The International Wool Felt Consortium

[Chepstow]

Steve, Hard to believe that this hat is complete from wool! But for that time there was many hats from wool! A super Böhm!

 

[ManofKent]

That's a lovely hat Steve. I suspect when the felt is prepared in the right way, with the right wool, the difference between fur and wool is less pronounced than with today's mass production methods.

 

[mayserwegener]

>>
Steve, Hard to believe that this hat is complete from wool! But for that time there was many hats from wool! A super Böhm!
<<

Thanks! I can't say for sure that it is pure wool but B.B. was a strong proponent of producing high quality wool hats.

>>
That's a lovely hat Steve. I suspect when the felt is prepared in the right way, with the right wool, the difference between fur and wool is less pronounced than with today's mass production methods.
>>

Thanks! I totally agree. Some German & Austrian makers put a lot of effort into producing high quality wool stiff and soft felt hats. B.B. was one of the Austrian makers.

 

[T Jones]

Here's another one for the woolies. I posted this earlier in another thread. It's my Campaign hat that I haven't worn for quite a while. So I took it out of the closet and gave it some head time today. I always liked Campaign hats...

 

[mayserwegener]

Super!

 

[Ghost Rider]

Wow! As a comparatively new hut wearer, I didn’t realise that such a stigma was associated with different hat materials :eusa_doh:

I bought my first “real” hat about this time last year – made of (sharp intake of breath) cotton!
We live right next to Baden-Baden, a town that caters to:

• The wealthy
• People somewhat advanced in years (The average age of the population of Baden-Baden is one of, if not the highest in Germany)
• Russians
• Eccentrics
• Any combination of the above

Due to the above and despite being a relatively small town (population approx. 50,000), it has a hat shop! The range available is not what you would find in an American shop, but they offer excellent advice and service for someone looking for something a little different.
Being very happy with my purchase (a pale-red – not quite pink check pattern trilby) – I did warn you that this is a shop for the flamboyant and eccentric- last autumn I was in the US, where I decided to expand my hat collection.

My choice is somewhat limited, since I have a small frame and in particular a small head. Due to this, I prefer stingy brims (If I wear a full-brimmed Panama, there’s enough room for at least 2 other people to stand under the brim) and likewise need something small (55 is just about right).

Due to these limitations, I found and bought a Bailey’s wool stingy-brim fedora, then a couple of months later, a Goorin Bros. wool Porkpie, both of which I am very happy with.

Both of these have been worn during the winter, both subjected to rain and snow and both are still in as-new condition. Forget shrinking, I had the Porkpie band modified to make it smaller after the winter. What I like about them both is that they are ideal for travelling. Both spend lots of time crushed inside a backpack or suitcase and both can be brought back into shape very easily.

Having now read about all of the advantages of fur felt, should I now feel inferior?

 

[Chepstow]

Ghost, It's your choice, If you like it and you come clear with hats from wool, all is fine! Nobody is inferior If he wears a hat from wool.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Thanks Chepstow. I was starting to get an inferiority complex after reading through all these posts

 

[Chepstow]

Ghost, do not take a discussion personally! We all are like a great family here with good guys!

 

[Ghost Rider]

Ghost, do not take a discussion personally! We all are like a great family here with good guys!

I wasn't being serious. Unfortunately there isn't a "tongue in cheek" smiley available

P.S. Have you got the "Bergisches Monsoon" at the moment, or are you sweating like mad like the rest of us?

 

[1961MJS]

Wow! As a comparatively new hut wearer, I didn’t realise that such a stigma was associated with different hat materials :eusa_doh: ...
Both of these have been worn during the winter, both subjected to rain and snow and both are still in as-new condition. Forget shrinking, I had the Porkpie band modified to make it smaller after the winter. What I like about them both is that they are ideal for travelling. Both spend lots of time crushed inside a backpack or suitcase and both can be brought back into shape very easily.

Having now read about all of the advantages of fur felt, should I now feel inferior?

Hi

No you should NOT feel inferior, but lucky. Can you find out what your wool hats were treated with? Mine (I promise to post pictures here, I found the hat) shrunk, but it DID get soaked, 3-5 inches of rain at 80 plus degrees soaked. It is really no longer wearable. If you find a size and color of hat that you like, I suggest that you buy one in Bunny fur ($200 plus) or Beaver ($300 plus) and you can probably wear it to your grave no matter how long you live.

later

 

[Ghost Rider]

Thanks for the kinds words, but as mentioned in my last post, I wasn't being serious. I hope my British humour hasn't offended

Being a complete novice, I'm not sure exactly what they were treated with. I bought the Bailey's fedora from the Brass Rooster in Milwaukee (Excellent place, by the way), and the owner said he would treat it with some sort of wax if I remember correctly. The Porkpie came from Goorin Bros. in Boston, where they used a spray. Sorry for the lack of technical details, but as a newby, I didn't really pay much attention. It's amazing how much I've learned from here in the 3 days or so that I've been a member //Big thumbs up smiley//

 

[mayserwegener]

The pre 1940 Brüder Böhm "Luxor" I posted above was "Decateered". I would guess B.B. had some special way of doing the process for hats. This hat has held it's shape over a long time and heavy past wear (you can see the wear in the sweatband photo below).

http://www.hocks.de/decatising_wrappers/applications/decatizing/decatizing.html

I have a few German / Austrian wool stiff and soft felt hats from the early 1900s late 1800s that are in good condition. They haven't lost their form or size.

This stiff felt was made of Negretti wool. It's probably from the early 1900s maybe earlier. It's weighs only 115 grams. The only problem I see is lint collection (you can see it in the photo). The finish is very nice.

Also you can see Biber - Loden blend. Biber is Beaver in German. This proves that wool and fur felt blends were used. You will often see the same model / style hat offered in both fur felt and wool. Wool is usually at a lower price point but not always. This catalog page is from the late 1800s.

 

[Chepstow]

I wasn't being serious. Unfortunately there isn't a "tongue in cheek" smiley available

P.S. Have you got the "Bergisches Monsoon" at the moment, or are you sweating like mad like the rest of us?

I know that it was not serious, and I know what you mean!! Now in the moment, I sit in Italy in Riva and here it is very hot!

 

[Chepstow]

Steve, yes, the catalog shows blend felts, biber loden or patent loden. The patent loden is cheaper!

 

[Qvist]

What do you guys think about Stetson VitaFelt hats? Are VitaFelts prone to shrink when soaked as are wool-felt hats in general?

 

[Chepstow]

Qvist, Vita Felt should be water repellent, how long does it take to lose this feature, nobody knows that!

But it's wool exactly as other hats from wool!

 

[TheDane]

But it's wool exactly as other hats from wool!

Manfred, I think that opinions are divided on the issue - and it seems, nobody actually knows for sure. I read the this thread a while ago and have just gone over it again. The debate begins on page 4 and goes on all the way to the last page. It gets quite animated along the way, but it's very interesting.

The answer is maybe ... and that's final!

 

[mayserwegener]

That's vintage Vita Felt. It's something totally different. Modern Stetson Europe is just using the name. Stetson Europe Vita Felt is wool based.

 

[Chepstow]

Steve, I mean the modern Europe Stetson Vita Felt not vintage. Qvist has a modern Stetson BISCOE Traveller hat!