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The Lost Cowboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,697
Location
Southeast Asia
I’ve cleaned liners with Woolite before. Since it’s not a pristine hat, likely not too big a risk. A little work and you’ll be loving this hat. My 25 has become like my best friend.
Thanks David. I tried both baby shampoo and some dish detergent. The liner is now clean but the smell is just as bad as ever. I hit it with some smoke from a strong Asian anti-fungal herb (you burn it in the house) but the stench on this thing even beat that.

My mom has some Woolite. What do you do, just soak it in it?
 

The Lost Cowboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,697
Location
Southeast Asia
View attachment 612815 View attachment 612816

Portis Lite-Wate Breeze-Lux
“Zephyr Band” Crushable - Rollable
Rakish 4 5/8 to 3 3/4 crown as shaped (5 1/2 Open)
2 3/8 Brim with Rolled Underwelt
Taupe Felt with Brown/Taupe Striped Ribbon

This light weight Portis has been languishing on my watch list for some time getting passed over for other targets but I finally pulled the trigger and boy am I glad I didn’t end up passing on this one. It is fairly unique at least to me as I don’t have many other hats with a grosgrain sweatband.. not that I wear much for sure. Portis calls this the “Zephyr Band” and indicates this “Lite-Wate” Breeze-Lux is Crushable and Rollable. The Swans Down Finish felt is a very light grey brown that might be in the taupe family. The 2 3/8 brim is finished with a rolled under welt attempting to approximate the look of a Cavanagh edge when snapped down. It also features a very cool brown and taupe striped grosgrain ribbon and wind trolley. Very well adorned for a lightweight felt and non leather sweatband hat. It is tagged 6 7/8 but fit a bit more snuggly…. however as I suspected it loosened up a bit after pulling it on and wearing around today. The final cool feature is the neato multi sports liner. If I was to guess age in this one… I’m thinking later 50s to early 60s. Though I don’t have much experience with Portis. It also came with a pretty nice Portis Hats box. Really loving this hat for its everyday wearability and the deal on the whole. The green feather though…..

Thanks to @Randall Renshaw for nudging me on this one some time back.

View attachment 612817 View attachment 612818 View attachment 612819 View attachment 612820 View attachment 612821 View attachment 612822 View attachment 612823 View attachment 612824
What a find - that is fantastic in every way! Congrats Joe!
 

Mighty44

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,008
Thanks David. I tried both baby shampoo and some dish detergent. The liner is now clean but the smell is just as bad as ever. I hit it with some smoke from a strong Asian anti-fungal herb (you burn it in the house) but the stench on this thing even beat that.

My mom has some Woolite. What do you do, just soak it in it?
Yes, put it in the sink and let it soak. Worked well for me.
 

rogueclimber

Practically Family
Messages
536
Location
Marina del Rey
Thanks Rick, I am not from this area and don’t know a single soul except my family. This machine looks interesting though, I definitely want to learn more about it!

This line of discussion sent me down a rabbit hole.

I saw amazon sells ozone machines for significantly less than the CPAP cleaner, and it would appear said machines get rid of odors in rooms within 30min

Now no people plant or animals can remain in the room, but I wonder if you placed the machine in a small closet/container with your stinky items and let 'er rip....
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
911
This line of discussion sent me down a rabbit hole.

I saw amazon sells ozone machines for significantly less than the CPAP cleaner, and it would appear said machines get rid of odors in rooms within 30min

Now no people plant or animals can remain in the room, but I wonder if you placed the machine in a small closet/container with your stinky items and let 'er rip....
Car dealers use them for smoke filled trade ins, and insurance companies/ body shops use them for vehicles that someone died in... not to be morbid, but they DO work!
 

The Lost Cowboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,697
Location
Southeast Asia
This line of discussion sent me down a rabbit hole.

I saw amazon sells ozone machines for significantly less than the CPAP cleaner, and it would appear said machines get rid of odors in rooms within 30min

Now no people plant or animals can remain in the room, but I wonder if you placed the machine in a small closet/container with your stinky items and let 'er rip....
Car dealers use them for smoke filled trade ins, and insurance companies/ body shops use them for vehicles that someone died in... not to be morbid, but they DO work!
Well, I might need one. Not surprisingly, the stink is not only in the liner, but also the hat and/or sweatband. I just took the Twenty-Five out for a quick shop and by the time I got home the slight smell in the hat had activated.
 
Last edited:

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
911
Well, I might need one. Not surprisingly, the stink is not only in the liner, but also the hat and/or sweatband. I just took the Twenty-Five out for a quick shop and by the time I got home the slight smell in the hat had activated.
Ive worked with leather for years, and its always amazed me how mold and odors can lay dormant and reappear in old leather for no apparent reason... sometimes all it takes is a little humidity
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
911
How to get rid of mould from leather? I’ve got a sweatband with a mould issue.
Id say if possible, remove the sweat and lay it flat. Wipe it gently with 90% isoprophol alcohol to kill residual mold spores, and just as soon as it dries, work it with a good leather preservative like Pecards. Do both sides and let it sit for a full day before wiping off. I avoid things like neetsfoot oil as it doesnt evaporate very much and can soak into felt later. If the sweat IS totally out you CAN wipe with neetsfoot oil and let it sit for a week to dry out. I personally like Pecards leather preservative as it penetrates fast and can be wiped clean in about a 1/2 hr. use a soft microfiber cloth... leather surface and gold foil embossing will be soft and and rub off with a rougher cloth or paper towel. If youre careful you CAN leave the sweat in, but youll want to lay down a layer of some waterproof wide tape underneath to keep it away from felt. Be careful with petroleum based treatments like sno seal.... they can actually accelerate dry leather deterioration. Be aware that mold can feed on the dyes in leather, so a good cleaning may leave you with a rough looking patch thats discolored. ( it will probably lighten as it dries out... dont rub hard to try and rub it away... it will just get worse lol) After treatment has had time to penetrate and dry, buff with a soft microfiber and coat with a good carnuba wax liquid paste and buff. Ive renovated mold encrusted 100 yr old saddles this way and they came out pretty nice... they just didnt look new. when you put the sweat back in, dont be afraid to put a strip of wax paper under the sweat until its dried for a week or so. If you have a rough looking spot when done, there is a japanese top coat product called Tokonole that you rub on and then gently buff to a smoother finish with a piece if felt or flannel
 

The Lost Cowboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,697
Location
Southeast Asia
Id say if possible, remove the sweat and lay it flat. Wipe it gently with 90% isoprophol alcohol to kill residual mold spores, and just as soon as it dries, work it with a good leather preservative like Pecards. Do both sides and let it sit for a full day before wiping off. I avoid things like neetsfoot oil as it doesnt evaporate very much and can soak into felt later. If the sweat IS totally out you CAN wipe with neetsfoot oil and let it sit for a week to dry out. I personally like Pecards leather preservative as it penetrates fast and can be wiped clean in about a 1/2 hr. use a soft microfiber cloth... leather surface and gold foil embossing will be soft and and rub off with a rougher cloth or paper towel. If youre careful you CAN leave the sweat in, but youll want to lay down a layer of some waterproof wide tape underneath to keep it away from felt. Be careful with petroleum based treatments like sno seal.... they can actually accelerate dry leather deterioration. Be aware that mold can feed on the dyes in leather, so a good cleaning may leave you with a rough looking patch thats discolored. ( it will probably lighten as it dries out... dont rub hard to try and rub it away... it will just get worse lol) After treatment has had time to penetrate and dry, buff with a soft microfiber and coat with a good carnuba wax liquid paste and buff. Ive renovated mold encrusted 100 yr old saddles this way and they came out pretty nice... they just didnt look new. when you put the sweat back in, dont be afraid to put a strip of wax paper under the sweat until its dried for a week or so. If you have a rough looking spot when done, there is a japanese top coat product called Tokonole that you rub on and then gently buff to a smoother finish with a piece if felt or flannel
Thanks so much for the tutorial Rick, that’s very helpful.
 
Last edited:

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,866
Location
Denmark
A joyous day today. I had to go out to three different places to pick up some recently bought items. I'd gladly do it again.

Two hats and one hat related item. The latter first.

A print:

20240511_171559.jpg


A La Grande Maison was a departement store on Rue Auber in Paris with other stores at other locations.

It sold items for gentlemen, young people and infants:

Screenshot_20240511_140515_Google.jpg


It no longer exists, but there is still a store for men's clothing at the address:

Screenshot_20240511_141353_Chrome.jpg


The spaces above are now offices.

Screenshot_20240511_141348_Chrome.jpg
 

Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,866
Location
Denmark
The second of the three items;
a Henry & Co Top Hat:

20240511_172128.jpg


20240511_172145.jpg
20240511_172417.jpg


I've not been able to find anything about this company.

Interesting to see the size is mentioned on the sweat. You don't often see that on a Top Hat, especially in English, US, and French sizes.

More to come in the Toppers Unite thread.
 

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Steve1857

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,866
Location
Denmark
The third and favourite of today's arrivals:

A Horne Brothers, ca. Edwardian era Top Hat.

20240511_171758.jpg


20240511_171652.jpg


The Henry & Co has a height of 13cm, while the Horne Brothers is 15cm:

20240511_172606.jpg


Both in wonderful condition.

Again, more to come in the Toppers Unite thread.
 

Attachments

  • 20240511_171848.jpg
    20240511_171848.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 33
  • 20240511_172128.jpg
    20240511_172128.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 43

The Lost Cowboy

One Too Many
Messages
1,697
Location
Southeast Asia
A joyous day today. I had to go out to three different places to pick up some recently bought items. I'd gladly do it again.

Two hats and one hat related item. The latter first.

A print:

View attachment 613281

A La Grande Maison was a departement store on Rue Auber in Paris with other stores at other locations.

It sold items for gentlemen, young people and infants:

View attachment 613282

It no longer exists, but there is still a store for men's clothing at the address:

View attachment 613283

The spaces above are now offices.

View attachment 613284
The second of the three items;
a Henry & Co Top Hat:

View attachment 613292

View attachment 613293 View attachment 613291

I've not been able to find anything about this company.

Interesting to see the size is mentioned on the sweat. You don't often see that on a Top Hat, especially in English, US, and French sizes.

More to come in the Toppers Unite thread.
The third and favourite of today's arrivals:

A Horne Brothers, ca. Edwardian era Top Hat.

View attachment 613302

View attachment 613301

The Henry & Co has a height of 13cm, while the Horne Brothers is 15cm:

View attachment 613306

Both in wonderful condition.

Again, more to come in the Toppers Unite thread.
Congrats Steve, it sounds like a very fun way to spend a Saturday!
 

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