Phoenix Hat Company

[belfastboy]

From the Winchester felt colors I’ve found, I would stay with bone as well if I wanted a creamier color. Natural and black are always a good choice for a BRE clone. I also think their Sahara color resembles some Natural’s I’ve seen.

I have a few Winchester Naturals and the colour/shade varies a fair amount......ranging from quiet light to closer to Art's Limestone. It is okay as they are all great.

 

[jlee562]

The BRE style hats in my collection have varying proportions, so color isn't my only consideration in wearing them, but I do wear the black VS refurbished Stetson the most frequently.






The modern BRE is a felt in the "natural" family but I haven't had a chance to directly compare to either Winchester or the current Hatco version. Supposedly these hats were made with deadstock felt.

 

[belfastboy]

The BRE style hats in my collection have varying proportions, so color isn't my only consideration in wearing them, but I do wear the black VS refurbished Stetson the most frequently.






The modern BRE is a felt in the "natural" family but I haven't had a chance to directly compare to either Winchester or the current Hatco version. Supposedly these hats were made with deadstock felt.

What is the range of brim widths? Do you have a sweet spot for widths?

 

[J Williams]

I'd say it was Silverbelly. Go with the color you like. I'd be seriously tempted to go black.

I am seriously tempted to go black. I've come to realize I really love wearing black hats. My only thought is this No 1 quality I have is kind of filling that spot for me although it has no sweatband and is nice and beat up.

I'm a stickler for the correct colors on vintage clones too. For that creamer color I would check out Winchester Sahara or Bone in a BRE clone. Moving away from the cream color I would consider Natural & Black. All work good with the BRE. I personally would stay away from SB & Silvermist. Too white,

That was kind of my thought when looking at other winchester silverbelly hats - they are a lot whiter than the vintage silverbelly of my OR's and such and hence wouldn't be that true to vintage. I need to find a few more good photos of the bone and sahara. Jack you don't think sand would be a contender?

From the Winchester felt colors I’ve found, I would stay with bone as well if I wanted a creamier color. Natural and black are always a good choice for a BRE clone. I also think their Sahara color resembles some Natural’s I’ve seen.

I was originally leaning towards something much like the one Jack just posted - Natural with an antique white or cream ribbon but the photo I shared from Bob sure looks pretty and threw me off.

Watch I will just end up with Black

 

[J Williams]

What is the range of brim widths? Do you have a sweet spot for widths?

I know my sweetspot is 3" after the curl usually putting the brim at around 3 1/4 - 3 1/2 and a 6" open crown. I think I might push this one up just slightly maybe 3 1/8 - 3 1/4 after the curl.

 

[J Williams]

The BRE style hats in my collection have varying proportions, so color isn't my only consideration in wearing them, but I do wear the black VS refurbished Stetson the most frequently.






The modern BRE is a felt in the "natural" family but I haven't had a chance to directly compare to either Winchester or the current Hatco version. Supposedly these hats were made with deadstock felt.

Nice Jared, what are the details on the lighter coloured one? Is it a clear nutria?

 

[1961MJS]

Hi
I like the style, and have several Gus type / Gus to the rear type hats, but what does BRE stand for?
Thanks

 

[BobHufford]

... but what does BRE stand for?

Boss Raw Edge

@Dinerman 's photo:

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Jack you don't think sand would be a contender?

I personally wouldn't pick Sand. Most times I think it's too yellow for a vintage color.

 

[humanshoes]

Boss Raw Edge

@Dinerman 's photo:

This looks very close to Winchester's Natural color.

 

[jlee562]

What is the range of brim widths? Do you have a sweet spot for widths?

The Nutria and the modern Hatco one are both 4" brims. The black one is 3 1/4" but at about 2 3/4" on the 'apparent' brim width after the curl.

Nice Jared, what are the details on the lighter coloured one? Is it a clear nutria?

Real Nutria, 7" crown, 4" brim IIRC.

 

[Rmccamey]

Some have a gray cast, some have a green cast. Yes, I have seen a lot of variation in SB hats both within and among manufacturers.

Id say that Silverbelly would be a good color to go with. The color is more versatile, imo. Then again, it's hard to nail down Silverbelly these days. I have Silverbelly hats that are different in color from one manufacturer to another. Some look more 'silver', some look more beige.

 

[T Jones]

Some have a gray cast, some have a green cast. Yes, I have seen a lot of variation in SB hats both within and among manufacturers.

Yup.

 

[J Williams]

Thanks guys for all the input. It's appreciated. I think I have narrowed it down to Silverbelly, Bone, or Black. I think the Sahara looks a bit too dark for me in most lighting. Maybe I'm going to need some felt swatches.

I found one of Rick's hats in silverbelly that looks really close to what I have in vintage hats albeit the earliest being late 40's. This one belongs to @Robieman

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I am seriously tempted to go black. I've come to realize I really love wearing black hats. My only thought is this No 1 quality I have is kind of filling that spot for me although it has no sweatband and is nice and beat up.

View attachment 209178



That was kind of my thought when looking at other winchester silverbelly hats - they are a lot whiter than the vintage silverbelly of my OR's and such and hence wouldn't be that true to vintage. I need to find a few more good photos of the bone and sahara. Jack you don't think sand would be a contender?



I was originally leaning towards something much like the one Jack just posted - Natural with an antique white or cream ribbon but the photo I shared from Bob sure looks pretty and threw me off.

Watch I will just end up with Black

Have you considered nutria in Almond?

 

[J Williams]

View attachment 209280 View attachment 209280


Have you considered nutria in Almond?

Oh no, more choices!

No I hadn't really considered Nutria. The colour looks like a great contender. Didn't I hear these felts turned out to be a bit sub-par?

 

[humanshoes]

Here's the Arizona hat in Sand.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Oh no, more choices!

No I hadn't really considered Nutria. The colour looks like a great contender. Didn't I hear these felts turned out to be a bit sub-par?

depends on what you want. If you want a dress hat these would never work. They are “better” than the Winchester western weight felts I own or have handled. They are not a replacement for a 1950s or older X7 CB, but taken on the whole....

 

[J Williams]

Here's the Arizona hat in Sand.
View attachment 209281

depends on what you want. If you want a dress hat these would never work. They are “better” than the Winchester western weight felts I own or have handled. They are not a replacement for a 1950s is older X7 CB, but taken on the whole....

Interesting. Maybe I will look into the nutria a bit more. I do notice the felt on the brim of that sand hat is really thick and I would like a nice tight kettle curl. @humanshoes I'm assuming you couldn't get these kind of dimensions out of a dress body correct? Also feel free to not answer - I don't want you to be working off the clock. Woodworking is both my career and hobby so I know how the lines get blurred, but I'm the type who's always happy to talk shop.

 

[humanshoes]

Interesting. Maybe I will look into the nutria a bit more. I do notice the felt on the brim of that sand hat is really thick and I would like a nice tight kettle curl. @humanshoes I'm assuming you couldn't get these kind of dimensions out of a dress body correct? Also feel free to not answer - I don't want you to be working off the clock. Woodworking is both my career and hobby so I know how the lines get blurred.

I don't mind answering J. There's no way, in my experience to date, to get to the dimensions you want with Winchester's dress weight felts.