The Brotherhood of the Thin Ribbon

[VetPsychWars]

My "collection" is about complete, so I took a family picture.

Rear, left to right:

Borsalino, NOS, dove grey, eBay.
Borsalino Alessandria, new, navy, Bencraft.
Borsalino Alessandria, new, "taupe", Bencraft.

Middle, left to right:

Beaver Brand custom, new, bordeaux, The Fedora Store.
Yoder Dept Store, NOS, black, Etsy.
Stetson Royal Deluxe Open Road, very used, silver belly (when it was new), eBay.

Front, left to right:

Akubra Campdraft Heritage, new, silver belly, some Australian store
Akubra Campdraft Imperial, new, bluegrass green, some Australian store

I want a cream-colored hat or a Stetson (modern) Stratoliner in "silver belly". I could get a Borsalino "silver belly", which might do it. The modern Strat, I could try again to see if I could get one where the band is in the right place instead of way above the brim (grr).

But mostly I think I'm done. I've collected some others I've had but don't wear... let's see what I can sell them for. I'll try local first, of course.

Tom

 

[monbla256]

Your'e far from "done" if you are a True collector of Thin Ribbons. In new hats alone, you have to get a Mid-Brown and Taupe Fawn CD from OZ. Then you need a Bushman and Coober Pedy from DM . And of course ALL of the variations Borsolino sells as well as ALL the colors of vintage Strats and ORs. This ought to keep ya busy for a couple of years

 

[VetPsychWars]

That's my problem. I'm not a true collector. I'm a man who wears hats, and I want the colors I want.

Tom

 

[4spurs]

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I'm not certain what's on this hat even qualifies as a ribbon, more like a string.

 

[mattface]

My "collection" is about complete, so I took a family picture.

Rear, left to right:

Borsalino, NOS, dove grey, eBay.
Borsalino Alessandria, new, navy, Bencraft.
Borsalino Alessandria, new, "taupe", Bencraft.

Middle, left to right:

Beaver Brand custom, new, bordeaux, The Fedora Store.
Yoder Dept Store, NOS, black, Etsy.
Stetson Royal Deluxe Open Road, very used, silver belly (when it was new), eBay.

Front, left to right:

Akubra Campdraft Heritage, new, silver belly, some Australian store
Akubra Campdraft Imperial, new, bluegrass green, some Australian store

I want a cream-colored hat or a Stetson (modern) Stratoliner in "silver belly". I could get a Borsalino "silver belly", which might do it. The modern Strat, I could try again to see if I could get one where the band is in the right place instead of way above the brim (grr).

But mostly I think I'm done. I've collected some others I've had but don't wear... let's see what I can sell them for. I'll try local first, of course.

Tom

Wow! that's a great collection. the black one looks familiar. I hope to some day have such a great selection of colors.

 

[bowlerman]

Impressive! And I admire your consistency of style!

 

[job]

I have only two. A new Borsalino that's light grey and a Falcon Park custom.

 

[Benzadmiral]

My first vintage hat eBay win from last year, an Open Road-ish Resistol. The seller said he thought it dated to about 1960 and that it had belonged to someone on a ranch in Colorado:

As you can see in the second pic, it has a little break in the right side of the brim, as well as smudges. There's a flake of felt missing from the top edge of one of the cattleman's crease ridges, and a little staining here and there. I stretched it to fit my size-7 head and lowered the front brim a bit, but have otherwise left it alone. Would it be possible for Optimo to clean it without making the brim or the felt scar worse?

If not, I'll think of the stains as a mark of character and history.

 

[gtdean48]

.... Would it be possible for Optimo to clean it without making the brim or the felt scar worse?

If not, I'll think of the stains as a mark of character and history.

Hard to tell. I sent them a Royal Deluxe OR that had wear on the brim that seemed to be more pronounced once renovated.
Not sure what you are after but this one looks to need some serious self cleaning & wearing.
For what you'd spend at Optimo, you could probably land another one in better shape out of the 'Bay....
Looks a lot newer than 1960's to me as well...

 

[Benzadmiral]

No, GTDean, I'm not too worried about it. It's a good hat for rain, and it has a neat lived-in look. I have others, a tan Resistol and a tan Open Road.

What about it says that it's later than the Sixties? The liner and sweatband?

 

[gtdean48]

...What about it says that it's later than the Sixties? The liner and sweatband?

The liner mainly. That one looks newer than the one in my Resistol that I bought new in the early 1980's.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I suppose the owner might have had the liner replaced . . . but even if it's younger it was a great price, as I recall, and the hat has a neat "Wear it with a dusty denim jacket or barn coat plus boots" look to it.

 

[gtdean48]

I suppose the owner might have had the liner replaced . . . but even if it's younger it was a great price, as I recall, and the hat has a great "Wear it with a dusty denim jacket or barn coat plus boots" look to it.

Oh shoot yeah! Real nice lid. I've got one & love it = lot better deal than a comparable Open Road & just as good in my book.

 

[frussell]

I think Mr. Dean is right (as usual) about the renovation. I've had great luck sending hats to Optimo that had basically sound felt, but needed a new sweat or some cleaning. I've also had a few more damaged hats come back with the faults more exaggerated, and one Kitten Finish (sent to Optimo because it smelled like an ashtray) that came back decidedly faded looking, like jeans that had been washed repeatedly. Maybe that one had more powder in it, but you would think a vintage Resistol would have been done losing color by now. For rebuilding, or putting a new sweat in, Optimo is hard to beat. Frank

 

[Benzadmiral]

I used a little Scout felt hat cleaner and sponge on the Resistol last night, and while some of the smudges are still there, the hat does look a bit cleaner. Maybe I'll make a few more passes at it.

As for the sweatband: There's no model name, but it does say "5 x Beaver," and is stamped in gold with the name of the store, "Harrington's, Tulsa, Okla." That store, Ixquick tells me, is now out of business, but I can't find anything about when that occurred. Any Oklahomans know?

And the use of "Okla" as the abbreviation, rather than today's "OK," points to an earlier, bygone time. Two-letter state abbreviations, I believe, started in 1964 or so with ZIP codes, but I don't expect everybody, or every business, immediately dropped the old ones -- so that alone doesn't mean this hat pre-dates "OK."

Doesn't matter. I like wearing it. Driving from Austin back to New Orleans last December, when I stopped someplace to eat or gas up, I often got a quick nod and "Nice hat" from Texans. N.O. people look at me oddly when I wear it (or any hat) -- but I consider them beyond odd, so it balances out.

 

[Joshbru3]

1950's Stetson Homburg Conversion THIN RIBBON

There are more pictures in the "The Conversion Corral" thread. I just thought I would add a couple pics in this thread. I figured 5/8 inch ribbon would be thin enough.....

 

[Chepstow]

Josh, once again, a super Hat conversion. Very well job done, Josh. The ribbon arangement, well done.
Look fantastic.

 

[hatophile]

Josh, once again, a super Hat conversion. Very well job done, Josh. The ribbon arangement, well done.
Look fantastic.

I couldn't say it better, Manfred!

 

[gtdean48]

.... I figured 5/8 inch ribbon would be thin enough.....

Looks great Josh. I think you are on the edge of mid-ribbon there!

 

[Joshbru3]

Josh, once again, a super Hat conversion. Very well job done, Josh. The ribbon arangement, well done.
Look fantastic.

I couldn't say it better, Manfred!

Thank you very much, Manfred & Perry!!

Looks great Josh. I think you are on the edge of mid-ribbon there!

Thanks, Tom! I really have to find some vintage 3/8 inch ribbon. vintage 5/8 ribbon is the thinnest I've found thus far. I would actually really like to find some 1/8 inch grosgrain cording to make a couple hats with western knots.