Stetson 4X to be given a new life

[DanielJones]

Hello all,

Ive just sent my Stetson 4X beaver to Art for a reblocking and a cleaning. This hat I had bought about 16 years ago durring my rodeo days. It has seen numerous rodeos & road trips, has been up to Canada and down to Florida. It has met Chris LeDoux (rodeo star and singer), Mel Gibson & Sam Elliot. It has been down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and to the top of Half Dome. Then I had put it away and started wearing fedoras. It languished in it's box in a closet for several years. Then the other day I had an epiphany. Why not have it reblocked, trimmed & cleaned. Add a new ribbon for good measure and, voila, a new life for an old friend. So here are the before pictures.

This hat holds a lot of memories for me, and it seemd a shame to let it just sit in a dark box un-used. So, anyway, there it is before. It took some time to get that shape but it isn't what I wear anymore. Off it went to the masters hands to work his magic. I can't wait to see how it will turn out. I should see it in about a months time. I will show it off when finished. There will be a new go-round of memories for this lid to collect for the next 16 years to come.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Great idea

Dan,

Wonderful story and a great idea. I've got an old Resistol in a medium brown that's about 30 years old. I haven't worn mine in a while for the same reason. My parents live up in Santa Fe, NM and there's a couple of hatters there. I may just take the hat with me next time I go and have the brim cut down from 4" to 2 3/4" will I'm in town. It will then match my other OR style hats. I'll leave the Cattleman's crease though as I'm partial to that style. I'm sure that Art will do a great job. Can't wait to see the end result.

 

[DanielJones]

Thanks Gentleman Farmer. My other hat is a Resistol as well. That one I was thinking of either a 1930's style fedora with a 3" brim & tall crown or going with the 4 dent campaign (or Montana crease) style. Hard to say. Either way it beats sitting in a box in the closet. But the Stetson I will shape into a fedora. The only choice I'll need to make is either a center dent or a 'c' crown.
If you get yous done I'd love to see the pictures.
Does anyone else have before and after photos of hats that they have breathed new life into? Cowboy hats into fedoras or something similar? Would love to see your results folks.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[BellyTank]

Here you go!

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=8828&highlight=cowboy

...although I can't see Fedora's pictures...

B
T

 

[DanielJones]

Thanks BT!
It's a shame we can't see the picture in that thread, I would have loved to see the results of the re-shape. I know my Resistol is pretty stiff and would need the stiffener removed to make it somewhat workable. My Stetson on the other hand was pretty pliable and I was trying different shapes before I sent it to Art. Maybe Fedora can re-post those pictures for the viewing pleasure of those who didn't get to see them before.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[indyjim]

I just saw this thread and as it so happens, over the weekend, I decided to try
my hand at cutting down the brim on a old light gray 5X Stetson cowboy hat
that I've had around here for 30 years. I got the brim cut ok but I'm having
trouble getting a good shape to it. It is stiff and doesn't want to "flow" nicely.
I cut the brim to 2 3/4 inches. The crown still measures 4 3/4 in the front and
a little over 5" on the sides. I'm working on getting the old creases out and a new
"fedora" bash. It came with a narrow gray ribbon, which I think makes the crown
look even taller than it is. If I can find some new ribbon, I may replace it with a
wider style grosgrain. Pictures if it turns out ok.
Right now its a work in progress and I'm a long way from satisfied.

 

[DanielJones]

Well IndyJim, when it is finished I'd love to see how it comes out.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[DanielJones]

Bump!

Hello again, just a little bump here. Any other folks having or thought of having their lid, be it a fedora or cowboy hat, re-blocked & shaped into something else? Would love to see the results of the job done.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Funny you should mention that. I just did my own extreme reblocking of an odd-looking Milan straw hat. Seems pretty old ... it was worn by a guy who then gave it to his daughter-in-law in the '60s. She wore it backwards for the next 40 years ...

Will start a thread on it soon, maybe today. With before & after pics.


.

 

[DanielJones]

Can't wait to see the results Marc.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[DanielJones]

The Stetson 4X redux...

The Stetson 4X Low Places hat is back from Art's masterful hands in it's third incarnation. Art knocked a good chunk of the brim off and did a dimensional cut. I just love it now! It was a hat that hadn't seen much wear in the past few years, and now has a new life.
The fist pic is what it was before I sent it to Art.

Then after it came home from Art fresh out of the box.

Then after a little fiddling & some steam.

Thank you again Art! I can't wait to send you my Resistol.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Marc Chevalier]

That ... is ... INCREDIBLE! lol

Love it, man!

.

 

[Feraud]

Amazing! Love the color, bash, ribbon. Congrats on receiving a wonderfully refurbished hat. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Now isn't that much better than it sitting in a closet?

 

[DanielJones]

That ... is ... INCREDIBLE! lol

Love it, man!

.

Thanks again Marc! I think Art had found the perfect ribbon for it. It made all the difference.

My Resistol is just a standard cowboy hat in black, and I was pondering the the thought of having this done to it but with a midnight blue ribbon & brim binding.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[DanielJones]

Amazing! Love the color, bash, ribbon. Congrats on receiving a wonderfully refurbished hat. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Now isn't that much better than it sitting in a closet?

Thank you! Yes, much, much better.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[RBH]

W O W !

That is now a GREAT looking hat. I love the crown shape you did.
Job well done!!!

 

[analogist]

Open Road Reconstreuction

I have two open road 4X westerns taking up space here new in their boxes. One silver belly, one black. I really hate them but am sending them to Art tomorrow and hope to be lucky enough to have them reincarnated into the great one you received, Dan.

analogist

 

[DanielJones]

Analogist: This was the original shape of the hat when I first bought it back in 1991 when I was in rodeo and had punched it up to be a bit more open like in my first pics as soon as I got it home.

I bet the makers of this hat never dremed that it would go through so many reincarnations.
I'm very sure that Art will be able to do his magic on yours as well.

RBH: Thank you very much!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Mr. Lucky]

Analogist: This was the original shape of the hat when I first bought it back in 1991 when I was in rodeo and had punched it up to be a bit more open like in my first pics as soon as I got it home.
I bet the makers of this hat never dremed that it would go through so many reincarnations.
I'm very sure that Art will be able to do his magic on yours as well.

RBH: Thank you very much!

Cheers!

Dan

Remarkable! And they say alchemy is a myth! Kudos!

 

[jamespowers]

Holy Crimony! Geez, that is nearly miracle worker in scope.
Ok, now tell us it is another hat and you are joking with us.
I am just kidding. I have seen Art do that to dozens of my hats.

Regards,

J