STETSON 7x CLEAR BEAVER QUALITY

[Jesse John]

So here's the hat from post #429. I don't know if the earlier pictures really convey how dirty this hat was. Whoever owned this hat originally was a heavy sweater and wore this hat a lot. The sweatband had the extra vinyl (?) strip behind the sweatband and the liner had a plastic tip liner. There was still sweat stains on the ribbon and the top of the crown.

My first attempt at cleaning was with Dr. Bronner's castile soap. Not so effective (or maybe too diluted or I didn't soak it long enough) so I moved on to woolite which worked better, but the hat still has a bit of a patina. Blocked on my Randal Alan #52, the brim mostly kept its shape, as it is stiffer than the crown. I just evened out the wavyness a bit.

Now, I'm not usually grossed out by vintage hats but after cleaning the liner and hat body, I wasn't especially eager to use the original sweat....which as I mentioned in WHAYWT, is not really the original sweat, but a Shudde bros renovation sweat. I'm keeping that one for posterity or possibly trying that multi-step fat liquor process as it is starting to dry out and crack. But for now I put in a new sweat and sewed a new liner from some Japanese kimono silk. The ribbon tails are a bit uneven, as I think that also shrunk up a little bit during the woolite bath. I was trying to match the faded parts under the bow keep and it ended up a little longer on the back. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So not the most collector value on this one, and indeterminate age, but this felt still has a lot of life to wear about.

Woah, amazing job! That liner and sweatband truly pop!! Felt looks nice and clean. Good work!!

 

[rclark]

So here's the hat from post #429. I don't know if the earlier pictures really convey how dirty this hat was. Whoever owned this hat originally was a heavy sweater and wore this hat a lot. The sweatband had the extra vinyl (?) strip behind the sweatband and the liner had a plastic tip liner. There was still sweat stains on the ribbon and the top of the crown.

My first attempt at cleaning was with Dr. Bronner's castile soap. Not so effective (or maybe too diluted or I didn't soak it long enough) so I moved on to woolite which worked better, but the hat still has a bit of a patina. Blocked on my Randal Alan #52, the brim mostly kept its shape, as it is stiffer than the crown. I just evened out the wavyness a bit.

Now, I'm not usually grossed out by vintage hats but after cleaning the liner and hat body, I wasn't especially eager to use the original sweat....which as I mentioned in WHAYWT, is not really the original sweat, but a Shudde bros renovation sweat. I'm keeping that one for posterity or possibly trying that multi-step fat liquor process as it is starting to dry out and crack. But for now I put in a new sweat and sewed a new liner from some Japanese kimono silk. The ribbon tails are a bit uneven, as I think that also shrunk up a little bit during the woolite bath. I was trying to match the faded parts under the bow keep and it ended up a little longer on the back. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So not the most collector value on this one, and indeterminate age, but this felt still has a lot of life to wear about.

Never tried cleaning with Woolite. Do you favor it over naphtha? BTW - great hat!!

 

[jlee562]

Woah, amazing job! That liner and sweatband truly pop!! Felt looks nice and clean. Good work!!

Thanks Jesse. I picked up a handful of silks a while back and this was probably the nicest one.

Never tried cleaning with Woolite. Do you favor it over naphtha? BTW - great hat!!

Well, I suspect naptha might have gotten this hat cleaner. It's just that woolite was more conducive to my San Francisco apartment. I mulled over trying a naptha bath at work where I have loads of big plastic buckets already, but I am personally ok with a bit of the lived in look. I could tell by the color of the water that was rinsing out that the felt was definitely getting cleaner, but like I said, there's still a bit of light staining. I went over it again with the white hat sponge which also helped.

So woolite is probably not the best for heavy stains. But I have also cleaned and blocked my personal FEPSA beaver build with woolite and it worked out well for a light cleaning.

 

[Wyldkarma]

Seller says "Vintage" 7X Beaver...hmmmmm. What do we classify as vintage these days? 20 yrs?

 

[belfastboy]

Never tried cleaning with Woolite. Do you favor it over naphtha? BTW - great hat!!

I have had great success with Orvis paste. I steal it from my wife as she uses it to scour her wool fleece after shearing. It has strength but a low Ph and is gentle. It many ways it works better than the naptha. I still use naptha if there are heavy sweat stains or stains of unknown origin but for general dirt Orvis works well and it much easier to work with.....just use my shop slop sink.
I use Dr Bronners on the ribbon and liners.

 

[Louis Mountbatten]

Seller says "Vintage" 7X Beaver...hmmmmm. What do we classify as vintage these days? 20 yrs?
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Yeah, I lean toward calling anything made from 1960 to today as not exactly "vintage." LOL

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Seller says "Vintage" 7X Beaver...hmmmmm. What do we classify as vintage these days? 20 yrs?

Nowadays most things are thought to be vintage when they are no longer available new (7X). A better hat than the current 6X.

 

[Steve1857]

Seller says "Vintage" 7X Beaver...hmmmmm. What do we classify as vintage these days? 20 yrs?
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As I understand it, the term vintage is used differently depending on the item. A car or any other kind of motor vehicle is vintage after 30 years for example. An item of fashion could be vintage after 20-25 years.
No doubt some sellers use the term at will. As always, caveat emptor.

 

[Wyldkarma]

When did 7X Clear Beaver hats end their run? This Stetson Open Road shows as just 7X Beaver and does not use the work Clear Beaver. Appears to be made post 1990.?

 

[Frunobulax]

When did 7X Clear Beaver hats end their run? This Stetson Open Road shows as just 7X Beaver and does not use the work Clear Beaver. Appears to be made post 1990.?

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Since it doesn't have a UPC, my guess is pre-1974.

 

[carouselvic]

Since it doesn't have a UPC, my guess is pre-1974.

put me down as a non-believer

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Since it doesn't have a UPC, my guess is pre-1974.

I’m regularly finding hats made much later without UPC codes:

I think it’s safe to say that UPC labels disqualify a hat from being “vintage,” but I don’t think it’s reliable for determining that their absence means they are of a certain age or earlier. I’ve bought modern Stetson with the full paper label attached, including the perforated section, that were made in the 1990s or later that did not have UPC labels.

 

[Frunobulax]

Okey-dokey. Just a stab.

 

[Rmccamey]

I always love vintage hats with laser or dot matrix printed tags!

Seller says "Vintage" 7X Beaver...hmmmmm. What do we classify as vintage these days? 20 yrs?
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[deadlyhandsome]

I always love vintage hats with laser or dot matrix printed tags!

How come they so rarely guess their hats to be newer than they actually are.
Amazing how many 1930s and ‘40s hats look exactly the same as those from the 1960s and ‘70s.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

When did 7X Clear Beaver hats end their run? This Stetson Open Road shows as just 7X Beaver and does not use the work Clear Beaver. Appears to be made post 1990.?

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It sold pretty quickly. $220 was at the upper end of my estimate, but it was in good shape and it presented well.

 

[Blare]

Stetson 7X Clear Beaver Quality
Estimate Late 40s to Early 50s
Silverbelly Open Road Style
4 5/8 in diamond crease (about 5 3/4 Open)
3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon
2 3/4 brim with 1/8 bound edge
Wind trolley

Stetson 7XCB is worth the wait! This is for sure one fine piece of felt. There is quite definitely that “molds like clay” feel to this felt. The hand is incredibly velvety fine. Probably one of the very best of all my Stetsons. Maybe the exception might be my mid 1930s Standard Quality though I believe that one may be a bit thinner felt. I put it through some paces with a few quick dry creases… all of which it took with ease. There are a couple tiny dirty spots here and there but nothing that really stands out. One odd thing it appears the wind trolley cord has been stitched down in place under the ribbon. I’m not sure if this a factory thing kinda like basting stitches or if someone did not know how to wrap it and stow it out of the way. I did find a four digit number on the back side of the sweat similar to a LotXXXX number… however I do not think it is. There ar stars in the logo on the sweat and on the liner.. My guess would be late 40s early 50s… wonder anyone else’s thoughts. Absolutely very happy with this hat. I will probably pull out my other similar Stetsons and do some comparisons soon. Special thanks to @BobHufford for the heads up on this great hat.

 

[Steve1857]

View attachment 373224

Stetson 7X Clear Beaver Quality
Estimate Late 40s to Early 50s
Silverbelly Open Road Style
4 5/8 in diamond crease (about 5 3/4 Open)
3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon
2 3/4 brim with 1/8 bound edge
Wind trolley

Stetson 7XCB is worth the wait! This is for sure one fine piece of felt. There is quite definitely that “molds like clay” feel to this felt. The hand is incredibly velvety fine. Probably one of the very best of all my Stetsons. Maybe the exception might be my mid 1930s Standard Quality though I believe that one may be a bit thinner felt. I put it through some paces with a few quick dry creases… all of which it took with ease. There are a couple tiny dirty spots here and there but nothing that really stands out. One odd thing it appears the wind trolley cord has been stitched down in place under the ribbon. I’m not sure if this a factory thing kinda like basting stitches or if someone did not know how to wrap it and stow it out of the way. I did find a four digit number on the back side of the sweat similar to a LotXXXX number… however I do not think it is. There ar stars in the logo on the sweat and on the liner.. My guess would be late 40s early 50s… wonder anyone else’s thoughts. Absolutely very happy with this hat. I will probably pull out my other similar Stetsons and do some comparisons soon. Special thanks to @BobHufford for the heads up on this great hat.

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Wonderful Joe, just wonderful.

 

[Blare]

Wonderful Joe, just wonderful.

Thank you Steve

 

[steur]

View attachment 373224

Stetson 7X Clear Beaver Quality
Estimate Late 40s to Early 50s
Silverbelly Open Road Style
4 5/8 in diamond crease (about 5 3/4 Open)
3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon
2 3/4 brim with 1/8 bound edge
Wind trolley

Stetson 7XCB is worth the wait! This is for sure one fine piece of felt. There is quite definitely that “molds like clay” feel to this felt. The hand is incredibly velvety fine. Probably one of the very best of all my Stetsons. Maybe the exception might be my mid 1930s Standard Quality though I believe that one may be a bit thinner felt. I put it through some paces with a few quick dry creases… all of which it took with ease. There are a couple tiny dirty spots here and there but nothing that really stands out. One odd thing it appears the wind trolley cord has been stitched down in place under the ribbon. I’m not sure if this a factory thing kinda like basting stitches or if someone did not know how to wrap it and stow it out of the way. I did find a four digit number on the back side of the sweat similar to a LotXXXX number… however I do not think it is. There ar stars in the logo on the sweat and on the liner.. My guess would be late 40s early 50s… wonder anyone else’s thoughts. Absolutely very happy with this hat. I will probably pull out my other similar Stetsons and do some comparisons soon. Special thanks to @BobHufford for the heads up on this great hat.

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Catch of the month!