The Conversion Corral

[Mav]

First conversion. This thing was a huge brimmed Stetson I used to wear when I lived in CO. Great for snow, looks idiotic in the SF Bay Area:

To this:

The crown was more- or- less the same as I wanted, went from about a 4 3/8 brim to about 2 3/4, using the techniques learned from you fine folks. Wet the brim and just messed with at a little at a time to get it to roughly approximate a snap brim.
Kind of a mock- up. It's wearable, but I used cheap polyester grosgrain and a hastily put together wind cord made from embroidery floss and a cheap button that I covered with ribbon.
I think I like it, so I'll gather some better materials and do it up right. I'm not really into western hats anymore, but I'm thinkin' this thing, with a decent feather, could work as a hat to wear with my tux.

 

[Sam Craig]

where you are you should be able to get petersham ribbon and it makes a huge difference

much better looking and better to work with

Otherwise, the hat looks great.

 

[Sam Craig]

Horror

Horror of horrors today!

I went by to get some more trimmed off a Stetson tha I'm rebuilding into a fedora and found that the western wear guy is retiring ... no one locally to trim, except me

Guess I'll break down and order a strap trimmer

I've trimmed three so far with scissors and they turn out OK, but not great

A trimmer that can be set would be much more exact!

 

[frussell]

Brim Cutter

I've been really pleased with the one I got from Hawkeye Tack for about $50. In fact, I've been using it more than I should. I should probably put it away before all my hats become stingies. I got the 1/8" which seems to work well, and doesn't take too much off. Definitely better and more clean-cutting than scissors. I've used it on beaver, rabbit/hare and wool felt, all with good results. Frank

 

[elvisroe]

A little advice needed...

Hey all,
I'm in the middle of a little conversion project and am hoping for some opinions on ribbons.

I recently picked up an Akubra Cattleman cheap on ebay and though I'd make myself a sort of outback fedora. Tough and ventilated but with a hint of fedora class.

Now, it's a work in progress with a bit more sanding to do on the brim but basically I've taken 3/4 of an inch off the 3 inch brim, reblocked the crown to reduce the taper and raised it an inch at the front. I'm liking the look so far and have used a medium width ribbon from an old wool beater to get a bit of an idea of where I'm going.

So, what sort of ribbon do you think I should go for? I could always leave the brown one on or I'm thinking perhaps a more ochre brown to match the colour of the vent grommets and to compliment the hint of ochre in the felt...but when it comes to width I'm really not sure. I generally like a wide ribbon but am trying to avoid going too Indy. Anyway - love to hear your thoughts.[huh]

 

[Sam Craig]

So far, so good

The best advice anyone gave me about ribbon changing is to go the extra mile and get Petersham ... or some other rayon ribbon. It really makes a difference in the construction and the final look

Also, the construction of the bow makes the hat look more like a fedora. I like to copy originals, to get the right "fold back" on the bow cross piece and the placement of the ends

I didn't care to the ribbon that came with my Jaxon Iconoclast and replaced it with a narrower Petersham, for the very reason you are suggesting, and also because it had a shorter crown than I like. I think the thinner ribbon makes the crown look taller, but it does tend to look a little less dressy ... another reason to put some effort into a good bow

I think the color idea ... matching the grommets ... is a good idea and would be a professional-looking touch

You're on the right track!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[donnc]

Straw?

Anyone make something else out of a straw cowboy hat?

 

[Sam Craig]

It's an incredible challenge because you will have a difficult time changing the width of the brim

If you could narrow the western brim and finish it off somehow, you could certainly change the shape of the crown

Ideas?

 

[donnc]

If you could narrow the western brim and finish it off somehow, you could certainly change the shape of the crown

And it would seem to follow that I could change the shape of the crown, even if I could not narrow the brim. Just soak, reshape and dry?

I don't actually have one at this point, are all straw westerns more or less the same? I see terms like "Panama Shantung", will some hats have been treated in ways that protect the straw from deformation?

 

[elvisroe]

Anyone make something else out of a straw cowboy hat?

I did take the scissors to an old super-broad straw this summer and the result was nasty - not recommended!

go the extra mile and get Petersham

As for the ribbon I'll certainly try and track some down. I might get both a mid and a broad ribbon an see how they look.

I'm also trying an earlier suggestion of resanding the finish to soften out the western stiffness. We'll see how it goes. I'm very happy with the brim width and while a taller and less c-crown top would be nice, I think it's coming up OK.

 

[Sam Craig]

Try a quilt shop ... or a really nice fabric shop ... on the Petersham

I tracked my source down at a larger store that specializes in materials for quilters. They had several widths and colors. It's a little more expensive than the polyester ribbon, but the outcome is well worth the price.

As far as the straws go... I've reshaped a number by doing that. Soak the crown in cold water and show a LOT of patience because ... of course ... the crucial thing is not to break the straw ... or whatever the material is.

Remember that they use a lot of stuff today that looks like straw but isn't

Changing the crown into a fedora look should be fairly simple, depending on what the western looking like to begin with.

Again, the challenge is in somehow shortening the brim and then finishing it off.

If you were to begin with something like an Open Road looking straw, you could make a great oldy-style fedora and leave it with a wide brim

If you start with a "bull rider" that has a 5-inch brim, well, that's another story.

 

[donnc]

Again, the challenge is in somehow shortening the brim and then finishing it off.

If you were to begin with something like an Open Road looking straw, you could make a great oldy-style fedora and leave it with a wide brim

On further reflection, I'm thinking the real challenge is in finding a motivation to undertake it in the first place. Western hats may be more interesting as raw material in the felt case, because of relative costs vs. quality issues that don't apply the same to straw. But if it were worthwhile, would probably be for someone who wants that big western brim but just doesn't care for the full ten-gallon-hat look.

 

[Sam Craig]

Right you are Don.

I have had some good luck in the past with alterations to Open Road straws, as I noted, but that was a different time.

If I found a nice, old Open Road straw in wearable condition, in a size that fit me ... I wouldn't care what the crown was shaped like. I'd just rejoice.

On the other hand, going back to the "bull rider" image of a western straw with, say, a 5-inch brim.

You'd probably be better off just finding a nice straw fedora, or even buying a new one, than taking on the work of trying to down size the straw brim.

When you are working with felt, you have more valuable "raw material" to start with, so it's worth the effort.

 

[tonyb]

This one was another of those freebies, a hat that got tossed my way because it was just collecting dust, in this case in an antique/collectibles shop that was going out of business due to the proprietress's health problems. I was of some assistance to her and her son (an old friend) during that shutting-down process. This hat was among the tokens of appreciation.

It was no real wonder why the hat hadn't sold. It was dirty and somewhat misshapen and, truth be told, never was a good-looking hat, even when it was new. It had one of those cheesy braided leather bands and a cattleman's crease and a brim turned up dramatically at the sides. It had been handled by the crown quite a bit and was showing real signs of wear on account of that. But the felt had a decent enough feel to it so I figured it would be worth the trouble of turning it into something more suited to a suave and urbane man about town such as myself.

So I cleaned it, turned it inside out and then blocked it kinda sideways from where it had been, so as the put those weaker sections of crown felt where they wouldn't be on a crease line on the reworked hat. The felt on the old inside of the crown was decidedly unfinished, so I had to singe it and then pounce it quite a bit.

I got a bit carried away with the luring (this one is good and water-repellent now). It got a new sweatband. The brim was cut down to about 2 3/4 inches, got a black edge binding and flanged. I don't know that to call the main band ribbon color (the spool provides no clue). I got kinda jazzy with the bow, but such is my wont.

I stiffened the heck out of the crown, figuring that the less soft and flexible the felt is, the less likely those old crease lines will get bent and further weakened.

So it's a good rainy day beater now, I suppose. And that's what I'll likely use it for, unless and until someone talks me out of it.

 

[billyspew]

This one was another of those freebies, a hat that got tossed my way because it was just collecting dust, in this case in an antique/collectibles shop that was going out of business due to the proprietress's health problems. I was of some assistance to her and her son (an old friend) during that shutting-down process. This hat was among the tokens of appreciation.

It was no real wonder why the hat hadn't sold. It was dirty and somewhat misshapen and, truth be told, never was a good-looking hat, even when it was new. It had one of those cheesy braided leather bands and a cattleman's crease and a brim turned up dramatically at the sides. It had been handled by the crown quite a bit and was showing real signs of wear on account of that. But the felt had a decent enough feel to it so I figured it would be worth the trouble of turning it into something more suited to a suave and urbane man about town such as myself.

So I cleaned it, turned it inside out and then blocked it kinda sideways from where it had been, so as the put those weaker sections of crown felt where they wouldn't be on a crease line on the reworked hat. The felt on the old inside of the crown was decidedly unfinished, so I had to singe it and then pounce it quite a bit.

I got a bit carried away with the luring (this one is good and water-repellent now). It got a new sweatband. The brim was cut the down to about 2 3/4 inches, got a black edge binding and flanged. I don't know that to call the main band ribbon color (the spool provides no clue). I got kinda jazzy with the bow, but such is my wont.

I stiffened the heck out of the crown, figuring that the less soft and flexible the felt is, the less likely those old crease lines will get bent and further weakened.

So it's a good rainy day beater now, I suppose. And that's what I'll likely use it for, unless and until someone talks me out of it.

Great work.
Love those bows of yours.

 

[John in Covina]

neat work up!

 

[donnc]

They did say that you could mix the alcohol with distilled water to a degree to protect the fabric.

So it might be possible to mix down the alcohol a bit and still be effective but give you more to flush with.

I happen to have a big can of alcohol "shellac thinner", so I applied some to a spot on the brim of this presumably recent "3X BEAVER" Stetson.

More than enough to soak the spot. Then poured water on the brim until it dripped out on the other side. I imagine that once shellac is dissolved in alcohol, and alcohol is dissolved in water (and it always is - nearly impossible to distill out all water), then the shellac should flush out with the water.

Results weren't spectacularly effective. The spot is a little softer, but could for all I know be a natural result of soaking and handling. Binding is a little darker there, not sure if it's due to the alcohol or the water. I sure do want to soften up this painfully rigid brim, though, so I guess this afternoon I'll slop on more alcohol. The thing is, I wonder if it's really shellac?

 

[donnc]

Well, there you go:

The brim wilted when the alcohol hit it, but it's stiff now that it's nearly dry. I rinsed with water after I saturated it with alcohol. It did give me a chance to stretch it into a more oval head shape, which was the number one problem.

 

[Sam Craig]

Don,

The final product was good looking, but I'm sorry to hear the alcohol didn't make a difference.

I'm sure many of us hoped that would be a magic bullet fix.
Apparently it's not.

Thansk for sharing and you still ended up with a nice looking hat out of the deal,

Sam

 

[fenris]

hmmmm... this thread just inspired me to buy up a couple of cowboy hats that I've seen in the mall. I just wonder if they are fur or wool... All I can say about 'em is that they're really stiff and kinda thick. The felt is almost double the thickness of my Christy's. I guess I'll try to buy one since they are relatively cheap.