The Conversion Corral

[T Jones]

TJones your conversion are really intriguing.
I wish I had your skills.
I have many hats that I would like to change more or less.
I just have to look at your work and try to do the practice.

Thanks buddy. I appreciate that. There's a few guys here who are very helpful with adivce when you decide to try a conversion. John Galt and Ole, (The Dane), have both been very helpful in sharing sharing tips and information. DOGMAN and Kingrat have also been good sources for advice....

AnA, That hat looks nice either way. Good job on the frayed bow treatment.

I

 

[T Jones]

After doing a little more tweaking on the crown, my NDR Knox 15 is going to get a new ribbon today. I'm going to go with a contrasting dark brown thin ribbon and a OR / Strat type bow. I think. Unless I change my mind again on ribbon choice....these ORish type hats are a good option for someone who wants both a fedora and a western hat but can't decide on which....and they're excellent for either everyday casual wear and with dressy attire.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

And something a little more reddish than brown?

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

'Preciate the comments, guys! I had started the ribbon about a year ago, so it was naked and it just sat and collected dust. I kept trying it on to see if I still wanted the hat. Finally, I decided to keep the hat and change out the ribbon. I didn't like the brim snapped down, so I put it on a flange and steamed it up. Gave it a slight dip in the front and a gentle rise on the sides. Will post more pics in the Dobbs Diner forum, eventually.

Here is another hat I recently converted. This was a Resistol homburg. It looked like it was crushed in the seller's pics, but I knew it could be revived. The felt was relatively clean and very lightweight. I had bought a rounding jack, so this was going to be my test subject. It worked great; the brim edge ribbon was hiding the hat's true color, which was a touch darker, so I cut it down from 2 3/4" to 2 1/4". I would have preferred to leave it wide, but it wasn't going to look right. Plus, there was a cut in the felt along the original edge, which is probably why it was turned into a homburg from the factory.

It was 7 1/8, so I up-sized it to 7 1/4. The original block was around 5 1/2", maybe a touch shorter, because I had to work it and stretch the felt a bit on my 6" block. I didn't stretch it the full block height, but I gained around 1/4". The old ribbon was stained, so I sewed in a new ribbon, as well as a new sweatband. Thanks to Parker at Falcon Park Hattery for selling me a raw sweatband!! :thumb:

It was my first cut, and I was pleased with the results. However, I realized I already had enough grey hats, so I packed it up and shipped it out to my nephew. He is getting in to hats, and he has a few cloth stingys that he got from Target. He's 27 or 28. This is his first fur felt fedora, and he has been VERY appreciative. It will open up a whole new world for him.

I'm happy.

 

[T Jones]

That came out real nice AnA.....

My Knox 15 finally got a new ribbon. I went with a contrasting dark brown thin ribbon with an OR / Strat type bow. Those types of bows can be a little challenging to make....

 

[bond]

Nice work guys.
Here's a dress beaver that I removed the color from(was silverbelly grey ) this one turned out different than expected ,also shrunk from hot water (lost 1/2 inch of brim) so I decided to cut it down to 2 3/8 and use the rust colored ribbon set I had left over. Still managed a 7 1/2 in size.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Nice work TJ and AnA!

Bond, I find the rust color a bold one!! Nice choice.

 

[John Galt]

'Preciate the comments, guys! I had started the ribbon about a year ago, so it was naked and it just sat and collected dust. I kept trying it on to see if I still wanted the hat. Finally, I decided to keep the hat and change out the ribbon. I didn't like the brim snapped down, so I put it on a flange and steamed it up. Gave it a slight dip in the front and a gentle rise on the sides. Will post more pics in the Dobbs Diner forum, eventually.

Here is another hat I recently converted. This was a Resistol homburg. It looked like it was crushed in the seller's pics, but I knew it could be revived. The felt was relatively clean and very lightweight. I had bought a rounding jack, so this was going to be my test subject. It worked great; the brim edge ribbon was hiding the hat's true color, which was a touch darker, so I cut it down from 2 3/4" to 2 1/4". I would have preferred to leave it wide, but it wasn't going to look right. Plus, there was a cut in the felt along the original edge, which is probably why it was turned into a homburg from the factory.

It was 7 1/8, so I up-sized it to 7 1/4. The original block was around 5 1/2", maybe a touch shorter, because I had to work it and stretch the felt a bit on my 6" block. I didn't stretch it the full block height, but I gained around 1/4". The old ribbon was stained, so I sewed in a new ribbon, as well as a new sweatband. Thanks to Parker at Falcon Park Hattery for selling me a raw sweatband!! :thumb:

It was my first cut, and I was pleased with the results. However, I realized I already had enough grey hats, so I packed it up and shipped it out to my nephew. He is getting in to hats, and he has a few cloth stingys that he got from Target. He's 27 or 28. This is his first fur felt fedora, and he has been VERY appreciative. It will open up a whole new world for him.

I'm happy.

Great job, Ambassador!

 

[T Jones]

Nice color contrast on that bond.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

TJones this is not a suggestion, but an appreciation: the "dark brown thin ribbon with an OR / Strat type bow" is perfect for your Knox.
I start to improve my knowledge......

 

[LuvMyMan]

Nice work guys.
Here's a dress beaver that I removed the color from(was silverbelly grey ) this one turned out different than expected ,also shrunk from hot water (lost 1/2 inch of brim) so I decided to cut it down to 2 3/8 and use the rust colored ribbon set I had left over. Still managed a 7 1/2 in size.

I think this is beautiful...the ribbon and edge treatment color perhaps actually gives a lighter color to the hat itself. You are getting really good with your hat work.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Great job, Ambassador!

This looks so nice. First look at it, made me think of custom made from Art!

 

[LuvMyMan]

That came out real nice AnA.....

My Knox 15 finally got a new ribbon. I went with a contrasting dark brown thin ribbon with an OR / Strat type bow. Those types of bows can be a little challenging to make....

You have our vote on the ribbon choice. Of course, we are very prejudice in favor of thin ribbon hats here for some reason....

 

[T Jones]

TJones this is not a suggestion, but an appreciation: the "dark brown thin ribbon with an OR / Strat type bow" is perfect for your Knox.
I start to improve my knowledge......

Thanks Daniele. I really appreciate that. It's a 1950s OR style vintage that was missing the original ribbon when I received it as a gift from my good friend, John Galt.. After a while of searching I gave up trying to find an exact matching ribbon that was original to this particular hat. I decided on the contrasting dark brown thin ribbon but wanted to stay with a vintage ORish / Strat type theme...in any event, a lot of good things can be learned in this thread. Some of the guys here are really great about helping with advice, tips, and information.

 

[T Jones]

You have our vote on the ribbon choice. Of course, we are very prejudice in favor of thin ribbon hats here for some reason....

Thank you LMM, I definitely appreciate the vote. I think what makes thin ribbons and mid-ribbons so appealing is their versitality. They can be worn with either everyday casual wear as well as with dressier attire.

 

[T Jones]

This looks so nice. First look at it, made me think of custom made from Art!

If more Loungers continue learning and doing conversions as well as they have been lately hatters like Art Fawcett, BSHW, John Penman, Buckaroo Hatters, Falcon Park, etc...are going to start losing some business. With the high prices of buying custom made and vintage hats these days it's a lot more economical to convert your own, and it's your very own personal creation too.

 

[bond]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Cindy your right on , the pics make it seem more stark of a contrast than it actually is, although these ribbons do make for a good contrast .
It was a interesting experiment this one as I had no idea what direction it was headed.

 

[DOGMAN]

Wow.You guys have been busy.A'nA' the ribbon change on the Dobbs looks great.You brought that Resistol back to life,your nephew is a luckly man to have a uncle like you.T Jones,I like your ribbon work on the Knox.Bond,That hat turned out awesome.

 

[Rogera]

AnA that refurb came out beeaaaaauuuutifully!

 

[RBH]

If more Loungers continue learning and doing conversions as well as they have been lately hatters like Art Fawcett, BSHW, John Penman, Buckaroo Hatters, Falcon Park, etc...are going to start losing some business. With the high prices of buying custom made and vintage hats these days it's a lot more economical to convert your own, and it's your very own personal creation too.

With this kind of talk, I really hope that the real hatters that chime in here do not take offense.