Desert dog
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Beautiful! I wouldn't want to take it off either. Nice crease, you rock it well.This finally arrived from North America yesterday - I would almost rather not sleep than take it off. I haven’t felt this way about a material possession in almost 20 years.
Stetson 1950s 3X Beaver.
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Pretty tough to fault John's work.Raiders hat by John Penman, a 25 year process...
from a leather “Australian style” hat I had as a kid pretending to be Indiana Jones (I didn’t know better, I was 10)... to a generic crushable felt fedora (I was on the right track, but still young, naive, and uninformed)... to an officially licensed fur indy hat (my first exposure to fur felt hats, but later came to learn how the shape was all wrong)... to an Akubra Federation IV (about as close as you can get with production hat, but around this time had become spoiled by vintage felt, and realized that it could be better...)
...and finally this one (I think my search for the perfect Indy hat is over
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Very nice 3x.I wouldn't want to take it off either.
Excellent, Nathaniel. World of difference between a vintage felt and a modern production and that's a fine example.
Great looking hat,congrats.
Great 3X, Nathaniel. As I've said before, those things are near bullet-proof. It's a tough piece of work and will serve you well on your travels.
Beautiful! I wouldn't want to take it off either. Nice crease, you rock it well.
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If the Open Road was definitely already on the market when this hat was made, why is this not an Open Road?
Wow, great finish. It should brush out nicely, just like a stray dog. You will have to see what kind of personality it has before giving it a name. Must be early 50s is my guess.New to me Knox Twenty Five. To my surprise when I opened the box... It's a long hair. Never had one before. Anyone have a guess as to age on this hat? This is like a furry new animal to me. I'm thinking I should give it a name and have it flea dipped.
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Very nice Robert. The colors should be stellar in the So Cal sunshine!Got this one from a fellow FL member. 40's/ 50' Dobbs Twenty .
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I would imagine that the stiffness of the felt and the amazing condition are related. It should soften up with wear and handling. A naptha bath won't remove the stiffener, which is most likely shellac. Alcohol will remove shellac, but can also ruin the leather so I'd avoid soaking it in alcohol. Now, soaking your innards in some good alcohol (responsibly of course) and wearing the hat to break it in might work better.The 3X beaver came with a few questions and I reckon this is as good a place as any to ask them. I don’t think we have a dedicated 3X beaver thread:
1. I’m in Melbourne and I was at a shop yesterday with Akubra Campdrafts. This hat is EXACTLY like a campdraft in dimensions (or, rather, the campdraft is exactly the dimensions of this hat). However, my hat’s not labeled an Open Road (it’s not labeled anything at all except 3X). If the Open Road was definitely already on the market when this hat was made, why is this not an Open Road?
2. The hat is super stiff, which I kind of like and kind of don’t. If I do decide to remove the stiffener, how would I go about it? Is there a way to do that by degrees or do I have to strip all of the stiffener (like in a Napa bath)?
Friends and neighbors can’t beleive this is a 60 year old hat. It’s in AMAZING condition. And the feel of the felt - especially under steam when it just melts like butter - wow, it’s really something special!
it's not labeled Open Road because it is not and Open Road
I don't think I've seen an OR with that 3 ply ribbon ... but many other Stetson western style hats came with it
beautiful hat
The 3 ply ribbon was the last selling point for me, I absolutely love it. But that seems to be the only difference between this hat and an Open Road. Maybe my question is one of surprise - the ribbon is a big enough difference to keep this from being marketed as an Open Road, all other things being pretty much (to my amateur eye) exactly the same?
Beautiful lid!This finally arrived from North America yesterday - I would almost rather not sleep than take it off. I haven’t felt this way about a material possession in almost 20 years.
Stetson 1950s 3X Beaver.
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Holy smoke! REAL NICEGot this one from a fellow FL member. 40's/ 50' Dobbs Twenty .
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Beautiful. I understand why you can't resist them.I just can't help myself when it comes to late fifties, early sixties, Resistol westerns.
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I’m sure their are other differences that I wouldn’t be able to point out without holding the hat
Felt weight ... block ...etc
also Stetson often made the exact hat as one of their name models leaving off the name designation ... not sure of their reasoning .... to reach other price points possibly ?
I have hats that are Stratoliners in every single way other than being labeled one
Your hat is much nicer than late 50 early 60s ORs
I have a late 50s OR ... it does not have as nice of a block as yours
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That is a wonderful hat. Very nice.Got this one from a fellow FL member. 40's/ 50' Dobbs Twenty .
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One reason might be the sheer quantity of hats on the U.S. market 60 years ago.
Stetson could afford to try different tweaks on established models with 2 of every 3 adult males in felt hats (I have no idea if that figure is correct, but it must have been high).
For me, it was another selling point that this is not labeled an Open Road. I’ve always favored uniqueness.