The Cap Faction

[Pinesiw]

Sweet vintage caps baron!

Such a variety of different styles in that photo howard, good stuff

 

[Simonds]

Baron,

That is true to a point, but bear in mind that those "Affiliate" threads cost a pretty penny, and when one considers the tight margins that most of us operate under, it is, at best, prohibitive.

DD

DD I totally agree! especially being a hobbyist cap maker like myself. Sorry if I sounded blunt with my question, my curiosity had gotten the best of me. Nothing personal.

 

[Simonds]

Baron your pictures/post are never annoying, Love seeing the old caps!

Bert cool find indeed, thanks for sharing!

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

The adjustable caps with the buckle on the front crown are nice. Like this one a lot to bad it is a size 7.

 

[mayserwegener]

Some of the non affiliate hat maker / supplier threads have continued. Appears to be some inconsistency but I mostly stick to vintage topics.

 

[howardeye]

Great find howardeye...check out the curved and folded brims on these hats...

They probably had a cardboard or paper insert for the brim rather than the plastic ones of today. When I try to shape mine they want to spring back. I might try a heat gun!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes, these were all small sizes. This was one of the bigger ones! About 10 years ago, someone in canada sold bout 30 of them on eBay, mostly to FLoungers, most of whom no longer post.

The adjustable caps with the buckle on the front crown are nice. Like this one a lot to bad it is a size 7.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

They probably had a cardboard or paper insert for the brim rather than the plastic ones of today. When I try to shape mine they want to spring back. I might try a heat gun!

Bert maybe Johnny and Barry could bend it for you. Its an idea.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

What do cordova and simonds caps use for brim stiffener? cardstock would, of course, be vintage correct.

 

[Simonds]

Baron, we are currently using a closed cell foam material for our brims. I have been wanting to do a complete vintage style cap using all traditional materials and methods including the cardstock bill. Maybe you could help me identify the material that was used for interfacing the cap and the brim? The material I am referring to resembles burlap but, a looser weave.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Look for hessian or jute. The stuff they make coffee sacks out of.

 

[howardeye]

Bert maybe Johnny and Barry could bend it for you. Its an idea.

Thanks Ed. I was told to use an iron on the bill and bend it the way I want it and it will stay. I might try wrapping it around my wife's exhaust pipe on the way home. I am on her old Hog today! Sometimes the 40 mile ride back home from work on the bike is boring on the interstate. On the way to work everyone is cutting me off and running me off the road so I have to pay attention!

 

[seabass]

Baron,
Very nice caps you posted up. Good detailed pics.
I noticed the buckle was faithfully reproduced for the John Lofgren Japanese made caps.

On the subject of bill material.
I have about 12 or more caps made by my friend Al Ribaya of Al's Attire.
He only uses leather under his fabrics for the bills & they hold any shape you desire very well...
just some very well made caps & must take some work sewing them under the fabrics to the bodies...
http://www.sfgate.com/style/article...-cobbling-to-custom-2352320.php#photo-1871633
Amazing fabrics as well & Linings

Bert,
What a great pic of the Boys in Caps what a Varity as well...

 

[Zombie_61]

They probably had a cardboard or paper insert for the brim rather than the plastic ones of today. When I try to shape mine they want to spring back...

That's one of the things I like about the flat caps made by Hat People--if there's any material within the brim it's non-rigid. On the "con" side, this means you have to shape the brim every time you wear one because it doesn't hold a shape; on the "pro" side, it means you can shape the brim however you want to every time you wear one.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I was advised when I first moved to the US to soak the brim of my baseball cap, and use a rubber band to tie it to a baseball, and leave it alone for a week or so. The brim retained its shape until the hat fell apart 8 years later, having in the preceding years been flipped off and run over by cars, sat on, stood on, had heavy books put upon, etc. etc.

The baseball method worked well! The cap had a thick cardstock brim, IIRC.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

A co worker use to work at a company called Derby Caps which made all styles of caps including newsboys and Ball caps. They used cardboard material when she started they in the 90's switched to plastic as the bills would fall apart after getting wet. I have some Pro Roman cap's which have cardboard brims but these are exact replicates of Ball cap's for the major leagues.

 

[T Jones]

They probably had a cardboard or paper insert for the brim rather than the plastic ones of today. When I try to shape mine they want to spring back. I might try a heat gun!

hmmmm...I was able to fold the brims on my Jaxon and City Sport fairly easy and both of those brims are plastic...could be that the brims on your caps are of a thicker and higher grade of plastic material and are not as easy to shape...on some of my ball caps I would roll the brims between my hands every day before I put them on and they had a pretty good curve to them, and stayed that way...I have a couple Stetson caps that come with curved brims...as Wise Hatter suggested, maybe one of the guys who make your caps can bend or fold them for you...

 

[Metatron]

Bad hat photography

I've been looking for a good summer cap, and the biggest hurdle is bad photography and poor descriptions.
I'm not talking ebay sellers here, but established makers.
Is it so hard to pop the hat on someone's head and photograph it from different angles?

Also, most of them do not bother to mention if the hat has a popper or if the brim is sewn - an important factor in fit imho, and I'm not expert, but I know this.

Case in point- I am now selling a very mediocre cap on ebay, and just because I bothered to photograph it properly, a bidding war is on 3 days before the end of the auction. I was initially surprised, but I needn't be, people simply know what they are buying.

I honestly don't understand, if I can do it, surely the professional hatmakers can? Or is it a matter of pouring all resources into the design and manufacturing, the photography a mere afterthought?

This does not apply to the FL vintage hatmakers btw, they know what they are doing.

 

[brokepainter]

I would like to know what company makes a long brimmed flat cap. I dont look right wearing a news boy cap so it has to be a flat cap but I want one with a longer brim like a baseball cap. It doesn't have to be as long as a baseball cap but long enough to keep the sun out of my eyes. Any suggestions?

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I would get Johnny and Barry make you what you are looking for. Most factory flat caps have a short brim

Johnny is making me this cap next. I always get the larger bill.


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