Restoration Question

[TomS]

Hi Folks:
I'm curious to know if a restoration can be done on a fedora in which the original sweatband, liner, and ribbon are retained, or do those components need to be replaced once removed?
Thanks,
Tom

 

[Chinaski]

There are others here who are more qualified to answer your question as they have done this type of work, but the long and short answer is it depends on the condition of these components, in particular, the sweatband. Sweatbands can look to be in good condition, but if you mess with them a bit they can fall apart due to age and dryness. If it doesn't fall apart in removing it, you should be good to go re-installing.

 

[tonyb]

Chinaski has it right, Tom. It all depends on the condition of those components. So it's a case-by-case kinda thing.

I certainly understand a person wanting to preserve as much of an old hat's provenance as he reasonably can, and much of that history is recorded on the original sweatband.

But I've found that there's really nothing to match a hat that actually fits its wearer. By that I mean the hat size, for sure, but also its dimensions and style and color and all of that. Refurbishing an old hat can get it much closer to "right" than it was beforehand, but that might well entail sacrificing some of the original components.

A hat refurbisher often wishes to replace the sweatband and ribbon because those pieces are usually in worse condition than the customer wishes to believe. As Chinaski noted, just because a sweatband looks to be in good condition doesn't mean it is.