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The Conversion Corral

Mario

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,664
Location
Little Istanbul, Berlin, Germany
Here's some great tool I just bought: a stitching awl. Great for sewing in sweatbands. I know Brad's been advocating the use of awls for ages but it took me just as long before I finally took the plunge. Nifty little tool.

I've seen other kinds of awls with the spool placed somwhere on the outside but I can alreadysay that I prefer the models on which the handle takes the spool.

Stitching-Awl-01.jpg

Stitching-Awl-02.jpg
 
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Mario

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,664
Location
Little Istanbul, Berlin, Germany
Here's another alteration I did to the Louis Custom Hatters. The original ribbon already looked pretty frayed and worn out and so I decided to make a new one. I recently won a few yards of some nice vintage 1 3/4" wide grosgrain ribbon in a deep charcoal gray which I used for the ribbon. For the bow I also used some white 5/8" vintage grosgrain to add some contrast to it. The result is still not perfect and will need some retouching but I basically like the way it looks.

louis_new_ribbon.jpg
 
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Mario

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,664
Location
Little Istanbul, Berlin, Germany
I think I will need to replace the black brim binding I just recently stitched on for a softer one. This one here is just too stiff and rigid, it doesn't really wrap snuggly around the brim's edge. For the same reason the ribbon keeps the curve of the brim from looking real smooth; to my eye it gives the brim a slightly kinked appearance in a few places...
 
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Interbak

One of the Regulars
Messages
244
Location
Stratford, ON, Canada
Hi Guys,

I saw this Biltmore Mountie style lid at a local antique warehouse and thought it would make a great safari hat.
IMG_0530.jpg

After a quick naptha bath and a re-block on a home made block, a little shaping and a pug, here's the final product.
IMG_0540.jpg

Brian
 

DRB

One Too Many
Messages
1,621
Location
Florida
Mario: What a great idea you had to revamp that hat. I would not change a thing. I think that a brim that is clean cut looks sharp so I would personally not add any binding. Great job!!
 

Sam Craig

One Too Many
Messages
1,356
Location
Great Bend, Kansas
I've converted several Resistols and the great thing is they have the toughness to withstand a lot of hard use, so if you need a hat that gets tossed around some, you can convert one and it will hold the shape, stay nice looking and put up with a good amount of abuse.

They don't end up feeling like the velvety down of a light-weight dress fedora, but the only place you can use one hat for both light weight and still shrug off abuse is on the set of the latest Indiana Jones movie. In real life, those hats end up in your regrets bin.

I've had Resistol fedoras withstand all sorts of weather, being stuffed in a car, in the corner at a meeting, all of the usual stuff that goes with daily hat wear, and they still look great.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Stetson Whippet, Dobbs, Knox, all of those great old hats ... but the toughness of a conversion fedora more than makes up for the texture, to me at least.

Sam
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
I have bought a few E Bay cowboy hats for cheap for purposes of converting them into rain hats. When I can afford the work on them, I'll have rain hats in a few good colors, and I'm expecting them to hold up to abuse. It seems a cost-effective solution.
 

Jerekson

One Too Many
Messages
1,620
Location
1935
I'm about to give this a shot with an Akubra Boss of the Plains. With a 6 1/2" crown and 3 1/4" brim, I'll have a lot to work with. Can't wait to show it off!
 

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