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Peters Brothers

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,162
Location
North Texas
I’m not a thin ribbon guy and I don’t wear cowboy hats. So I’ll be changing out the ribbon for something wider (at least 7/8”). I have a green on green Champ so would want something different. Any suggestions?
 
Messages
18,152
I’m not a thin ribbon guy and I don’t wear cowboy hats. So I’ll be changing out the ribbon for something wider (at least 7/8”). I have a green on green Champ so would want something different. Any suggestions?
Crease it like a Western fedora, keep the brim flat & don't go wider than 7/8 with a tone on tone ribbon. It will look fine on you.

This is a 3-1/8" brim, 4-3/4" at the dip, 5-1/2" on the sides. 7/8" ribbon.

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scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I’m not a thin ribbon guy and I don’t wear cowboy hats. So I’ll be changing out the ribbon for something wider (at least 7/8”). I have a green on green Champ so would want something different. Any suggestions?

My preference would be to block it out to see its full height, put a 1 1/2" ribbon on it - maybe burgundy, brown, copper, or rust - and push in one of your wonderful straight-sided creases.
 

AbbaDatDeHat

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,823
I’m not a thin ribbon guy and I don’t wear cowboy hats. So I’ll be changing out the ribbon for something wider (at least 7/8”). I have a green on green Champ so would want something different. Any suggestions?
Bill: since you asked. I think i’d wait till you got it and evaluate it’s potential. If in good wearable condition, i’d lean towards keeping it original, being so unique, and change the Champ.
That’s just my take on it.
Bowen
 
Messages
18,152
I’m not a thin ribbon guy and I don’t wear cowboy hats. So I’ll be changing out the ribbon for something wider (at least 7/8”). I have a green on green Champ so would want something different. Any suggestions?
Bill, depending on the dimensions & specs once you receive the hat you might get some ideas from this hat made by Tim as Cane Rod Maker. I don't know the specs & I apologize as I don't remember the name of the owner, but I have always loved this hat. YMMV.

IMG_2341.PNG
 

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,162
Location
North Texas
This is it on the block I have. I have cleaned it with Scout Felt Hat Cleaner to get the
Last night I snagged this green Peters Brothers Shady Oak Bankers Special One Hundred. I have not received it. Can anybody help with dating it?

View attachment 125078 View attachment 125081 View attachment 125077 View attachment 125080 View attachment 125083

This is it on the block I have. I have cleaned it with Scout Felt Hat Cleaner to get rid the majority of the surface dirt. I am thinking it will need a white fuel bath. If the ribbon did not need replacing I would be fine with it as is. There are a few moth bites but nothing deep. I have a couple of pictures. The sweatband is good to go. Nice and soft with no cracks.

No writing under the liner this time but that is what I expected. I did not think this hat was old enough to be made by Tom Peters (original co-owner). Speaking of the liner - it was hot glued in place! Unbelievable from a custom maker. Or maybe someone did that later. I was able to remove it without damaging the liner. So... how do you get hot glue off felt?

Open Crown = 5 1/2"
Brim Front & Back = 3”
Brim Sides = 3 1/4”

I was pleasantly surprised to find the brim was not cardboard stiff. (The other two Peters Brothers I have were).

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Richard Morgan

One Too Many
Messages
1,642
Location
Central Tesxas
This is it on the block I have. I have cleaned it with Scout Felt Hat Cleaner to get the


This is it on the block I have. I have cleaned it with Scout Felt Hat Cleaner to get rid the majority of the surface dirt. I am thinking it will need a white fuel bath. If the ribbon did not need replacing I would be fine with it as is. There are a few moth bites but nothing deep. I have a couple of pictures. The sweatband is good to go. Nice and soft with no cracks.

No writing under the liner this time but that is what I expected. I did not think this hat was old enough to be made by Tom Peters (original co-owner). Speaking of the liner - it was hot glued in place! Unbelievable from a custom maker. Or maybe someone did that later. I was able to remove it without damaging the liner. So... how do you get hot glue off felt?

Open Crown = 5 1/2"
Brim Front & Back = 3”
Brim Sides = 3 1/4”

I was pleasantly surprised to find the brim was not cardboard stiff. (The other two Peters Brothers I have were).

View attachment 126508 View attachment 126509 View attachment 126510
Very sharp hat Bill, your wife's hair dryer will probably soften the hot glue enough to pick it off.
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
This arrived today from VS Custom Hats. I had Art do a complete restoration. The ribbon I chose is copper. He used the same ribbon on the brim binding. Originally the brim was raw. He reused the liner and sweatband.

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Killer hat!!! Do people still say “killer?”


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Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
I bought this several years ago. Has anyone had any recent activity with Peters Bros?

View attachment 172879


Very nice!

I reached out to them a couple months ago asking about a Milan. I got one email from them before they disappeared. Their website was a complete mess, and the new site has never been completed.

The Phoenix Hat Company is branching out into Milan hats and I’m hopeful his prices will be like Peter Bros.


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Willybob

A-List Customer
Messages
369
Anybody know what's up with PB? I was thinking about ordering a hemp but the web site had been reduced to nothing and Bill Hughes experience with the new hatter makes me wonder if I'll be able to get the custom touches I want.
 

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,096
Location
San Francisco, CA
For those who may be interested, Michaelson, one of the COW mods, posted today and bumped the Peters Bros thread over there. They still have Milan bodies, although running lower in the 3" brim ones. I asked about their recent work, noting Bill's experience with the Shady Oaks and he said what he saw today looked good.

Hopefully they are on the upswing.
 

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,162
Location
North Texas
For those who may be interested, Michaelson, one of the COW mods, posted today and bumped the Peters Bros thread over there. They still have Milan bodies, although running lower in the 3" brim ones. I asked about their recent work, noting Bill's experience with the Shady Oaks and he said what he saw today looked good.

Hopefully they are on the upswing.
I hope so. I’m about 20 minutes from Peters Brothers and it would be awesome if they could do repair work for me.
 

M Brown

A-List Customer
Messages
335
Location
N Tx
I live in the N TX area and have been to the Peters Bros hat shop in FW several times. The store has been in operation since the early 1900's and, from what they've shared with me during my times there, they make the bulk of their earnings nowadays from large scale rodeo orders.

When the annual stock show comes around they have the contract to build all the hats for the season, and it's a lot of hats. So everything else gets put to the side so they can get all those hats made, which takes several months.

As for their custom hats, they use stock hat bodies that are sourced from a supplier, I suspect Winchester. And, like any other hat shop, they'll turn that body into whatever you want and sell you whatever grade of fur felt you prefer. Their prices are comparable to any other custom hat maker, but they do not make the felt on sight. They do, however, have 100+ year old hat molding equipment and the shop is a step back in time.

The shop only has two employees, which is the main reason, as far as I can see, that they are perpetually behind. And they pretty much run on Fort Worth Time...which is kinda like 2 hours for every 1 hour of normal time.
So if they tell you it's gonna take a week, it'll take 2. If they say it'll be ready in a month, that means 2.
:)
 

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