. When the Marines first arrived in China in 1900, (during the Boxer Rebellion, 1899-1901), they wore the insignias on the sides of their hats. It was very shortly after arriving there that they began putting the insignias on the front of their hats, if what I read was correct. I'm still up in the air over doing a Marines campaign China hat or a Spanish American War campaign hat.

Not all of them had edge stitching. Here’s another Stetson Nutria Quality without any. Sort of blue, probably a trooper hat, about the same age.
B

 

[Mm25]

Thanks buddy. I saw that. Definitely some interesting stuff he created. I've got a couple of patterns I'm working on that I saw in vintage photos of these hats. One is a simple star pattern and the other one I like is something of a snowflake pattern. I have an idea, that I'll try on an "experiment hat", on how to get the holes into the felt. Another step I'll be working on later is sewing on the three rows of brim stitching, and figuring out how close together the rows have to be.

Seems like taking a small gauge leather punch and following a your pattern would do it pretty quickly.

 

[T Jones]

View attachment 260254 View attachment 260255
Not all of them had edge stitching. Here’s another Stetson Nutria Quality without any. Sort of blue, probably a trooper hat, about the same age.
B

That's true, but the military campaign hat of the era I'm after had brim stitching, three rows, and I think the 1/8 spacing between rows on the other hat you showed me looks pretty darn dead on for what I'm after. From some of the vintage pictures I went through in this thread it looks like the stitching started 1/4 inch from the brim edge (?) and then continued with three rows, 1/8 apart. Hopefully some of the other contributors who know more about these hats than I do can chime in too. But yeah, the 1/8 spacing between the rows on your hat looks good to my eye.

 

[T Jones]

Seems like taking a small gauge leather punch and following a your pattern would do it pretty quickly.

I may try that

 

[1961MJS]

Hi
Punching holes in a curved surface is harder than it looks, heck I have enough trouble with Plain old flat leather.
Later

 

[T Jones]

Posting these updated pics for a fellow Lounger. I redid the crease on this to give it something more of an authentic look from the era of the Spanish American War to when the Marines first went to China during the Boxer Rebellion, (1900). I also decided on a brim shape that I based off of old pictures of those hats from the era. I based this off of the M1899-1902 campaign hat...

Front view:

Brim curled up in the back. I saw this curling of the brim in quite a few old photos:

Back of the hat:

Left side:

Right side:

Another angle from the front that shows the slight "cowboy" curl I gave it, and with the brim curled up in the back:

Another angle from the top:

I have a couple of patterns in mind for the venting and I'm still trying to locate a hat cord and some period replica military hat insignias.

 

[Cattus Petasatus]

That looks great, Mr. Jones. I love a campaign hat. The one I made is my "go to hat." I'll have to post some current photos of it. I can't wait to see your finished product.

 

[T Jones]

That looks great, Mr. Jones. I love a campaign hat. The one I made is my "go to hat." I'll have to post some current photos of it. I can't wait to see your finished product.

Thank you, Cattus! I'd love to see your campaign hat. Definitely post some pics.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Posting these updated pics for a fellow Lounger. I redid the crease on this to give it something more of an authentic look from the era of the Spanish American War to when the Marines first went to China during the Boxer Rebellion, (1900). I also decided on a brim shape that I based off of old pictures of those hats from the era. I based this off of the M1899-1902 campaign hat...

Front view:

Brim curled up in the back. I saw this curling of the brim in quite a few old photos:

Back of the hat:

Left side:

Right side:

Another angle from the front that shows the slight "cowboy" curl I gave it, and with the brim curled up in the back:

Another angle from the top:

I have a couple of patterns in mind for the venting and I'm still trying to locate a hat cord and some period replica military hat insignias.

That is so cool, Terry. Love the historical connection on a hat meant to be worn. Hope you can find all the accouterments needed to complete this project.

 

[T Jones]

That is so cool, Terry. Love the historical connection on a hat meant to be worn. Hope you can find all the accouterments needed to complete this project.

Thanks Brent! I saw a few things come up on a couple of sites that would probably work, and Amazon, actually, had some reproductions that would work too.

 

[T Jones]

My Campaign Hat project on the head from a few different angles. It's still not finished yet but it's wearable at this point....

 

[jswindle2]

If I can offer some advice on the pattern and hole punching front. I've done several different hole patterns on hats and I've formed a system. First, I work out the size and design on a piece of paper. Then I transfer it on to a light square of leather(4-5 oz.). You can also use cardboard but leather flexes and bends. I choose my smallest hole punch from my set and punch out each dot in the pattern. Now you have your template. I decide the final position of the pattern and tape the pattern on with masking tape. I take a mechanical pencil and fill in each dot. You can use chalk also. Remove the pattern and now it will be on your hat. You're ready to make the holes in your hat. Now, I find a small square of wood or cutting board, place it inside the hat and set the hat on the edge of a sturdy table. Carefully, punch out each hole until the pattern is complete. Always start with the smallest size. You can make the holes bigger if you choose. Repeat on other side. Any questions. let me know!

 

[T Jones]

If I can offer some advice on the pattern and hole punching front. I've done several different hole patterns on hats and I've formed a system. First, I work out the size and design on a piece of paper. Then I transfer it on to a light square of leather(4-5 oz.). You can also use cardboard but leather flexes and bends. I choose my smallest hole punch from my set and punch out each dot in the pattern. Now you have your template. I decide the final position of the pattern and tape the pattern on with masking tape. I take a mechanical pencil and fill in each dot. You can use chalk also. Remove the pattern and now it will be on your hat. You're ready to make the holes in your hat. Now, I find a small square of wood or cutting board, place it inside the hat and set the hat on the edge of a sturdy table. Carefully, punch out each hole until the pattern is complete. Always start with the smallest size. You can make the holes bigger if you choose. Repeat on other side. Any questions. let me know!

Sounds like a winner to me! Thanks!

 

[1961MJS]

... Carefully, punch out each hole until the pattern is complete. Always start with the smallest size. You can make the holes bigger if you choose. Repeat on other side. Any questions. let me know!

Hi
I'm with you up to here. I'm been making a bunch of belts for friends of mine at work and part of that involves punching holes for the Chicago screws that hold the leather round the buckle, and punching holes for the buckle tongue to go through. Making a hole a little larger is much harder to do than making one hole.

Lining up a hole punch over a small mark on the felt or in my case leather is also difficult because the mark is usually completely covered. I've found that an "X" is helpful.

Hope this helps a little. You'll note that I haven't given ANY thought to trying this. To quote Dirty Harry, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Later

 

[T Jones]

I can't get good pics of this hat. A couple more I took this morning to get a better look at the sideview profile

 

[jswindle2]

Hi
I'm with you up to here. I'm been making a bunch of belts for friends of mine at work and part of that involves punching holes for the Chicago screws that hold the leather round the buckle, and punching holes for the buckle tongue to go through. Making a hole a little larger is much harder to do than making one hole.

Lining up a hole punch over a small mark on the felt or in my case leather is also difficult because the mark is usually completely covered. I've found that an "X" is helpful.

Hope this helps a little. You'll note that I haven't given ANY thought to trying this. To quote Dirty Harry, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Later

I only recommend the small hole to start because most times it will be the size you need. Without an exact size to give you, I'd rather you err on the conservative side. You can't put the contents back in the hole once you've punched them. As for marking, I know what you mean. I usually make a light impression on the leather with the punch itself to guide me. Probably can't do that on felt though. If you want a good YT channel to help with your work, I'd recommend Leodis Leather. He's the guy that inspired me to start working leather.

 

[T Jones]

Another look at my ongoing project with a Spanish American War era insignia 'photo shopped' on it. Just gotta find the stuff for it

 

[Cattus Petasatus]

Here's my (version) M1904 Campaign Hat. I purchased this from the Hatco outlet store in Garland, it started life as a Stetson American Buffalo Collection cowboy hat. I had them cut the brim down 3" and I re-shaped the crown a little from the factory cattleman's crease. I think I paid about $30 for it. This is my go to work/western/trooper hat. It get's a lot of wear.

The mule kicks have worn out and I chose to go with the cavalry cord instead of a ribbon.

I had an older Akubra Snowy River but I never liked how it turned out.

Here she is in action. A little old mixed with a little new

 

[T Jones]

Here's my (version) M1904 Campaign Hat. I purchased this from the Hatco outlet store in Garland, it started life as a Stetson American Buffalo Collection cowboy hat. I had them cut the brim down 3" and I re-shaped the crown a little from the factory cattleman's crease. I think I paid about $30 for it. This is my go to work/western/trooper hat. It get's a lot of wear.

The mule kicks have worn out and I chose to go with the cavalry cord instead of a ribbon.

I had an older Akubra Snowy River but I never liked how it turned out.

View attachment 262667 View attachment 262668 Here she is in action. A little old mixed with a little new
View attachment 262666

Looks good, Cattus.