Possible?

[brothelcreeper]

Would I be able to shape one of these:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Optimo-C...-/261090798721?pt=US_Hats&hash=item3cca396c81

Into something similar to this:

If so, any tips on how to make a pug? I'm guessing it's pretty easy to figure out but maybe you guys can provide something a little more.

Cheers

 

[Rabbit]

For puggaree ribbons, see the pics here and further down.

The Optimo shape of the Panama in the 1st pic can be reblocked to a porkpie shape as seen in Sinatra's Milan. If you're careful not to crack the straw, you might be able to re-shape it by hand, using steam to loosen up the fibers.

Porkpie Panamas are rather unusual, but it's certainly possible to do it.

 

[randooch]

Ask a Question, Get an Answer.

 

[rlk]

If you had the block, and the result would be an extremely low crown as the telescoping uses up a sizeable amount of material.

 

[Duper]

I would add Frank's hat appears to be a narrower brim, if you we're looking for overall the same proportions.

 

[hatophile]

If it were me, I'd keep the Optimo hat shaped as is and look for a porkpie on Ebay like Frank's. Those come along fairly often and are usually a reasonable price. Just my 2 cents.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

That's a Milan that Frank is wearing on a Panama as Robert says it would require a Hatter that had the block in your size to preform such a task.

 

[danofarlington]

That's not a bad quality Panama, already in its intended shape. Myself, I would be reluctant to porkpie that one. I'm sure it could be done, but I'm not sure that a porkpie is a good use of such a Panama body--too elegant for a porkpie shape. If I were into porkpies, I wouldn't make a fine beaver hat into one, for example, because it's a use of an elegant material into sort of a frivolous shape. It's up to you, naturally, but you could find another porkpie already made to suit. A milan hat probably looks better in a porkpie IMHO.

 

[m0nk]

Personally, I would leave the optimo style in tact. They're nice hats and would retain a good value over time, should you ever want to get rid of it. Once you alter something like that, the value would likely drop considerably. JMO.

 

[alanfgag]

As Robert points out, you would wind up with a very short hat.

Ebay often has a good selection of 50s milans in this style and they generally come with the pug.

 

[flyfishark]

This milan always reminds me of Frank...until I put it on.

[/IMG]

 

[jlee562]

If youre patient enough, I think you can find a Sinatra style Milan on ebay. Here's one I picked up for under $40.

 

[tonyb]

A hatter with the right block and flange (which is hardly a given, considering the style not only has to be right, but the size as well) could turn much of that panama's brim material into crown material and produce a hat with proportions quite similar to the Sinatra lid. It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done.

But, as Ed and Alan already said, the Sinatra hat is a milan, and those babes come up on eBay frequently enough. I like your chances of finding such a hat there better than finding that hypothetical hatter with the block and flange (and willingness) to convert that panama.

 

[RBH]

I believe these blocks Mike picked up in Florida are what gives the shape you are after.

 

[Edward]

I'd wait and look for a straw porkpie in a Milano weave. Easily found (personally, I prefer a modern polystraw body in that style, as they're much more resistant to rain). IMO, the porkpie shape works best with a body that has a little more rigidity to it - panamas have too much "give" to look quite right to me in that form. JMO.

 

[herringbonekid]

Lock & co do a straw porkpie called the... (wait for it)........................... Sinatra.

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/Sinatra__Straw-details.aspx

 

[tonyb]

I believe these blocks Mike picked up in Florida are what gives the shape you are after.

...

Yes, it illustrates a point we find ourselves making over and over again ...

Straw hat blocks aren't the same as felt hat blocks. Straw hat blocks are shaped -- pinches, creases, whatever the particulars-- and that shape is pressed into the straw material with corresponding pieces called "tippers," whereas felt hats are blocked (and pounced and lured, etc.) on open crown blocks. (In mass-production factory settings, felt hats typically get their crown shapes stamped into them -- with shaped blocks -- after the other bodyworking processes are completed, but that's a whole 'nother discussion.)

The repertoire of a hatter working in straws is limited by his blocks -- the styles, the sizes. A good friend who specializes in straws has amassed a quite impressive collection of blocks and is always on the prowl for others. He often finds those blocks in rough condition, and usually without the tippers, so off to the woodworking specialist they go for repairs (it's amazing what that guy can do with those old chunks of wood) and to have new tippers made. It's all quite costly and time-consuming.

 

[danofarlington]

Shaping in a hat is really important to me. I am a big admirer of Borsalino shapes, whether on felt hats or Panamas. Their shapes are in my opinion some of the best, if not the best, out there. This can be illustrated when they go out of shape. I have yet to meet a hat repairer who can equal the magic shape of a Borsalino after the hat has been pushed in or otherwise out of shape. So on my Borsalinos, I try very hard not to ever let them get out of shape--I baby them. Once you lose their original shape, a Borsalino hat is just a hat. I think their designers are craftsmen of the highest order. This might also apply to other hatmakers, but I would fear re-shaping a men's dress Stetson, for example, much less than re-doing a Borsalino. Yes, you can make the shape similar, but not the same magic way it was.