Panama Hat Thread

[RJR]

Thank you for posting all those pages! Good reading, and I love the history wrapped up inside!

+1

 

[DanO]

Newt at the Royal

Excellent post,I just received a Newt Fedora from Ebay,the size is 7 3/8, the seller showed a photo of a "ripple" in the sweat which I rightly thought was a piece of foam sizing once removed it is good to go.
Question I wear between 3/8-1/2 can someone walk me through sizing this Montecristi up a little?

 

[Bob Roberts]

Excellent post,I just received a Newt Fedora from Ebay,the size is 7 3/8, the seller showed a photo of a "ripple" in the sweat which I rightly thought was a piece of foam sizing once removed it is good to go.
Question I wear between 3/8-1/2 can someone walk me through sizing this Montecristi up a little?

Congratulations again on that beauty.

 

[DanO]

Question I wear between 3/8-1/2 can someone walk me through sizing this Montecristi up a little?

 

[FedOregon]

Question I wear between 3/8-1/2 can someone walk me through sizing this Montecristi up a little?
View attachment 79864

I'm not sure what you're asking. Looks like a real nice hat. Do you have it in hand then? Try it on and see how she fits! Are you referring to grading? Take a ruler and count the weaves per inch , ie, 20x20 = 400 weaves per square inch (wpsi). There's more to it thn just wpsi though... is the weave pattern nice and symmetrical, is the brim edge woven back into itself for a nice finished edge, free of waves and irregularities?

Looks great from what I can see...

 

[DanO]

Fed,
It is a beautiful hat,I do have it in hand. Fits a little tighter than I would like, if need be I can live with it.
I was wondering about the steps to take it from a 3/8 to 7/16 or even 1/2 I have a couple of stretchers but so far have only used them for slight mods.

 

[RJR]

Fed,
It is a beautiful hat,I do have it in hand. Fits a little tighter than I would like, if need be I can live with it.
I was wondering about the steps to take it from a 3/8 to 7/16 or even 1/2 I have a couple of stretchers but so far have only used them for slight mods.

Gently in several stages!Don't overthink the issue.Put the stretcher in,snug it up,add just a turn or two and let it sit overnight.....repeat as needed.

 

[Bob Roberts]

I'm not sure what you're asking. Looks like a real nice hat. Do you have it in hand then? Try it on and see how she fits! Are you referring to grading? Take a ruler and count the weaves per inch , ie, 20x20 = 400 weaves per square inch (wpsi). There's more to it thn just wpsi though... is the weave pattern nice and symmetrical, is the brim edge woven back into itself for a nice finished edge, free of waves and irregularities?

Looks great from what I can see...

So after counting the WPI, how do you affix and determine the "grade" ???

 

[KarlCrow]

So after counting the WPI, how do you affix and determine the "grade" ???

WPI x Voodoo

 

[FedOregon]

So after counting the WPI, how do you affix and determine the "grade" ???

@KarlCrow is exactly right. There is a certain amount of voodoo, black magic, or even willy nilly applied to the equation. Arbitrary is perhaps the best word, or I just don't understand it all. It was explained to me in Cuenca like this:

Count the "points" or weaves in an inch, going both with the weave and against the weave. If you get 10 points you divide by 2 and get a grade 5 hat.

A grade 10 should be 20 x 20 = 400 wpsi. A grade 6 is 12 x 12 = 144 wpsi. But I have yet to see a graded hat or hat body that actually follows the equation. Even the grade 12 hat bodies I picked up are closer to 20 - 22 wpi, not 24 x24.

 

[Bob Roberts]

@KarlCrow is exactly right. There is a certain amount of voodoo, black magic, or even willy nilly applied to the equation. Arbitrary is perhaps the best word, or I just don't understand it all. It was explained to me in Cuenca like this:

Count the "points" or weaves in an inch, going both with the weave and against the weave. If you get 10 points you divide by 2 and get a grade 5 hat.

A grade 10 should be 20 x 20 = 400 wpsi. A grade 6 is 12 x 12 = 144 wpsi. But I have yet to see a graded hat or hat body that actually follows the equation. Even the grade 12 hat bodies I picked up are closer to 20 - 22 wpi, not 24 x24.

Thanks. Accordingly weaves per INCH divided by 2 (basically)

 

[FedOregon]

Thanks. Accordingly weaves per INCH divided by 2 (basically)

The guy grading hats at one shop actually had what looked like a little jeweler's loupe that was 1 inch square in the magnified area, making counting a lot easier.

 

[totallyfrozen]

Alastair Sim (with Jane Wyman in Hitchcock's Stage Fright) sporting a look I have toyed with... the unblocked straw hood.

Looks great on you. Really compliments your face well. LOL!
Might need to cut some eye holes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[totallyfrozen]

I don't have a panama yet, but given my locale and the climate here I surely need one. Can we all agree on that?

So I'm looking to get into the Panama game but I can't spend too much without disturbing the domestic serenity.
I've seen some on eBay which claim to be legit hand woven from Ecuador. Some are sold by an importer in Florida and some are direct from Ecuador.
They average around $40 to $50 at this time.
So are those legit and decent quality?

BTW, how difficult is it to change the ribbon on Panama hats? Is it usually glued or does it slide off?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FedOregon]

Most I have seen are glued on. The main thing I see is people trying to sell "genuine" Montecristi hats that are clearly not a MC style weave at all. Panama Hats Direct has a decent rep here as far as I've seen. I can't say one way or the other about anyone else.

You can also contact some of the hatters who frequent this site.

Art at Vintage Silhouettes has hat bodies in several grades so you might send him a message to see what he has and what he can do for you.

Mike Miller at NW Hat Co also has hat bodies, as does John Penman at Penman Hat Co, and Bob Jesse at Black Sheep Hat Works. I believe Esther Weiss also has toquilla straw from Ecuador.

Price can go from about $89 up to and over $1,000 pretty fast but you probably know that. However, I think you might be surprised at what you can get for less than, or just above $100, too.

I have a few hats from Cuenca as well that are for sale, just haven't posted them up yet...

 

[tropicalbob]

I don't have a panama yet, but given my locale and the climate here I surely need one. Can we all agree on that?

So I'm looking to get into the Panama game but I can't spend too much without disturbing the domestic serenity.
I've seen some on eBay which claim to be legit hand woven from Ecuador. Some are sold by an importer in Florida and some are direct from Ecuador.
They average around $40 to $50 at this time.
So are those legit and decent quality?

BTW, how difficult is it to change the ribbon on Panama hats? Is it usually glued or does it slide off?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stay away from the Ebay offerings, unless you want to blow $40-$50.00 on a paper hat. FedOregon's suggestions are all good, but you might also consider Peters Bros. and Sunbody Hats, both of which are in your own home state. PB in Ft. Worth have straws, but they also do some very nice hemps, and you can get them in a range of colors and styles - pretty much custom-made for about $150.00. The Sunbodys are great hats as well and start at about $50.00.

 

[Bob Roberts]

TOTALLY FROZEN:
Call the Stetson/Hatco Outlet. Jeremy, Ken and I just got this Stetson "Norwood" Panama (at least a Stetson grade 8) for under $50

 

[Ken David]

No. I can't count past 5...

I just counted the WPSI on the Norwood about 12x12 but may be 11x11 so 121 to 144 WPSI by my count?

 

[Bob Roberts]

I just counted the WPSI on the Norwood about 12x12 but may be 11x11 so 121 to 144 WPSI by my count?

Great! Me too! I tried just the other night but started goin blind roun 10 and swore I got to 11 or 12 so it's definitely higher then a Stetson "grade 8" Thats exactly what Jeff Dyer (the southeast Stetson rep) thought when he saw pics of the hat.

 

[FedOregon]

A grade 8 would be closer to 16 x 16, or 256 wpsi.

I'm guessing grade 6 - 8 would be more like it, but in any event, $49 for a toquilla straw hat finished with a leather sweat, etc, is a great deal. I called the outlet to see if they had one in my size, but they didn't.