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The Conversion Corral

Roninjedi

One of the Regulars
Messages
140
Location
Central Texas
5X Stetson

Okay. Here's my first official conversion (I'm not counting a cheap costume hat I played with a couple of years ago.) This is a 5x Stetson I picked up on the Bay about a week ago. It initially looked like this:
3965996277_0da9d2ab19.jpg


First I filled the crown about 3/4 full with distilled water and waited for it to drain through the felt. Took awhile. Interestingly, a good deal of color showed up in the water that filtered through. It's basically a new hat, so I'm not that surprised. I opened the crown and used steam to flatten the brim as much as I could. I set it under a ceiling fan overnight to dry. Once dry, I sanded the hat. First with 320 grit, then 400, then 600 grit sandpaper. The brim started out at a cowboy-respectable 3 1/2 inches. I used a strap cutter I bought from Tandy Leather for my leatherwork to cut the brim down.

Note on brim trimming: I first measured out the where I wanted the cut with measuring tape and made the initial cut with an X-Acto knife. Then I inserted the blade of the strap cutter through that slit and very carefully cut the brim down. Take your time! I did this 3 times before I was satisfied with a brim width of just a shade under 2 1/4 inch. I used that X-Acto and 150 grit sandpaper to smooth out any errors.

I tried a porkpie crease at first but ended up with a modified porkpie/diamond combination. This hat could go in The Black Hat Brigade, The Diamond Authority, Show Us Your Porkpies (maybe), but I figured the Conversion Corral was the best place for it.

I tried the champagne glass along the brim trick to try and curl the brim. Multiple tries with steam and a spray bottle and there's still not quite enough "snap" to the brim to suit me. Maybe I'll try again later when my hands recover. :)
3971606401_4f501071e0.jpg


Pinch in the front.
3971606463_3657bb16a7.jpg


That weird diamond-porkpie thing I did with the crown. It's about 4 1/4 inches high, right now.
3972374930_b227fc361a.jpg


I used store bought polyester grosgrain for the ribbon and bow. It hardly stretches at all. I may have to order proper milliner's grosgrain if I want to do more of this. This was also my first attempt at a "flying V" bow. (Correction: I wrote "Flying V" but after doing a little research at COW, I realize that I'm really talking about a bow with that extra loop on the right. Not sure what to call it.)
3971606625_ed252a4eff.jpg


And, finally, my lame attempt at a Douglas pose. Not nearly as intimidating as the real thing.
3971606959_16bcab67ce.jpg


The hat is 7 3/4 which is a little bit big on me. This'll give it room to shrink to fit, however. Meanwhile, I've got a couple of strips of foam, leftover from my Akubra Fed IV, inserted fore and aft to tighten the fit. Sorry for the long post. I initially wanted a brown hat to convert to an Indy style, but I might just make a brown version of this same style first. I'll wear it around a few days and see what I think. What do y'all think? :eek:
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,275
Location
West Branch, IA
Roninjedi said:
Okay. Here's my first official conversion .....

You're obviously way ahead of me, Rj :eusa_doh:

One suggestion... Raise the crown so that the dome is flat with the edge.

Pork pie = flat top ... unless, of course, you make your own rules which you obviously do anyway so.......

Well, done, Brutha!

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
 

Roninjedi

One of the Regulars
Messages
140
Location
Central Texas
CRH said:
You're obviously way ahead of me, Rj :eusa_doh:

One suggestion... Raise the crown so that the dome is flat with the edge.

Thanks so much, CRH! Yeah. I'm thinking the crown could use a couple of tweaks here and there. This stiff cowboy felt has a stubborn memory, though. Looks like more soaking is in order!
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,275
Location
West Branch, IA
Roninjedi said:
Thanks so much, CRH! Yeah. I'm thinking the crown could use a couple of tweaks here and there. This stiff cowboy felt has a stubborn memory, though. Looks like more soaking is in order!

This surely is no kindness contest...

hpim1592.jpg
 

Roninjedi

One of the Regulars
Messages
140
Location
Central Texas
CRH said:
This surely is no kindness contest...

hpim1592.jpg

You're right, it's no kindness contest at all. :) I've resoaked and given it more of a fedora crease. I'm inspired to go ahead and make myself a block to do it up right.
 

jonbuilder

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,564
Location
Grass Valley CA Foothills
Stetson 7X clear beaver minor conversion
I sent this 7x CB to Art for a cleaning, re-blocking and re-sizing, and new ¾” ribbon. Art was not able to reuse the sweatband. The hat originally was a size 7 1/8. I was constantly stretching the hat on a vintage 2” high stretcher. The hat crown took on 2” stretch band at he base of the crown from the shape of the stretcher. I was wearing this hat almost daily including to work on construction sites. For yard work and heavy or dirty tasks only did I switched to my real beater hat, which is a Beaver Hat brand thin ribbon. I liked 7X CB enough I decided to send it to Art for a professional cleaning and resizing to my 7 1/4 long oval. I removed the liner, which does not have clear beaver above the crest like the liners in my other two 7X CB hats. The was attached by glue I assume from previous work on the hat. The stitching attaching the ribbon to the crown had torn in places from the stretching. I asked Art to replace the ribbon with a 3/4'” one similar to the ribbon shown on his home web page. I would like to have re used the sweatband that was made from thick leather and still pliable, although all the print on the sweat was worn away. . Before anyone remarks about another thin ribbon being violated I would like to mention 12 of my 22 felt hats are thin ribbons and 2 of my 3 straw hats are thin ribbon. Now for the pictures
Stetson7xfront.jpg

Stetson7xband.jpg

Stetson7x.jpg

Hat when I recieved it
HPIM0485-1.jpg

HPIM0487-1.jpg

Hat after a few months of wear
IMG_1009.jpg

IMG_1008.jpg

IMG_1003.jpg

IMG_1004.jpg

Hat after Art's magic
 

babs

A-List Customer
Messages
329
Location
Asheville (Fletcher/Fairview) NC
Sharp.. I get the distinct impression Art is a true artist. :)

I guess I should copy my post here from the new hat thread.. It's not a Stetson but a Dobbs Golden Coach. My 1st steam-bash attempt.. Ended up a C-crown / tear-drop:

----------------------------------

FINALLY!!! Got my hands on a good wider brim.. This little guy arrived yesterday and I had some fun. Broke out the Jiffy steamer for the first time to do a bash and see what I was capable of with the hat. The felt is awesome.. One little moth tract that honestly with the color of the hat, I may try to sandpaper a little with some fine grit if and when I get around to it.

As it arrived.. yeehaw.. Open Road bash:
DSCN0779.jpg

DSCN0780.jpg


A quick dry diamond bash and pulled pinches forward, snap brim (quick conversion):
DSCN0792.jpg

.. Dig that brim curl.. Oh yeah, you can see the moth-tract booger there. Yeah I guess I should work on it.
DSCN0794.jpg

DSCN0796.jpg

.. sorry for the poor lighting and camera.. The color is actually very nice.. As I haven't a sure enough silverbelly to compare it to, I dunno. But I like it.

And yes.. Those are transformers. :) Optimus Prime and Megatron to be exact. hehehehe I love parenthood.

My very FIRST time taking steam to a hat.. Whata ya think?
DSCN0799.jpg

DSCN0797.jpg

DSCN0798.jpg


Unfortunately.. It's either my skill or the crown, but I haven't mastered a method to do a center dent reverse taper.. Any advice, lay it on me, PM or other.. Very eager to learn as I think a 40's reverse taper would be gorgeous on this hat. I might have to by a hatshaper block and give it reblock maybe.. Steam really does make the hat pliable, though this hat is a finely finished felt, yet thick and dense and a good balance of soft yet stiff. A lot more hat physically than my dunlap for sure.

Original price.. $45. Receipt dated 1982.

John I owe you one for the tip.
 

babs

A-List Customer
Messages
329
Location
Asheville (Fletcher/Fairview) NC
side note about this hat

DSCN0779.jpg


With all this curl and the shape and color, this hat is versatile.. If it had a wide bound edge with a little curl-work on the brim, losing the dents, it might even pass for a nice sorta-silverbelly homburg even.
 

jonbuilder

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,564
Location
Grass Valley CA Foothills
Lefty said:
I like the new ribbon a lot. Does the hat have a pinch? It looks pretty round.
No pinch Lefty, this is exactly how I got the hat back from Art so I am going to try wearing it as is until I get feel for the crease. One thing that changed with all the cleaning the hat gone through is the color been breached lighter
 

Mr. Paladin

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,133
Location
North Texas
High Pockets said:

High Pockets, that is one excellent piece of work! It is hard to get all of the crease shadow, etc. out of a stiff western, but you did a super job. Very well done! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

(I have to come to this thread more often!)
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
2X Resistol Western...

I fished this out of the Bay cheaply, 2 ply ribbon, 3 1/2 brim, open crown, silver belley, 7 5/8 Long Oval.
2xres1.jpg

2xres2.jpg


I took the brim down to 2 7/8, soaked it with distilled water, put a shield type diamond crease & swooped the front brim...
2xres5.jpg

2xres6.jpg

2xres7.jpg


and the noggin shot...
2xres10.jpg
 

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