Stetson Playboy: Stretching & restoring...

[Aureliano]

I won what looked like a nice Stetson Playboy a few days ago. I paid peanuts for it ($17+) and that is helping me be less angry.
The hat, as you will see in the pictures, looks like poop because of how it was packed.
The sweatband, once I took it out of the box, was split! The seller never said that in the auction. I contacted him/her and he/she told me that he/she believed hats came like that: Are you F kidding me!?:rage: Meaning with a freakin' split sweatband?.
Seller didn't mention the huge sweat stain in the ribbon either. Also seller said he/she believed the hat was a 6 7/8 and measured the circunference to be more or less 21 inches. There is a size tag under the sweat: 6 3/4!
I'm going to keep it. I started cleaning it. The ribbon looks fine on its reverse so I will be flipping it inside out when done with stretching. The fact that the leather had the split is going to make it easier to accomplish.
On the good side, the felt is in great shape, no moths or stains. Just a pile of dust. Stay tuned for the results.

Inside the box:

Sweat split:

After first round of steam, hat sponge, brush. Being stretched from a 6 3/4 to a 7 1/8

 

[DanielJones]

I've seen hats that looked worse than that come back from the dead & be stunning show pieces. As long as the felt is in good shape and has no major damage all else is replaceable. I think you'll be ok and rather happy with your end results. So far so good. Keep us updated.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Rick Blaine]

...lemonade from lemons & lookin' good so far. eBay sellers, what are you gonna do? [huh]

 

[RBH]

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Aureliano]

Thanks, guys. Will keep you posted. Let's see how it wakes up tomorrow morning after the stretcher.

 

[Mario]

Aureliano...

I only now found out that you're the one who won that Playboy - good luck with it :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Aureliano]

Aureliano...

I only now found out that you're the one who won that Playboy - good luck with it :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Thanks, Mario. It's actually looking pretty good. I just checked the sweat and it's stretching fine!

 

[Mario]

Thanks, Mario. It's actually looking pretty good. I just checked the sweat and it's stretching fine!

Good to know. And I also know that you could even sew in a new sweat should the old one come apart. Still...6 3/4 to 7 1/8 - that's mighty stuff!

 

[ScionPI2005]

Glad to know you're making progress. It sounds like you caught a tough break. Still, should be able to liven that Stetson up with a little TLC.

 

[theinterchange]

That box looks all to familiar, I've had them like that. At least you've got the experience and tools to help transform this poor hat back into it's proper shape

I swear, in my experience, "lay" people who sell hats on eBay are a fairly dumb lot. [can't really blame someone if they are honestly and truly clueless, but the ones who play dumb are just smart donkeys!] Just last week I won a hat that the seller obviously doused with Fabreeze and then inserted a dryer sheet into the box with it... I can't go near the hat without getting a SERIOUS headache. So, for now it's being stored in the garage.:rage:

Randy

 

[EVEN-STEVEN]

Did you say "nightmare"?

An early vintage Stetson Playboy for $17 is not a nightmare.
It is a wet dream.

 

[Aureliano]

An early vintage Stetson Playboy for $17 is not a nightmare.
It is a wet dream.

lol lol I know. I think this little one is from the 40s...

 

[Aureliano]

Update...

Hat stretched wonderfully! The ribbon, though... Even after washing it, the sweat stain didn't clear. I'm going to my vintage ribbon source to get some. The thing is, once it dried, the reverse is the exact same color of the hat (blue/gray) and not silvery as in the pictures. We'll see what I find. Stand by!

 

[ScionPI2005]

Hat stretched wonderfully! The ribbon, though... Even after washing it, the sweat stain didn't clear. I'm going to my vintage ribbon source to get some. The thing is, once it dried, the reverse is the exact same color of the hat (blue/gray) and not silvery as in the pictures. We'll see what I find. Stand by!

Sounds really hopeful. Looking forward to pics when you're done!

 

[Aureliano]

Restoration...

Step by step. Couldn't get the sweat stain off the ribbon, not even turning it inside out. But doing this showed me the actual color as the front had bled a lot. Found a great vintage match (1950s) at the store. It's almost the exact color as the original A tad wider as to cover the felt discoloration that appeared when I removed the old one.

Straight:

After performing what I call "the trick":

Making the bow:

Sewing the ribbon:

PS:
Look what I found when I went to throw the box in the bin! Wind trolley!

Flange (look at the split sweat. Not so bad after I spruced up the old tiny bow)

 

[Aureliano]

Continuation...

Labels and sweatband:

Finished hat: (please help me date it) (noggin shot tomorrow!)

 

[RBH]

You have no need to date the hat.. you changed it for one... and for the other
THE CHANGE WORKED!!!!
Looks great!!
You did a fantastic job!
Now lets see it on!!

 

[Cane Rod Maker]

Great looking Playboy

Very nice job on the re-work of that hat.:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Aureliano]

You have no need to date the hat.. you changed it for one... and for the other
THE CHANGE WORKED!!!!
Looks great!!
You did a fantastic job!
Now lets see it on!!

Thanks, Rusty! I like the hat and it fits me perfectly. I'll take a picture wearing it tomorrow. I'm still curious about the date, though.

 

[DanielJones]

Wow! That is amazing. Well done to be sure!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap
But please, let's the pics on the noggin maybe in some natural light.
Thank you for sharing this.

Cheers!

Dan