Panama Hat Thread

[indycop]

Glad you took to the optimo crown cos it looks great! That ribbon is awesome!:eusa_clap

 

[BobC]

:eusa_clap Tom did a fine job on that one!!

But Bob... you been in the Sam Adams?
Its a little to cool for a panama!

I've been wearing it in the house, getting psyched for a float to the Carribean in Feb. Might be a bit cool for it outside here, but it won't be there.

Sam and I are close. We try to visit often.

 

[BobC]

Great hat Bob!

I can vouch for Tom. Via eBay I bought a refurbished Stetson panama from him. In the listing he included before pictures. On these, the hat looked as if someone had been playing soccer with it :eusa_doh:. The refurbished hat looks like new, with a sharp blocking and a soft sweatband.
Thank you Tom! :eusa_clap

Tom sent me e-mails today with before and after pics of what he was able to do with a vintage Stetson panama. It's very impressive how he can clean up a beater and block it to a practically new hat. The pics he sent happened to be of a hat my size too. Hmmmm, I wonder if that was a coincidence? lol

 

[BobC]

Glad you took to the optimo crown cos it looks great! That ribbon is awesome!:eusa_clap

Thanks, IC. I find I'm quite attracted to striped ribbons. They add another measure of uniqueness to an already sharp looking lid.

 

[jnicktem]

I put in my order for my very first Panama hat just a couple of days ago. John Penman of the Penman Hat Co. just made it known that he is going to be offering Panama hats soon... and as soon as I heard about it I jumped on it! If his Panama hats are anything like his felt hats in quality, I know it will be well worth it!

 

[scaber]

A new montecristi arrived at our house yesterday.

I bought the unfinished hat from Robert Weber who suggested two people who would be able to finish it for me. I requested that he send it to a gentleman who has been blocking panamas for a fairly short time and one whose work I had seen first hand in optimo creased panamas belonging to Indycop and Deelovely. I have to say I hadn't really liked the optimo crease until I saw John's and Dee's first hand, but that experience changed my mind in a hurry.

The gentleman who creased this one for me has chosen to maintain a low profile fearing that he might offend our other fine hat makers, but he has given me permission to let you know who this masked man is. He's our brother in the love of lids, Tom Gomez, our own Tom-n-Perris. I can vouch for Tom that, like our other hatters, he sets very high standards for himself and has a very genuine desire to please his clients. I have found him to be a pleasure to work with and a pleasure to visit with about our hat cravings. I think it's great that we have him along with the others, and if you're looking for a panama I definitely recommend Tom. The hat he made for me fits like he made it for me (Oh, he did. lol ), and I LOVE the blue striped ribbon we picked for it.

Thank you, Tom. It has been and will be a pleasure! Let's do this again soon.

By the way, Tom calls his business Premier Panama Hats. PM me if you want to know how to get in touch with him. I don't think he'll mind.

Thank you for the pictures. It is keeping me at bay while I eagerly await my purchase from Robert. The hat looks great on you!

 

[scaber]

Sad Panamas

I feel sad for the Panama Canal forum. It seems a little neglected during the cooler months. Don't fret Canal I hope to keep you company while the temperatures are low. Besides, it is just warming up in the Southern Hemisphere!

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

35 degrees Celsius in Brisbane at the moment.

Panamas rule!

 

[Dreispitz]

35 degrees Celsius in Brisbane at the moment.

Panamas rule!

0 degrees in Bavaria

 

[daizawaguy]

The Panama versus the long haired...it will be equalised in April!

 

[ScottF]

I feel sad for the Panama Canal forum. It seems a little neglected during the cooler months. Don't fret Canal I hope to keep you company while the temperatures are low. Besides, it is just warming up in the Southern Hemisphere!

We've been getting below-freezing lows for over a week - thinking I should rent out my Montecristis to someone in Australia!

 

[Selvaggio]

Panama weather her in Sydney this morning

Black Stetson "genuine panama".

 

[swaviator]

Hat Resize

Need some advice and help. A couple of months ago my wife found a Stetson Medalist Panama in perfect condition which. has aged to a very nice color; it has a pleated burgundy silk band. The problem is that it is too small. I normally wear a 7 1/2 - 7 5/8. This hat was a 7 1/4 but it has shrunk a bit. Can and who can, resize this lid and could it go to a 7 1/2?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

Need some advice and help. A couple of months ago my wife found a Stetson Medalist Panama in perfect condition which. has aged to a very nice color; it has a pleated burgundy silk band. The problem is that it is too small. I normally wear a 7 1/2 - 7 5/8. This hat was a 7 1/4 but it has shrunk a bit. Can and who can, resize this lid and could it go to a 7 1/2?

Thanks in advance!

Swaviator, I can only speak from my own experience but I recently resized a vintage (50's) Stetson panama - the one I'm wearing on this thread a few days back.

It is (or was) a size 7 rigid panama and I needed it to fit my size 7 1/4 melon. The trick was steam and patience. I was worried about cracking the hat, but by taking it up a little each day (and applying steam each time) I was able to stretch it to fit, with no adverse effects, over a 2 week period.

Now it fits perfectly and shows no interest in shrinking back to its former pinhead size.

 

[scaber]

We've been getting below-freezing lows for over a week - thinking I should rent out my Montecristis to someone in Australia!

Perhaps an Akubra, Panama exchange program between the US and Australia? It might take some work to find a fair hat exchange rate. Hmmmm I wonder about hat inflation.

 

[swaviator]

Swaviator, I can only speak from my own experience but I recently resized a vintage (50's) Stetson panama - the one I'm wearing on this thread a few days back.

It is (or was) a size 7 rigid panama and I needed it to fit my size 7 1/4 melon. The trick was steam and patience. I was worried about cracking the hat, but by taking it up a little each day (and applying steam each time) I was able to stretch it to fit, with no adverse effects, over a 2 week period.

Now it fits perfectly and shows no interest in shrinking back to its former pinhead size.

That sounds like a good program and like yours, it is a rigid Panama, but what about the sweatband? In this hat it is leather. Is it going to restrict expansion?

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

That sounds like a good program and like yours, it is a rigid Panama, but what about the sweatband? In this hat it is leather. Is it going to restrict expansion?

Nope. When it comes to stretching a panama the sweat is the least of your problems. Assuming the sweat is in good condition it will stretch easily (though I would give it some leather conditioner a couple of days before I started stretching). It's the body of the panama that needs gentle persuasion and lots of steam.

 

[swaviator]

Got it. Thanks for the advice. What part of Australia do you live? I have a good friend that lives in Allidale (Forgive me if I spelled that incorrectly). It's a long way from Oklahoma City! Again, Thanks.

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

I'm in Brisbane, capital of the state of Queensland. I don't know Allidale. Do you mean Adelaide? It's the capital of South Australia.

 

[swaviator]

Yes, Adelaide. My mind drew a blank earlier. His name is Jon Johanson who has made several around the world flights in a homebuilt airplane. Thanks for the spelling correction...blushing here.