Reattaching an unreeded sweatband?

[ALL*HeLL]

Is there anywhere I can send my early 1940's Adam Executive Club to have the unreeded sweatband tacked on? As I've worn it I've noticed the threads coming apart and there is now a small gap in the front.

The band itself is very soft and pliable, so I would like to keep the original in place.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[fedoralover]

Not the way it was originally done. They were top stitched on by a special machine that to my knowledge hatters today do not use.
I have had the same experience as you and the best you can probably do is get some fabric glue and using a toothpick put some under the sweat where it is coming loose. You'll need to put the hat on something that will put pressure on it where the glue is. It holds it reasonably well. Unless someone else has come up with another way of fixing it, you may have to just have it replaced if it doesn't hold.

fedoralover

 

[gtdean48]

I sent my Stetson 25 to Buckaroo Hatters & Major Moore did a jam up job of reattaching my sweatband. It may have been his assistant Rockie that actually did the sewing...

 

[fedoralover]

I sent my Stetson 25 to Buckaroo Hatters & Major Moore did a jam up job of reattaching my sweatband. It may have been his assistant Rockie that actually did the sewing...

Was that an unreeded one? I'd like to know how he did it if it was. If he has the top stitching machine to do it that would be great news.

fedoralover

 

[ALL*HeLL]

How much did that run, GTD?

I noticed on their website that they have an old rare sewing machine for attaching sweatbands. Maybe that is what they used?



Tim

 

[gtdean48]

Mine is reeded but send Mike an email & ask. You can PM him here at the Lounge too.
He does have a lot of vintage equipment & does some stuff by hand as well.

 

[ALL*HeLL]

Yeah, I emailed him and no luck. Dang!

 

[gtdean48]

He works a real job during the week & the hat shop weekends. He travels some with the real job, too.

 

[majormoore]

I don't have the machine to do it with, it took a special sewing machine to do that with, I think I saw in a photo that Optimo had one, when you ask them , be sure to ask if they use that old singer 46-101 that was used to that type of sweatband .



Major Moore


QUOTE=gtdean48]Mine is reeded but send Mike an email & ask. You can PM him here at the Lounge too.
He does have a lot of vintage equipment & does some stuff by hand as well.[/QUOTE]

 

[tonyb]

Mike pretty well sums up the problem. The machinery is scarce, necessary "consumable" parts (needles) can be hard to hunt down, and even with the proper machine and needles, using the old thing can a genuine pain. Or so I've heard.

Still, new hats are being made with unreeded sweatbands. I'm fairly confident at least some modern Borsalinos come that way. So I suppose that somebody somewhere is making the machinery to do the job, as I doubt a mass-production hat factory has much use for a persnickety antique sewing machine.

But even if you were to find someone willing and able to do the job for you, Tim, another problem I fear you would face is that the sweatband may be coming loose not because the thread failed, but because the leather did. In other words, perhaps the thread pulled clear through the leather and you wouldn't be able to reattach the sweatband because the needle holes are no longer holes but slits. You might have to take a good hard look at it (a magnifying glass might help) to see if that is indeed what happened.

Now, another possibility, which I've considered but never actually done, is to remove the original sweatband and sew it to a new reed tape. And then the (now reeded) sweatband could be sewn into the hat body. I'd bet it wouldn't be particularly difficult, seeing how the stitching holding the leather to the reed tape is a heftier gauge than that typically securing an unreeded sweatband to the body felt.

 

[ALL*HeLL]

Yeah, I took a good look and the thread is what is deteriorating. The leather almost looks new.

So Mike, would it be possible for you to reed my unreeded sweatband? Unfortunately, there are no decent hat shops near me that I know I can trust. Being that a FL member recommended you, I could confidently send it to you.

I'll email you again as well.


Thanks,

Tim

 

[ALL*HeLL]

He works a real job during the week & the hat shop weekends. He travels some with the real job, too.

I didn't mean anything about Mike. I was just saying Dang because I'd really love to have this hat stay original.

I hope you didn't take from my post that I was denigrating Mike in any way, because I assure you that was not my meaning at all.

 

[gtdean48]

I didn't mean anything about Mike. I was just saying Dang because I'd really love to have this hat stay original.

I hope you didn't take from my post that I was denigrating Mike in any way, because I assure you that was not my meaning at all.

Nope, just couldn't tell if you had no luck with email reply or no luck with info about the sweat...no worries...

 

[ScottF]

Now, another possibility, which I've considered but never actually done, is to remove the original sweatband and sew it to a new reed tape. And then the (now reeded) sweatband could be sewn into the hat body. I'd bet it wouldn't be particularly difficult, seeing how the stitching holding the leather to the reed tape is a heftier gauge than that typically securing an unreeded sweatband to the body felt.

Tony - do you know where we can get reed tape?

 

[Viper Man]

Umm, maybe a bartender can edit out All Hell's name and phone number in post #9? Something doesn't seem quite right about that. [huh]

 

[tonyb]

Tony - do you know where we can get reed tape?

No, I don't, right of the top of my head. But one could be detached from a new sweatband easily enough. Or, you might try a sweatband supplier and ask if they'd sell you just the reed and tape assembly, sans leather.

 

[Brad Bowers]

If it were my hat, I'd just grab needle and thread and start stitching. You've got the original stitches to guide you, and if the leather is in good shape, you shouldn't have any problems. Either patch the loose spot, or stitch around the entire circumference. Just have to make sure you don't stitch all the way through the felt, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick.

Brad

 

[ScottF]

If it were my hat, I'd just grab needle and thread and start stitching. You've got the original stitches to guide you, and if the leather is in good shape, you shouldn't have any problems. Either patch the loose spot, or stitch around the entire circumference. Just have to make sure you don't stitch all the way through the felt, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick.

Brad

I have a sweatband that's reeded, but with the old cellulose fiber. Some of the fiber has broken through in places, but the bigger problem is that the reed tape has torn along the seem and is unusable, on about 50% of the band. And finally, the sweatband is too tight - tighter than the felt. If I can put new reed tape on it, I can also gain the small amount of size I need to wear it.

I'm going to grab one of my unused sweatbands and explore Tony's idea.

 

[Feraud]

Just have to make sure you don't stitch all the way through the felt, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick.

Brad

Should the stitching going halfway through the felt or not even that far in?

 

[Viper Man]

OK, so apparently two different bartenders are going to ignore that request?

In that case, I wish you the best of luck with the spam, telemarketers, and identity theives, Tim.