The Open Road Guild

[jimmy the lid]

My responses were killed by server interruptus; if any of you have any cleaning suggestions it would be much appreciated. It is a very, very dirty and smelly hat indeed.

You may want to seriously consider sending it off to Optimo. They can also do a ribbon or sweatband replacement while they're at it, if that seems like a good idea.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Woodfluter]

Dear Sirs,

I herewith submit my application for membership.



Stetson "25", cream colored lining, cleaned it up with lighter fluid in a few places and filled tiny moth bites near the sweatband with cement, treated sweatband with dressing, shrunk base of crown slightly with intense steaming but careful not to overheat.
Originally went for more of an fedora look (sorry for the inaccurate color):


But later decided on incorporating a little of the traditional crease influenced by campaign hats and a very squashed version of a Gus hat:


Purchased recently on eBay, where they had a very sorry looking photo, but I had a good feeling about it and it turned out fine with a little steaming. Great material, not black sweatband but not light brown either, rather dark brown with wind trolley before I removed that. I will be hunting for another in a darker color...this is a great hat!

- Bill

 

[RBH]

Bill I really like the fedora treatment. I think it looks great.
But I also have to add the way you have it now does look great, still has a great fedora look to it ...but... kinda ... more... of a rural or a western look. I also like the brim swoop you have.
GREAT JOB!!! I LIKE IT ! :eusa_clap

 

[PhilS]

Help me out with the Naptha Bath.

I suggest a 2 to 4 hour soak in naptha. Maybe longer if you can stand it.

Are there detailed instructions for this? Do you take off the ribbon and liner and sweat band? If you do, how the heck do you get them back on if you don't sew? Does the naptha bath cause any shrinkage? in felt? In leather? Where do I get the naptha?

And finally, what is the wonderiffic hat you are wearing in your avatar and wherefrom did you get it?

 

[PhilS]

Could you advise off list

You may want to seriously consider sending it off to Optimo. They can also do a ribbon or sweatband replacement while they're at it, if that seems like a good idea.

Cheers,
JtL

What this sort of treatment would set me back?

 

[RBH]

Are there detailed instructions for this? Do you take off the ribbon and liner and sweat band? If you do, how the heck do you get them back on if you don't sew? Does the naptha bath cause any shrinkage? in felt? In leather? Where do I get the naptha?

And finally, what is the wonderiffic hat you are wearing in your avatar and wherefrom did you get it?

I have soaked hats from a cheap Stetson to my vintage Stratoliner in naptha..I HAVE HAD NO ILL THINGS HAPPEN TO ANY OF MY HATS after a soaking. I do nothing to the hat but soak it, after soaking I push out the crown the best I can and hang it up outside to drip and dry. After dry---- crease it as you like.
I do not know after the database crash but try a search on NAPTHA, should give you the info you need for a cleaning.

THANKS !! As to the fedora in my avatar... it is my Adventurebilt I got back in 2006. It has the Raiders tight pinch, and I have to say its a great hat!!!!

 

[mingoslim]

Anyone know what happened to the posts between April 2 and today?

Just wondering if I lost a month somewhere . . .

 

[indycop]

Just wondering if I lost a month somewhere . . .

I am missing some to, I think alot of the recent ones are.[huh]

 

[Day_late]

PhilS, you asked:

What this sort of treatment would set me back?

I sent an eBay Open Road to Optimo a month or so ago to be cleaned and blocked. Total bill was $45, including shipping. No sweatband or ribbon work, looks great, and the turnaround was pretty quick.

Regards,
Warren

 

[Woodfluter]

Bill I really like the fedora treatment. I think it looks great.
But I also have to add the way you have it now does look great, still has a great fedora look to it ...but... kinda ... more... of a rural or a western look. I also like the brim swoop you have.
GREAT JOB!!! I LIKE IT ! :eusa_clap

Thank you RBH! I liked the fedora creasing too, but somehow the one it now has seemed to fit this silver belly color - in my mind. It is actually the same style as one I did on a cheap wool hat in Utah about, oh, (gulp) 35 years ago! Which was copied off an old photo. If I ever locate another quality OR in a darker color, that will probably get the fedora treatment.

Swoop brim...mostly a natural outgrowth of having a really long head which stretches it thataway.
- Bill

 

[mingoslim]

Open Road Mania

I had recently begun posting a new photo array of my dozen or so ORs and OR clones . . . was about half-way through the shoot when everything went funky.

So here is the Reader's Digest condensed version of OR Mania . . .

First . . . a Classic . . . the Stetson OR TwentyFive . . . circa 1960 . . .

Another keeper . . . A Sage Green Stetson OR TwentyFive, circa 1970.

A chocolate brown Stetson OR 3X Royal . . . circa 1955 . . .

A Portis OR clone, in dove grey . . . a recent aquisition from Fellow Lounger, Razzman . . .

A Knox entry in the OR clone competition . . . The Westlite 20 . . .

Perhaps more Stratoliner clone than OR clone . . . Yet you can not deny that this 1950s Lee Corral is a beauty

Another recent acquisition, and rapidly becoming a favorite . . . An early 50s Dobbs Twenty OR clone . . .

That will do for now . . . but there is more to come, including my #1 all-time favorite, late 40s OR Royal Deluxe . . . an early 40s pre-OR Stetson Sovereign . . . the Akubra CampDraft . . .

 

[Lon Goval]

Variations?

I just received a Stetson 25 for my wife. On the sweatband (front) it says "Open Road" and at the rear is a white ribbon threaded through the sweatband on either side of the bow. BUT, the brim is raw and measures 2 7/8 from the sweatband. No wind trolley.

Question is "What variations are there to the Open Road models?" Or did I receive a factory defect like the Durango Boots I bought where they forgot to finish the decorative stitching on one boot.

Since it says Open Road, I'm assuming it qualifies for the Guild.

Ralph

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Here's my official application! In all truth, it isn't a true "open road" hat, rather a "Stetson 20" Sovereign. Do I qualify? For the sake of eliciting sympathy, I'm joined in this picture by Zappa (half St. Bernard, half Husky). We could make a hat out of the hair he sheds...lol

APOLOGIES to the board: I'm still struggling with pictures, meanwhile the forum seems to be having some strange technical quirks such as "announcing" posts you cannot "see". Sorry/Paul

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

This is my official application for membership of this highly esteemed guild! For the sake of clarity, my new (and best) hat is a Stetson 20 Sovereign, said to date back to the fifties, but I think rather more like anything from 1970 to 1990 (?). It's a beautiful hat, I particularly like to leave it in its original "western" bash.
BTW, the sympathetic feller next to me is Zappa, half St.Bernard, half Husky. The hairs he sheds could easily make felt!

 

[PhilS]

I'm not seeing the whole thread...

But I see people are continuing to post to it. I am hoping that posting will make the whole thing visible.

 

[Justdog]

Weather

Was wearing my Adam open road clone upturned brim downturned at the back. Went to the nursery for plants. It rained hard, wore the hat, It got soaked. Lost its shape. It dryed but the previous style was lost and the brim warped a bit, also smelled like old felt , smile. After drying for 2 days, guess the aqua shed wore off. smila again, I snapped the front brim down and turned the back up then pinched the crown,. It transformed into a stratoliner. Good thing I have my 20 as backup. Dont think I,ll get that one wet. No fun if you cant wear em. Adams is alright but its no 20

 

[cookie]

Dear Sirs,

I herewith submit my application for membership.



Stetson "25", cream colored lining, cleaned it up with lighter fluid in a few places and filled tiny moth bites near the sweatband with cement, treated sweatband with dressing, shrunk base of crown slightly with intense steaming but careful not to overheat.
Originally went for more of an fedora look (sorry for the inaccurate color):


But later decided on incorporating a little of the traditional crease influenced by campaign hats and a very squashed version of a Gus hat:


Purchased recently on eBay, where they had a very sorry looking photo, but I had a good feeling about it and it turned out fine with a little steaming. Great material, not black sweatband but not light brown either, rather dark brown with wind trolley before I removed that. I will be hunting for another in a darker color...this is a great hat!

- Bill

Woodfluter in his previous life as English actor John Le Mesurier from Dad's Army:

 

[mingoslim]

Glad to see the thread back . . .

I was beginning to jones (and not the Indiana kind) for my favorite thread. So I am glad to see it back . . .

Keep posting your ORs gents (and ladies . . . I know a few of our female members have a fave OR they wear ) . . .

Slim

 

[Woodfluter]

Woodfluter in his previous life as English actor John Le Mesurier from Dad's Army:

It's the eyebrows and the crooked smile...
- Bill

 

[Nigel]

Here's my submission to the guild, my first and long awaited Open Road. It came in the Cattleman Crease and a bit grubby. I opened the crown back up, the felt is the softest of my hats, I used steam to try and remove the old crease marks but it was still quite lumpy, I then tried to put a c-crown in. It could really do with a good clean but I have yet to pluck up the courage to dunk it in naptha.

Does anyone have any ideas as to age? I was told it was probably 1940's, it has brown hatband but doesn't say open road on it, all it says is Royal Stetson, it has a union label in the back on the size tag, the felt is very soft and pliable. I've included a couple of pics if it help any.
Sweatband Logo

Liner Logo

Open Crown, still lumpy

Preliminary Bash