Sources for leather hat bands?

[Drdan]

Many of the "safari" and "country" felt hats offered by well known hatmakers are adorned with relatively nice leather hat bands which work well for these types of hats. Most of them have logos, which detract from the hat's aesthetics, at least for me. The photo shows commonly found hat bands...

I've searched all over the internet, and have found mostly leather hat bands with bling buckles, unusual designs, conchos, plaited leather, beads, imitation gemstones, flashy colors, and even rattlesnake tails and/or heads! I'd like to find more somber offerings that are simple and elegant. Leathercraft shops that I've found don't have really carry elegant bands.

There must be sources for leather hat bands at least as nice as the original bands, but without the logos and unnecessary flash. I'd appreciate any links you FL's might have.

Thanks!

Daniel

 

[rogerstg]

I've made a few simple leather bands using skinny women's belts from EBay. A few well placed stitches or a little hot glue and you're in business.

 

[photogravity]

I've made a few simple leather bands using skinny women's belts from EBay. A few well placed stitches or a little hot glue and you're in business.

E6000 works exceedingly well too.

 

[ingineer]

There has got to be a fabric trim shop there like we have in NYC
http://www.mjtrim.com/leather-suede/1-25mm-leather-ribbon.
But Roger's suggestion is the best. Reuse any old thrift store leather.
I have had some luck with shoe repair places stitching stuff up.
Conchos conchos conchos please no more

 

[Drdan]

I've made a few simple leather bands using skinny women's belts from EBay. A few well placed stitches or a little hot glue and you're in business.

Fantastic idea rogerstg! Thanks.

 

[Drdan]

There has got to be a fabric trim shop there like we have in NYC
http://www.mjtrim.com/leather-suede/1-25mm-leather-ribbon.
But Roger's suggestion is the best. Reuse any old thrift store leather.
I have had some luck with shoe repair places stitching stuff up.
Conchos conchos conchos please no more

No conchos for me either!

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I would call Major Moore of Buckaroo Hatters. Mike deals in a lot of great hat bands. Many made by leather artists
http://www.buckaroohatters.com/


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[Drdan]

I would call Major Moore of Buckaroo Hatters. Mike deals in a lot of great hat bands. Many made by leather artists
http://www.buckaroohatters.com/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Many hats that claim to have leather bands (Akubra included) often only have 'bonded' leather bands which of course isn't real leather.
I make my own leather hat bands, firstly because I enjoy working with leather (I also make leather hats) & secondly I don't like to wear something that someone else may have.
Unfortunately I don't do 'elegant' as I prefer more chunky & rough 'n'ready bands .....
A few examples,
Made from an old belt...


I'm not really a fan of plaited leather bands but they are fun to make..




I'm always on the lookout on evilbay for bits of leather or leather objects that could be transformed into hat bands.
If you're looking for something special then you might consult a bushcraft forum which have many leathersmiths amoung their members who would be glad to make you what you want for a very reasonable fee.

"I need more conchos"

Edit; just to add that like me, those bands look better in real life than on photo

 

[ScaryWoody]

I've used the Tandy leather hat band kits and they produce a good band. Cost about 12 bucks. I also browse at Goodwill for leather belts, never know what you might find but they are usually around $3. I've been replacing most of my leather bands with Grosgrain. I think it looks better and more refined.

 

[Drdan]

I'm probably going to pull the trigger on a Borsalino "Safari County" found on the Italian E.Bay. The vendor (a hatshop in Milano) said it was a new model, and the price was 155 Euro. Even if it's a discontinued model, that's fine with me. The brim is 2.56" wide, the sweatband is leather as is the hat band, and it's made of lapin (rabbit) felt. It's available in blue, black, brown, green, and camel. I'm also actively looking for sources of vintage Borsalinos now in Italy.

I contacted Yee Haw Cowbow. com, and spoke with Jose, who was very helpful. They have plain 3/4" genuine ostrich and caiman hatbands available individually. He's presently cjecking on color availability. I've seen them on other websites, but they had flashy 3 piece western buckles. Apparently Yee Haw Cowboy purchases just the heatband blanks, and fits them to some of their better hats. Other websites had them for as low as $29.99 each, which is a great price.

I think the Borsalino would look kind of slick with a nice caiman or ostrich band; YMMV
This would be a casual hat, and as it's touted as being "waterproof", could be worn in inclimate weather in conjunction with an umbrella.

Placing "leather hat band" in E-Bay's search engine, I found a few plain leather hat bands also.

http://www.yeehawcowboy.com/Los-Altos-Hats-500x-Straw-Cowboy-Hat-Customize-Brim-Hat-Band-500x-los-altos-western-straw-hat.htm

 

[Drdan]

Here's an image taken from Yee Haw Cowbow.com, which shows a caiman band mounted on one of their hats.

 

[gtdean48]

http://stores.ebay.com/Moon-Dance-M...22137010&_sid=187077030&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

I am with L&M in making these. Get good leather from various sources and use a strap cutter to get the thin leather size needed. Then a groover sets the trough to define the edges which would normally be used for stitching, but can also be decorative. A stitching wheel can give some more interest. Then sew a buckle on it; trim the edges nicely and you have a hat band.

Here is a photo which is not the best band, but happened to already be available at the moment:



While I rarely deal with Tandy anymore, they are not a bad place to start. Some of the shops have people who will work with you.

Give it a shot - make your own.

Fed

 

[Drdan]

I am with L&M in making these. Get good leather from various sources and use a strap cutter to get the thin leather size needed. Then a groover sets the trough to define the edges which would normally be used for stitching, but can also be decorative. A stitching wheel can give some more interest. Then sew a buckle on it; trim the edges nicely and you have a hat band.

Here is a photo which is not the best band, but happened to already be available at the moment:

View attachment 32689

While I rarely deal with Tandy anymore, they are not a bad place to start. Some of the shops have people who will work with you.

Give it a shot - make your own.

Fed

That band and buckle definitely work for that particular hat. I agree with the "make your own mantra." It would be unique, and you'd have the satisfaction of making a nice contribution to the overall look of the hat.

 

[jlw]

I'd appreciate being pointed to some good leather hatband sources. I'm not looking for anything ornate, and most of the stuff I'm seeing online is a bit fancy for me. Either some simple tooling or stamping, or perhaps braided is what I want.

I'm looking to get a neutral colored outdoor or western and swap the bands to match my boots and belt.

Horsehair would be fine as well.

 

[Bamaboots]

I'd appreciate being pointed to some good leather hatband sources. I'm not looking for anything ornate, and most of the stuff I'm seeing online is a bit fancy for me. Either some simple tooling or stamping, or perhaps braided is what I want.

I'm looking to get a neutral colored outdoor or western and swap the bands to match my boots and belt.

Horsehair would be fine as well.

Check ETSY.

 

[RJR]

Check ETSY.

Agree,ETSY or Ebay.

 

[EstherWeis]

Don't know any in the US but good leather good manufacturers often sell the braided bands.

I can give you a good address but it's in Belgium.

 

[jlw]

I saw one vendor on ETSY that has something similar to what I am seeking. He lists the sizes as being 1x23. The folks who made my custom hat suggested that any band I order be at least 25" long