The Conversion Corral

[bond]

The Borso Hberg I picked up I thought about keeping for myself but my creative side got the better of me, so now I still have a good hat just not a Hberg and so it goes into the "for sale" collection. I suppose anyone who may want it may still turn it back into a Hberg if they choose , no?
I think this is called artistic license.

 

[Chepstow]

Thank you for your opinion Bond. I also think the same. With a fedora, we change the shape as it pleases us. This is normal. No one asks why you did that.

 

[randooch]

After quite a wrestling match I have a summer straw I can live with:

Here's the before shot:

 

[thespoiler]

Good Job randooch!.....amazing work...I would have never though about converting a straw...Man, working that crown must have taken some skill..... like the hatband!!

Spoiler

 

[randooch]

Good Job randooch!.....amazing work...I would have never though about converting a straw...Man, working that crown must have taken some skill..... like the hatband!!

Spoiler

Thanks! Yes, that straw is tough to manipulate, for sure. I'm used to steaming felt, so the porosity of the straw caused me not a few winces. YOWIE!

The hatband is a ladies belt I found at the local thrift for a buck.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Thanks! Yes, that straw is tough to manipulate, for sure. I'm used to steaming felt, so the porosity of the straw caused me not a few winces. YOWIE!

The hatband is a ladies belt I found at the local thrift for a buck.

You have a good eye for having looked at that hat and then to know you could make it look that nice, talent!

 

[EggHead]

Very nice!

 

[thespoiler]

Grosgrain Ribbon Source

I have ordered grosgrain ribbon in small amounts where I could find it...ESTY, EBAY, Surfing the net, etc......I recently found this place and ordered from them. They sell Rayon/cotton mix, 7/8 and 1 1/2 inch stuff, stitched edge(no sawtooth), and sell by the yard at $1.00 and $1.60 respectively....They sell from their website which you can google easy enough...They have black, dark brown, navy, dark maroon, and a bunch of other colors......Just thought I'd pass it on....




FARMHOUSE FABRICS, LLC
270 CHURCH RD
BEECH ISLAND SC 29842-8342

 

[randooch]

I have ordered grosgrain ribbon in small amounts where I could find it...ESTY, EBAY, Surfing the net, etc......I recently found this place and ordered from them. They sell Rayon/cotton mix, 7/8 and 1 1/2 inch stuff, stitched edge(no sawtooth), and sell by the yard at $1.00 and $1.60 respectively....They sell from their website which you can google easy enough...They have black, dark brown, navy, dark maroon, and a bunch of other colors......Just thought I'd pass it on....




FARMHOUSE FABRICS, LLC
270 CHURCH RD
BEECH ISLAND SC 29842-8342

Thanks for that lead. I'm thinking of changing this Resistol Futurity's to a mid-ribbon, and to a color with more contrast to the hat. I already cut the brim down to 3 inches and said goodbye to the cattleman's crease.

 

[Joshbru3]

1940's Campbell Homburg Conversion

This isn't my usual conversion, because its not a western, but for everyone on the lounge wondering weather it was possible to convert a homburg into a fedora, here's the proof.

I actually got this hat partially converted from Garrett. He removed the brim binding and ironed the brim flat. Thanks Garrett!!

P.S. This hat is the most difficult hat ever to photograph. In every picture, the felt and the ribbon appear to a different color. And yes, every picture is of the SAME hat.


Here's the auction photos:

Garrett's Work:

The Final Product:

I try to make all of my conversions resemble 20's and 30's hats. I trimmed the brim to 2 1/4 inches wide, frayed the ribbon edged, gave it a "cross crease," flanged the brim by hand, and kept the front pinch at 5 inches tall and tried to keep the sides as straight as possible. I almost always go with a center dent, but since this hat had a rounder crown profile due to the fact that it was originally from the 1940's, I decided that the only way to keep the crown straight and not tapered was to use a "cross crease."

 

[hatophile]

Super job, Josh. That makes a nice 30's look hat indeed.

 

[Joshbru3]

Super job, Josh. That makes a nice 30's look hat indeed.

Thanks, Perry!!

 

[Garrett]

Well done, Josh! How do you go about fraying those ribbon edges? Looks like you're saving that trolley for another project

 

[Joshbru3]

Well done, Josh! How do you go about fraying those ribbon edges? Looks like you're saving that trolley for another project

Thanks, Garrett!! You really got that brim nice and flat. It made my job soooooooooo much easier. Since I joined the lounge, I have always loved frayed ribbons. Before I knew much about hats, it just seemed that no modern hatter was doing frayed ribbon. I asked around and either no one knew how, or they just didn't do it. That's why I love the really old hats so much, because they are physical teaching guides for lost hatting techniques. I took a couple of my hats with frayed ribbon and studied them until I decided to try and fray my own ribbon. I realized that this can only be done with vintage ribbon and I have only successfully done it on pre-1960's ribbon. Here's the trick, the first thing that you have to do is cut the ribbon for a bow, but leave more room on the right side, so you can fray and trim accordingly. You take a very fine comb or your fingernail and pull out the vertical thread from the ribbon. What your left with are the horizontal threads which are multiple times that of the vertical threads. Then you take a hot iron and just press the frayed part. After everything is how you want it, trim the frayed part until you get the desired length. Its actually really easy and works the best with that wonderful 20's/30's Ribbon. I have a couple spools of original 20's/30's ribbon, so its such a pleasure working with that stuff than even 40's/50's ribbon. I've got some wind trolleys laying around, but since my conversions usually try to replicate 20's/30's hats, I usually don't use them.

 

[Garrett]

Well, I'm glad you were able to make it work. Hopefully, that 7 1/8 friend of yours will be able to get use out of it. Did the Stetson show up, too?

 

[Joshbru3]

Well, I'm glad you were able to make it work. Hopefully, that 7 1/8 friend of yours will be able to get use out of it. Did the Stetson show up, too?

Shockingly, the Campbell fits me like a glove. My head measures around 22 inches, but the Campbell isn't big at all on me. I think I'm going to make it part of my rotation. I did receive the Stetson, and.....WOW. You weren't kidding about the felt. Its simply just incredible. I've never handled felt that was that thin but had moldability like a Stetson 100. Its incredible. Even though its a 6 7/8, it fits more like a 7. I'm VERY happy with it. Thanks again, Garrett!

 

[Garrett]

Glad ya like em! The closest felt that thin and pliable may have been on your Austral.

I think that after I soaked the Campbell and blew-dry it for a few min, the sweatband may have returned to its original size. Out of the box, it came down over my eye brows :eeek: (I'm right at 21 7/8")

 

[randooch]

My wife wanted a hat to call her own. She's a veterinarian for large animals as well as small and wanted a tough hat for all weather conditions, one that could maybe get knocked into the mud and survive. I found a Beaver brand western in perfect condition to play with. It had one of those funky 1970's bands on it, the brim was way to wide for her, and the crown too high. She found a leather artist on Etsy to make a custom band, cut down the brim, and reshaped the hat.

Before:

After:

 

[monbla256]

My wife wanted a hat to call her own. She's a veterinarian for large animals as well as small and wanted a tough hat for all weather conditions, one that could maybe get knocked into the mud and survive. I found a Beaver brand western in perfect condition to play with. It had one of those funky 1970's bands on it, the brim was way to wide for her, and the crown too high. She found a leather artist on Etsy to make a custom band, cut down the brim, and reshaped the hat.

Before:

After:

NICE, NICE job !!! It looks really nice on her and that band suits it and her WELL

 

[MikePotts]

We seem to have at least 3 HOV's (Husbands of Veterinarians) in the Lounge. Randooch here, I believe ShortBaldingGuy said he was too, and I'm married to an Emergency/Critical Care vet...anyone else?


MP