OPEN ROD SUBTLETIES!!!!!!!!

[Razzman]

Perhaps this question has been asked before. If so, I'm sorry to bring it up again. However I'm curious about the Stetson Open Road. I'm sure somebody out there in the FL neighborhood can explain. Is there a difference between the "Open Road" LBJ style crease, and the "Open Road" with the teardrop crown? Is one more of a stiff western style? Or, can it be coaxed into the teardrop crowned fedora everybody seems to be looking for?
Thanks

 

[Cruiser]

There are a lot more knowledgeable people on the Lounge than me for answering your question, but I will take a stab at it, as I have read a lot of posts lately while trying to decide how to bid on a couple of auctions. Anyone that wants to can correct me. First, it appears that in general ORs made earlier (earlier than about 1970?) are softer, and later ones have the stiff crease. Posts indicated that if you stay away from the ones with black sweatbands and checked linings, you will be more likely to get a soft crown that is easier to reshape. In looking at various auctions, I have asked the seller if the crown is stiff, or if it appears it could be easily reshapen by hand. The next thing is, can the stiff creases be changed? Perhaps some of the Loungers that have had personal experience with this will comment, as I recall several have done this or had someone like Art do it for them. Good luck with your search.

 

[Cruiser]

one more thing...

...is that OR-type hats were made by Dobbs, Resistol, and others--essentially the same hat, I believe, just a different brand. Currently, Akubra makes an OR clone--search this forum on Akubra and I think you will easily find it.

 

[tonyb]

Your suspicions are correct, Razzman. This has been chewed over at length before, but what the heck.
The short version: In years gone by, ORs were sent to the retailers with open crowns, ready to bash any way the customer wanted. These days, they come from the factory in what is commonly called a "cattleman's" bash. (You know, the LBJ look.) The new ones have lots of stiffener in them. The well-reasoned consensus around here is that they are best avoided, unless you're looking for a hat to just plain wear out, seeing how there are so many superior old ORs (and OR-style hats from other makers) still out there, waiting to be had for less than a new one would cost. I've found them in antique/vintage/secondhand shops at reasonable prices, and a bargain still surfaces on evilBay every now and then, although not as frequently as they once did. Or so it seems, anyway.
Can the crown be coaxed into a different shape? Sure. One of my faves was once essentially a cowboy hat. It has a 2 7/8s-inch brim, which is a tad wider than any other OR I've encountered. And that little bit of extra brim width does make a noticeable difference in the hat's overall effect. I gradually took out the side dents and put in a fedora pinch. Came out fine.
EDIT: Oh, BTW, Razzman: Yes, you can do the teardrop thing, although I generally prefer a straight center dent with a fedora pinch. From my way of seeing it, how to bash it it kinda depends on how "vertical" the crown is. If it tapers in toward the top, I take some of the height out of it with a diamond or teardrop bash. The crown tends to appear more straight up and down that way. But, you know, that's just me. I have one oddball old custom-made OR-like lid kickin' around here that I just can't get to take a shape I like. Perhaps I'm asking it to give more than it has and I oughta send it off to a real hatter for a proper reblock. I mean, the hat is in good-as-new condition and it's made from apparently good material. But it just doesn't look right.

 

[Razzman]

Thank you gents! As usual, the FL members share a wealth of knowledge.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Razzman,
We don't have... This kind of member...See Quote below....

"I have the low honor and diststinct postition of being the most knowledagable person on the planet concerning hats."

Yet he knows nothing on the Cav edge....LOL

We do have a bunch of fellows that truly try to help each other.