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The Conversion Corral

Scooterz

Practically Family
Messages
847
Location
The Great Plains
"I'll either do something with it, or I'll pitch it." T Jones if you do decide to pitch it can we line up behind you like... you know at wedding when the bride tosses the bouquet?
 

Scooterz

Practically Family
Messages
847
Location
The Great Plains
Statesman after a brim trim to 2 5/8. Paracord band or with a thin silver ribbon band. I will probably try some other color and width of ribbon.

TRimParacordBandSmall.jpg StatesmanTrimSmall.jpg
 

bond

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,535
Location
Third coast
Here's a Borsalino that was mis advertised as a 3/8 hat but turned out to be a 3/4 . I liked the hat but wanted to down size it and still maintain the proportions and this is what I came up with. Op crown is 5 3/4 brim is at about 2 5/8. Now fits 59 cm. Lovely blue grey colored felt. Not sure of the vintage but felt has nice hand to it. Original pic is in the mix the rest are after I down sized it.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

RJR

Messages
10,620
Location
Iowa
Here's a Borsalino that was mis advertised as a 3/8 hat but turned out to be a 3/4 . I liked the hat but wanted to down size it and still maintain the proportions and this is what I came up with. Op crown is 5 3/4 brim is at about 2 5/8. Now fits 59 cm. Lovely blue grey colored felt. Not sure of the vintage but felt has nice hand to it. Original pic is in the mix the rest are after I down sized it. View attachment 66187 View attachment 66188 View attachment 66189
View attachment 66186


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice job.
 

Scooterz

Practically Family
Messages
847
Location
The Great Plains
Here is the mink colored Norton I picked up a while back. Not a conversion just switched out the leather band for a ribbon. Kinda liked the original band but it was a bit hippy looking. This will be my archery fedora. I need to see if I can find some 1/2" ribbon in a matte finish. Never noticed how shiny some ribbon is, it is poly. I have some rayon cotton rust colored I may try to see it would look better. The feather was laying around from the strat in my avatar and I normally am not much on feathers unless they are from a turkey or duck I have taken, but I this one goes nicely with the mink color of the hat. First pic is orginal band. The ribbon is dark brown almost exact color of hat (when its not too busy reflecting light).

NortonBandORigClose2.jpg NortonNewRibbonSm.jpg NortonRibbonClose.jpg
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,789
Location
Central Ohio
I could use some input. I just did a conversion on this Resistol Stagecoach and I'm torn on whether to keep it Western or to trim the brim to 2 3/4 and reflange it to a fedora. I don't have an impressive amount of fedoras in my collection and I'd like to have a few more. On the other hand, I kind of like some of the old 1950s TV Western hats, James Garner's "Maverick" hats in particular.

After getting frustrated with this hat through several blockings I 'bashed' it to a Harry Potter 'Sorting' hat.
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After giving it another shot I reblocked it a couple of more times on two different blocks to bring down the crown height from 6 1/4 inches to 5 3/4 inches. I was finally able to get the crown where I wanted and then I 'creased' it to a C Crown, maybe more of a Tear Drop crease
Fedora_Stagecoach_2.jpg
Fedora_Stagecoach_4.jpg
Fedora_Stagecoach_5.jpg


For perspective on a 2 3/4 fedora brim width, the hat on the left is the Resistol I converted and the one right is one that Mike Miller of NW hats made for me. My Resistol brim width is just under 4 inches but a hair wider than 3 3/4 inches. The one that Mike Miller made is 2 /34, (ribbon on the Resistol is not attached. I need to find one).

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and here's the Maverick western hat style I like. I think I have the proportions to get a similar look
Maverick_3.jpg
Maverick_2.jpg


I'm torn between making it a fedora and making it a Maverick style western.
 
Last edited:
Messages
10,840
Location
vancouver, canada
Here's a Borsalino that was mis advertised as a 3/8 hat but turned out to be a 3/4 . I liked the hat but wanted to down size it and still maintain the proportions and this is what I came up with. Op crown is 5 3/4 brim is at about 2 5/8. Now fits 59 cm. Lovely blue grey colored felt. Not sure of the vintage but felt has nice hand to it. Original pic is in the mix the rest are after I down sized it. View attachment 66187 View attachment 66188 View attachment 66189
View attachment 66186


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I bought this hat from Scott. He did a great job and if fits perfectly. My 4th hat from Scott (3 Borsas) and they are all keepers.
 

bond

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,535
Location
Third coast
I've been wanting for a wide brim Stetson and found this 7 1/8 LO so I sized up to fit 7 1/2 and managed to keep a full 3 1/4 brim while still maintaining a respectable 5 3/4 op crown ht. God I love these old Stetsons . Felt is smooth and dense.
Kept it simple with a dbl ply ribbon as the original was too small now and only a single ply too narrow to cover sweat stitches.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Messages
10,580
Location
Boston area
Here's a Borsalino that was mis advertised as a 3/8 hat but turned out to be a 3/4 . I liked the hat but wanted to down size it and still maintain the proportions and this is what I came up with. Op crown is 5 3/4 brim is at about 2 5/8. Now fits 59 cm. Lovely blue grey colored felt. Not sure of the vintage but felt has nice hand to it. Original pic is in the mix the rest are after I down sized it. View attachment 66187 View attachment 66188 View attachment 66189
View attachment 66186

Nice job, Scott. Did you sell this hat?
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,789
Location
Central Ohio
I thought I would have some good news on the final result of my recent hat conversion. I decided to go with a fedora conversion since I don't have very many. Unfortunately my rounding jack literally fell apart and I can't use it. I took the hat to a western shop near me and let them trim up the brim. All they had were the small cutters that only takes off a 1/4 inch at a time. I ended up with 3 inches on the sides and 2 7/8 front and back. I still have enough brim to get the 2 3/4 inches, though. But, I'll send it to a hatter and have it done. I'm not attempting to work on hats anymore. I have very limited tools to work with and very limited $$$ resources. I'm done with it.

That doesn't mean I'm actually giving up on the damn thing, though. I just ramble on when I get pi$$ed and frustrated. I'll get it figured out. I just don't like hold ups for lack of stuff to work with.
 
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