Panama Hat Thread

[buler]

Peters Bros Shady Oaks Bankers Special Seventy-Five

Damn excited about this one! Took an ebay BIN gamble and I think I won. A Peters Bros Shady Oaks Bankers Special Seventy-Five. I've gone cross-eyed trying to count the WPI, but I think its 900+. Lots of writing inside the body.

B

 

[buler]

more pics

 

[Lefty]

I hate the pug - it looks like a bad tie - but the hat is tremendous. :eusa_clap

 

[rlk]

I hate the pug - it looks like a bad tie - but the hat is tremendous. :eusa_clap

I couldn't put it any better(both parts). :arated:
I think they had a bunch of those sweatbands around.

 

[CRH]

Overruled

I hate the pug - it looks like a bad tie - but the hat is tremendous. :eusa_clap

I'm not quite getting the 'bad tie' vibe. I'm going with a 'tacky vintage cool' thing but am a little unsure so I asked my wife and she agrees.

I'd wear it.

Whatever, old pug, new pug, new ribbon, whatever it's a great Monti!

Any guess as to the vintage of this one?

 

[Bluesman61]

Help with a "wavy" brim please?

Didn't know where else to post this so mods, move if needed.

I just received my first "real" panama hat from Art Fawcett and could not be happier with how it turned out. However, I just can't get the brim to cooperate with me! I wore it tonight to a baseball game and it looked fine when I left the house as you can see below...

,
But I guess after sitting in the Alabama humidity for two hours the brim must have taken in some moisture. When I got home, this is how it looked...

I've already sent it back to Art and had it re-flanged for a long oval. Any ideas on what caused this or how I can remedy it? Sorry for the long post but I really want to be able to wear this hat!

Thanks,

Jay

 

[WineGuy]

Hi Bluesman, bottom line is that it's still fighting the shape of your head. Art had to re-block my Montecristi twice to tame it.

Try wearing the hat and then steaming it with an iron while it's on your head, once you feel it moistening up, start rolling the brim with your fingers to shape it up. Then keep it on your head while it cools and gets dry. If that doesn't work I'd have Art block it one more time.

 

[Lefty]

I'm not sure where Gene's thread has gone (I think it should be a sticky), but he gave a pretty nice tutorial on shaping the brim. I sort-of followed it (I don't have a blow dryer), doing something like this.

You'll need a cup of water (tap is fine), a hat stretcher, some heavy books, some plastic grocery bags.

prep:
Put your hat stretcher in a hat that fits you just right and open it up just to the point of getting a little tense against the sweatband. Note how far the stretcher is open, close it down enough, and remove it.

Put your heavy books in the plastic bags. You'll be using these as weights on a wet surface.

the job:
Dip your hand in the water and went the panama brim on both sides until it's good and soaked through.

Put your stretcher in the panama and open it up to your perfect-hat-size. This should make your brim wave the same way it does when you wear it.

Set the hat on a table (line it with a towel or more plastic bags if needed), allowing the front of the brim - the part you want to stay down - to hang over the edge of the table. Place the books on the sides of the brim to flatten it. You'll need a decent amount of weight here.

Let it sit overnight and repeat if necessary.

**this will remove any snap you have to your brim**

Mine was really wavy, even after a reflange by Art, and I didn't wear it for quite a while. Now that I've stretched it a bit and set the brim the way I like it, it's on my head much more often.

 

[Bluesman61]

Thanks Wineguy and Lefty. I'll give both of these methods a try and if all else fails I'll let Art fix it again. Thanks for the reply.

Jay

 

[CRH]

I'm not sure where Gene's thread has gone (I think it should be a sticky), but he gave a pretty nice tutorial on shaping the brim. I sort-of followed it (I don't have a blow dryer), doing something like this.

...

I got caught in a soaking thunderstorm the first time I ever wore my first Panama from Panama Bob. The brim snap became quite wonky and hilarious looking. Before the hat was completely dry I used a warm iron over a towel around the brim to settle it down a bit.

Methinks that if a brim assumes a little wonkyness it's OK. Just so it's a good wonky.

Uhh Oh.

"Did somebody page for a good donkey?"

I said good wonky, you little pest, Good Wonky! Now go back to your fairy land!

Sorry about that fellas.

 

[daizawaguy]

Didn't know where else to post this so mods, move if needed.

I just received my first "real" panama hat from Art Fawcett and could not be happier with how it turned out. However, I just can't get the brim to cooperate with me! I wore it tonight to a baseball game and it looked fine when I left the house as you can see below...

,
But I guess after sitting in the Alabama humidity for two hours the brim must have taken in some moisture. When I got home, this is how it looked...

I've already sent it back to Art and had it re-flanged for a long oval. Any ideas on what caused this or how I can remedy it? Sorry for the long post but I really want to be able to wear this hat!

Thanks,

Jay

Put a hat stretcher in it to push the front and back out (giving it more long oval shape) wile placing a heavy object (book) on the side. That should tame it....

 

[daizawaguy]

Or wear it a bit higher up....should not curl that way? You may be pulling it down too far...

 

[daizawaguy]

Sorry, one more post...has nothing to do with the humidity I would say. Try the front-back stretch while wetting the sides and applying pressure on them with a book or heavy object. Or try first to wear it higher and see if it does still wave... In either case, the extra long oval or one size up should work on a future order. I know its a great feeling to get it right first time, but frankly its an art rather than a science...dont give up, you should get it right in the end...enjoy, and a great hat....:eusa_clap

 

[Bluesman61]

Thanks CRH and daizawaguy. I'm getting a hat stretcher next week and will try that. I don't think I'm wearing it too low because it feels just right, kind of floats. I haven't had this kind of quality straw on my head before and I think the hat and I just have to get aquainted! Haha! Don't worry, I'm not giving up, I love this hat. I'm just new to hats in general and I'm trying to learn these things. Thank you for the good advice and for the compliment. I'll admit that the hat is a shameless copy of Andykev's panama that I saw on this forum, but I'm sure he doesn't mind!

Many thanks,

Jay

 

[Mr E Train]

I don't think I'm wearing it too low because it feels just right, kind of floats.

I don't think it's fighting you, then. The brim's just gone wonky. It looks to me like the main problem is that the back of the brim has lost its upcurl and gone flat. I would fire up the teapot and hold the brim against the steam, shaping the brim while you're steaming it, keeping your hands out of direct contact with the steam, of course. Let it dry for awhile and then repeat as necessary.

 

[150719541]

Mexican Straw

Sahuayo Hat, from Sahuayo, Michoacán, México, this palm straw, no MILAN, no PANAMA, but it is a beautyful and cool hat.:eusa_doh: :eusa_doh:

 

[Mr E Train]

Panamabob Optimo Cuenca

Just received it today from Mr. Lucky.

 

[RBH]

150719541, palm straw makes for a fine hat.


Very cool Mr E!!!

 

[danofarlington]

Didn't know where else to post this so mods, move if needed.

I just received my first "real" panama hat from Art Fawcett and could not be happier with how it turned out. However, I just can't get the brim to cooperate with me! I wore it tonight to a baseball game and it looked fine when I left the house as you can see below...

,
But I guess after sitting in the Alabama humidity for two hours the brim must have taken in some moisture. When I got home, this is how it looked...

I've already sent it back to Art and had it re-flanged for a long oval. Any ideas on what caused this or how I can remedy it? Sorry for the long post but I really want to be able to wear this hat!
Jay

It is really annoying when a Panama brim goes wavy. That's happened to me several times. But it's a simple matter. I then take it to a local hat man or you could mail it to a shop that works on them (such as Greeley Hat Works or numerous others) to re-do the brim. I've had it done on many hats if they get wavy. I am not a do-it-yourselfer, and anyway think a pro with the real equipment will do it better and more reliably. Send it out or do it yourself, you have to get it taken care of. One thing I always made sure of--don't let them touch the crown if you like the crown. Some hat people like to re-block the whole hat. That might be fine for you, but it might not be. So be specific if you send it out for work. For example with my Borsalinos, I let no one touch the crown because the magic of the hat is in the shape of the crown. Nobody has Borsalino blocks no matter what they may say. No body.

 

[Mr E Train]

PB Optimo Cuenca - generic grosgrain + pleated pug = .

An improvement, in my opinion. That narrow grosgrain band with no bow wasn't cutting it. I'm diggin' this hat even more now.