Post New Hats Here!

[danofarlington]

New Borsalino Allessandrio fished from the Bay. Seller says was his father's from the 40's or 50's, I guess it would be considered a homburg as the brim doesn't want to be snapped without distorting the hat. What say you, gentlemen?

]

Come to think of it, I wonder if my own hat is that same one. Mine is not a nutria, but it could have started life as a homburg. The edges of the brim weren't curled when I got it, but the crown is untapered, and looks sort of fat when viewed from the front in its present center dent with pinches crease. It has a pretty low crown comparatively. If your hat brim is 2.5 inches, there's a good chance that what you have, is what I also have.

 

[Fedora Jay]

Look forward to seeing that new Knox, Flute. While we wait, here is a Knox 20 I just received. I now have two 20's and two 40's to compare. These are both very nicely made hats and in many details, quite similar. The 20 felt is softer, the 40, denser and firmer. The 20 wants steam to form, the 40 is very easy to mold dry and holds a sharp crease well. I haven't worked on this hat yet. The liner has some hair product staining and the sweatband is a little dry. Of the four, this is the only one with a horizontal Knox brand stamp on the sweatband.

That's a beautiful color on that Knox. I have a 20 just like that but a little bit darker. Mine doesn't like to be reshaped dry either. Even steam wasn't enough for major changes. I eventually had to get some distilled water and a squirt bottle and dampened the whole crown. Then it took the shape I wanted, and has been holding fine.

 

[Mario]

Now that's a beauty. Perfection! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

I absolutely love those light colored hats.

 

[bowlerman]

Alan and Scooter: a couple of real beauties there!

 

[scooter]

Thanks gents, just got home from work. Appreciate all the input and compliments on my acquisition. Interestingly, I somehow thought a nutria was a small weasel or ferret like creature. I learned today that it is actually a fairly large semi-aquatic rodent. Somehow it changes my impression of a "nutria" hat. Also, nutria in spanish speaking countries is actually an otter, but the fur of the nutria we recognize is relatively prized.

 

[Mario]

Thanks gents, just got home from work. Appreciate all the input and compliments on my acquisition. Interestingly, I somehow thought a nutria was a small weasel or ferret like creature. I learned today that it is actually a fairly large semi-aquatic rodent. Somehow it changes my impression of a "nutria" hat. Also, nutria in spanish speaking countries is actually an otter, but the fur of the nutria we recognize is relatively prized.

A nutria actually resembles an otter whose tail managed to escape the inevitable (well - for an otter, that is) truck wheels...

 

[bowlerman]

so, in other words, a more cosmopolitan beaver (as in without the buck teeth)?

 

[Neophyte]

No. Nutria have massive, orange teeth.

 

[bowlerman]

whoops-- i misread the "managed to escape" portion of Mario's reply. Thanks Neo! I need more: :coffee::coffee::coffee::coffee:

 

[Neophyte]

No prob, I got too much free time anyway. Looking up animal photos helps alleviate the boredom .

 

[alanfgag]

Now that's a beauty. Perfection! :eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

I absolutely love those light colored hats.

Thank you for the comments!

The color on this one is a good fit with my remaining silver hairs. Gave the Knox a steam cleaning, diamond crease and a bit of stretch to bring it back to 7 1/8.

 

[warbird]

We need to arrange a nutria hunting trip to Louisiana. I wonder if we get enough of the buggers if we can have someone make the pelts into felts.

 

[Mario]

Every year in July I'm attending the world music festival in Rudolstadt (Free State of Thuringia). In GDR times there were a couple of nutria farms along the river Saale. After the demise of the Soviet block those farms ceased operations and it's not quite clear if the nutrias were subsequently released deliberately or if they simply managed to flee. In any case they have become part of the local wildlife population - the whole area is packed full of nutrias. You can see them almost everywhere along the Saale. If you're daring enough you can even hand-feed them. And while they're sporting some quite impressive (even daunting!) teeth I have to say that they are rather likeable critters.

This specimen here is actually from the Saale (a direct lineal descendant of a former GDR inmate, so to speak):

 

[alanfgag]

the last straw, almost

I won a few vintage Panamas during the past couple of weeks. This is the first to arrive. It will need a good cleaning and steam shaping and there are a couple of small weak spots in the weave that need attention as well... but all in all, a pretty nice older optimo for less than 30 dollars.

 

[fmw]

Nice, Alan. I got an Optimo style myself today. But mine is new from Panama Bob.

 

[alanfgag]

Looks great! I'll need to work on the brim of this one... it's a full 3"

 

[Joshbru3]

I won a few vintage Panamas during the past couple of weeks. This is the first to arrive. It will need a good cleaning and steam shaping and there are a couple of small weak spots in the weave that need attention as well... but all in all, a pretty nice older optimo for less than 30 dollars.

Thats a great looking vintage optimo straw. It looks to be very high quality. Great find, Alan!!

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks Josh... I purchased a couple of others over the weekend. I think this one will be the roughest in terms of condition, probably the finest weave too. I find it hard to pass by a nice older Ecuadorean hat at auction. I start therapy tomorrow.

cheers,
Alan

 

[danofarlington]

I won a few vintage Panamas during the past couple of weeks. This is the first to arrive. It will need a good cleaning and steam shaping and there are a couple of small weak spots in the weave that need attention as well... but all in all, a pretty nice older optimo for less than 30 dollars.

That is fantastic. Thirties or twenties, I suppose.

 

[billyspew]

That is fantastic. Thirties or twenties, I suppose.

How'd you date that? Can't see much to base anything on?