The founder of the "Oh Brother" Hat Club

[portolan]

Once upon a time I bought a really nice new Panama hat from Christy's of London......really nice....like it a lot.

One day I put it gingerly on the floor of the back seat of my F-150. The same day I have to come to a sudden stop....The cooler that is sitting on the back seat comes crashing down from the back seat. Of course, being moderately senile and completely sixty years of age, I forgot about the hat. Thinking the cooler was empty, I didn't worry about it in its upside down condition on the floor of the back seat! Several days later, I decide to clean out the back. To my horror I realized the cooler was on top of the Panama....squash goes the hat! Then I notice all the floor is wet....You guessed it, ice and whatever else was in the cooler had melted into a curiously odiferous mess. Of course whatever the liquid was it was now all over my fairly new Christy's of London Panama! Squashed....soaked and soooo sad....

I tried to dry it off and reshape it....not sure how to reshape a Panama....

Oh Brother, did I do a dumb thing with that hat! So I guess I am the founder of the "Oh Brother" Hat Club

Anyway, I just bought a new Stetson Gun Club Pawnee in a wonderful chocolate color they call - Chocolate! Duh!

I miss all you guys....Been so busy living in Florida and working in San Diego. Kinda crazy...I hope everyone is well. Gee, I just thought about a hat for Christmas! Wonder what the Major has in stock?

 

[carouselvic]

Don't feel bad, even I made a mistake once. I doubt the lapsed time would have made that big of a difference to the straw hat. Smashed is still smashed. You can't unbreak an egg.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Hi Portolan, so you back too, from here to there...sorry to learn that the interim time has cost you the mishap of a flattened toquilla but, it would seem, the situation is not altogether hopeless, and the nimble Ecuadorians always there to weave another one...
Greetings,
Paul

 

[Slim Portly]

Here's my story:

I bought a wool Dobbs Fifth Avenue "Fleetwood" homburg in camel off of eBay. It was tagged size 7 1/4, as advertised, but I discovered upon arrival that it fit my head a bit snuggly. This was early in my hat wearing career, before I discovered that I was a Long Oval, and pretty much any 7 1/4 would need a little reshaping to properly fit my noggin.

I also noticed a bit of an off odor coming from the hat, but for the moment I ignored it.

Thinking that the hat needed to be stretched, I purchased a plastic hat stretcher from my local cowboy outfitter. Being impatient, I opted to spray the wool with water rather than steam it. Once it was damp, I again perceived the odor, now stronger. I held the hat close to my nose and took a deep breath. Let us just say that my first thought was that at some point in the hat's past, a male cat had taken quite a liking to it.

I don't like the smell of men's cologne, but figuring that anything had to smell better than my poor homburg, I fished out from under my bathroom counter an old bottle of cologne that a misguided but well-intentioned friend had bought for me years before. I gave the damp hat a couple of liberal spritzes, and then I placed the stretcher inside of it and cranked it until it was snug. Then the hat went into the closet overnight to dry.

The next day I discovered two things: I had stretched the hat too far, and it now smelled like a tomcat that was preparing to go out on a date.

I had no idea what to do about the hat being too big, but I figured that at least spending a day in the sun might help with the smell(s). Guessing that a little more water might help release the fumes, I gave it another good spraying (at this point, what could it hurt?), and outside it went.

The hours in the sun did little to disperse the lingering reminders of Felix's night at the club, but it did have the surprising effect of shrinking the size back down. Good news? Yes, except for the fact that the poor ribbon had taken more stretching and shrinking than it had been designed for, and the threads that held it in place were now quite obviously pulled out of place.

Also, the water, while sprayed in a fine mist from a bottle, had been applied just unevenly enough that the ribbon showed discoloration where the water had soaked it more heavily.

And now? Enough time has gone by that the smells are long gone, and I tell myself that the battered old boy has "character."

(picture taken just now with my cell phone)

 

[jwalls]

http://www.xoopit.com/s/20um7cjq58enezqzl7rn This hat was found among my dad things after his passing, It was crush into a 1" pancake, so my hatter reblocked it for me. It must be a Churchill from the early 50's since I don't remember dad wearing any hat but a western style. Slim, the Fleetwood looks great.

 

[RBH]

Great to hear from you my friend!!!
But as you have heard before

worthlesswithoutpics

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I was wondering where ya been......

Sounds like a story from my past with all the traveling.

Glad to see you're back and healthy and happy, not to mention with new lids.