Joshbru3
I'll Lock Up
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- 4,409
- Location
- Chicago, IL
1980's Resistol 4X Beaver Western conversion
Here's my latest conversion.....
I bought this hat about 3-4 months ago. I thought it was a gray color based on the auction photos but it turned out being blue. The crown was very tall at 6 1/4 inches but had a rounder profile.
At first, I left the hat as a western and changed the ribbon to a pearl white 1 inch ribbon.
I wasn't crazy about having a blue western, so I decided to make it into a fedora. I usually only like my westerns in 4 colors. Black, White/silverbelly, tan, and gray. What's kind of neat about this hat is the fact that there isn't as much shellac in this felt as modern Resistols. Its not as soft as a fedora, but not as stiff as cardboard either. There was also no power used and the felt was finished fairly well.
I used a Columbia style block with VERY strait sides and a VERY flat top to lower the crown height to 6 inches. I then cut the brim down using my rounding jack from 3 1/4 inches wide to 2 1/2 inches wide. I then gave the felt a velvety smooth finish using 4 different grits of sandpaper on the crown and brim. Because this felt body wasn't felted as densely as vintage bodies, I needed to take a good amount of material off the body in order to pounce it down smooth. Its still a western weight body in thickness and actual weight, but its far softer and thinner than a standard western weight body now.
I then took 2 1/8 inch ribbon off a vintage ribbon bolt and made the bow by hand. I wanted a bow that copied the late teens/early 20's long and wide winged bows. With a fresh flanging and crown creasing, I think I have it looking like a fedora now.
6 inch Open Crown
2 1/2 inch Brim
2 1/8 inch ribbon
Here's my latest conversion.....
I bought this hat about 3-4 months ago. I thought it was a gray color based on the auction photos but it turned out being blue. The crown was very tall at 6 1/4 inches but had a rounder profile.
At first, I left the hat as a western and changed the ribbon to a pearl white 1 inch ribbon.
I wasn't crazy about having a blue western, so I decided to make it into a fedora. I usually only like my westerns in 4 colors. Black, White/silverbelly, tan, and gray. What's kind of neat about this hat is the fact that there isn't as much shellac in this felt as modern Resistols. Its not as soft as a fedora, but not as stiff as cardboard either. There was also no power used and the felt was finished fairly well.
I used a Columbia style block with VERY strait sides and a VERY flat top to lower the crown height to 6 inches. I then cut the brim down using my rounding jack from 3 1/4 inches wide to 2 1/2 inches wide. I then gave the felt a velvety smooth finish using 4 different grits of sandpaper on the crown and brim. Because this felt body wasn't felted as densely as vintage bodies, I needed to take a good amount of material off the body in order to pounce it down smooth. Its still a western weight body in thickness and actual weight, but its far softer and thinner than a standard western weight body now.
I then took 2 1/8 inch ribbon off a vintage ribbon bolt and made the bow by hand. I wanted a bow that copied the late teens/early 20's long and wide winged bows. With a fresh flanging and crown creasing, I think I have it looking like a fedora now.
6 inch Open Crown
2 1/2 inch Brim
2 1/8 inch ribbon