The Stratoliner Society {VINTAGE}

[Frunobulax]

Posted in wrong thread My phone wouldn't let me back in until now to fix. Just deleted it.

Sorry, man. Couldn't resist. Nice Fed tho.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[DaveProc]

No need to be sorry Modern technology and I don't get along.

Sorry, man. Couldn't resist. Nice Fed tho.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[drmaxtejeda]

Not when you do it at home. In a big drum cleaner (solvents with detergents added) and the ensuing agitation, labels can and do come off................... Home is NOT the same as what is professionally done, just saying. For the record, I AM a professional cleaner.......I also have the blocks and equipment from a cleaner that did hats back in the day. Learned a lot from them.....
M

It has been a while since you posted this, but... "Solvents with detergents added"? Like Naphta or white gas mixed with detergents? Which detergents?
Could you please elaborate?

And another question, taking advantage of your expertise, Hatman:
A guy I know in Mexico told me that a good way to clean the white gas after use is to put "blanco de españa", a white powder similar to chalk in the gas. The "blanco de españa" powder is supposed to bond with the crud and precipitate to the bottom of the container, so you just pour the clean white gas into another container and leave the crud at the bottom.
Does this seem possible?
Thanks,
Max.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

 

[Tukwila]

It has been a while since you posted this, but... "Solvents with detergents added"? Like Naphta or white gas mixed with detergents? Which detergents?
Could you please elaborate?

And another question, taking advantage of your expertise, Hatman:
A guy I know in Mexico told me that a good way to clean the white gas after use is to put "blanco de españa", a white powder similar to chalk in the gas. The "blanco de españa" powder is supposed to bond with the crud and precipitate to the bottom of the container, so you just pour the clean white gas into another container and leave the crud at the bottom.
Does this seem possible?
Thanks,
Max.

Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk

It sounds like you're talking about gypsum, which is also used to clarify beer. Brewers mix the beer with the gypsum powder which then attaches to all the "crud", as you put it, then they run the beer through a filter and all the crud is left behind and the clear beer is ready for bottling.

McDonalds uses it to filter food particles out of the cooking oil they use in their deep fat fryers.

IIRC, gypsum is the same stuff that is used in sheetrock (wallboard, drywall, etc.) here in the US.

 

[alanfgag]

 

[Tukwila]

Exquisite, Alan.

 

[mayserwegener]

Stetson Excellent "Stratoliner", 58cm, probably later 1950s. Made by Mayser in Germany under license and is in NOS condition. The unique color is listed as Peacock. The color will show better in sun light. The lighter weight felt has a Chamois like finish and easily dry creases.

Open Crown

 

[Tukwila]

Stetson Excellent "Stratoliner", 58cm, probably later 1950s. Made by Mayser in Germany under license and is in NOS condition. The unique color is listed as Peacock. The color will show better in sun light. The lighter weight felt has a Chamois like finish and easily dry creases.

Open Crown

Wunderbar!

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks!

 

[steur]

Here's something unusual. This week we've seen some German manufactured Excellent Stetsons popping up. Steve @mayserwegener and Georg @Steinbockhase posted examples of those. Well, I found one too yesterday. Excellent Stetson, made under license in Germany. This one is a Stratoliner in black (which is quite unusual I gather). Size 57 (7 1/8), bound brim at 7cm and crown 10,5cm at the pinch. This one looked like someone had been sitting on it for a month (I really should take "before" pics), so it did take quite a bit of steaming to get it back to glory. Seemed to fit me in the store, but after steaming and shaping I found it is a roomy 57, so too large for me (dammit), so another one for sale, auction or trade.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Stetson Excellent "Stratoliner", 58cm, probably later 1950s. Made by Mayser in Germany under license and is in NOS condition. The unique color is listed as Peacock. The color will show better in sun light. The lighter weight felt has a Chamois like finish and easily dry creases.

Open Crown

Steve; I am so glad you posted this in this thread. What a glorious Stratoliner! What a glorious felt hue! Peacock - of course that is what color it is - I do not understand the logic, but that hardly diminishes the terrific fedora. Lovely, just plain lovely!

Here's something unusual. This week we've seen some German manufactured Excellent Stetsons popping up. Steve @mayserwegener and Georg @Steinbockhase posted examples of those. Well, I found one too yesterday. Excellent Stetson, made under license in Germany. This one is a Stratoliner in black (which is quite unusual I gather). Size 57 (7 1/8), bound brim at 7cm and crown 10,5cm at the pinch. This one looked like someone had been sitting on it for a month (I really should take "before" pics), so it did take quite a bit of steaming to get it back to glory. Seemed to fit me in the store, but after steaming and shaping I found it is a roomy 57, so too large for me (dammit), so another one for sale, auction or trade.

Oh my! My heart races when I see your hat sir! A vintage black fedora, an" Excellent Stetson" version to top it off! WOW! That is a rare hat hue and version. Wear it in good health sir. Your hat rack is populated with this and many mighty fine vintage hats. Cheers.

 

[mayserwegener]

Steve; I am so glad you posted this in this thread. What a glorious Stratoliner! What a glorious felt hue! Peacock - of course that is what color it is - I do not understand the logic, but that hardly diminishes the terrific fedora. Lovely, just plain lovely!

Eric, Thank you! I don't think I have been able to capture the color properly. There is some blue there too.

Here is one of the auction photos.

 

[Telemaster]

Stetson Excellent "Stratoliner", 58cm, probably later 1950s. Made by Mayser in Germany under license and is in NOS condition. The unique color is listed as Peacock. The color will show better in sun light. The lighter weight felt has a Chamois like finish and easily dry creases.

Open Crown

I had my eye on that one too... had a feeling it would pop up on here.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Eric, Thank you! I don't think I have been able to capture the color properly. There is some blue there too.

Here is one of the auction photos.

Just look at that crown!!
Man, if that doesn’t say moldable tissue-felt, i don’t know what does!!

 

[steur]

Steve; I am so glad you posted this in this thread. What a glorious Stratoliner! What a glorious felt hue! Peacock - of course that is what color it is - I do not understand the logic, but that hardly diminishes the terrific fedora. Lovely, just plain lovely!



Oh my! My heart races when I see your hat sir! A vintage black fedora, an" Excellent Stetson" version to top it off! WOW! That is a rare hat hue and version. Wear it in good health sir. Your hat rack is populated with this and many mighty fine vintage hats. Cheers.

Thank you, Eric.

 

[mayserwegener]

Just look at that crown!!
Man, if that doesn’t say moldable tissue-felt, i don’t know what does!!

The felt is lighter weight and easily dry creases. The auction photo shows this and color + finish better.

 

[Rmccamey]

I was lucky to find a “virtually new” gray Royal Stetson Stratoliner last week in just my size! It is gray in direct sunlight but has a definite blue cast, perhaps something akin to the modern Metal felt color. The liner insignia has the maple leaf and with the size tag and wide sweatband, certainly fits a ’50 date. But on this one, no guessing is necessary as on the back of the sweatband there is a date stamp of Dec 16, 1957. A remnant of the price tag is also on the inside of the sweat. The only thing missing is the airplane pin. The felt is “silky smooth” and the hat is very light and easy to shape. I’ve started with a typical fedora pinched front and teardrop crown. I’ll see how that wears for a while before I try changing things.

The hat is also labeled Gold Medal. I understand Gold Medal was something of a marketing tool (unless someone can tell me differently) and what searching I’ve done on TFL indicates those labels were associated with a Lundstrom Hat Store in San Francisco. This hat was sold by C.C. Bradley of Portland, ORE (I like how the stamp is ORE, not OR as we use today!). Anyone have info on C. C. Bradley and Gold Medal hats?

 

[Rmccamey]

A few more of the Strat.

 

[DaveProc]

I was lucky to find a “virtually new” gray Royal Stetson Stratoliner last week in just my size! It is gray in direct sunlight but has a definite blue cast, perhaps something akin to the modern Metal felt color. The liner insignia has the maple leaf and with the size tag and wide sweatband, certainly fits a ’50 date. But on this one, no guessing is necessary as on the back of the sweatband there is a date stamp of Dec 16, 1957. A remnant of the price tag is also on the inside of the sweat. The only thing missing is the airplane pin. The felt is “silky smooth” and the hat is very light and easy to shape. I’ve started with a typical fedora pinched front and teardrop crown. I’ll see how that wears for a while before I try changing things.

The hat is also labeled Gold Medal. I understand Gold Medal was something of a marketing tool (unless someone can tell me differently) and what searching I’ve done on TFL indicates those labels were associated with a Lundstrom Hat Store in San Francisco. This hat was sold by C.C. Bradley of Portland, ORE (I like how the stamp is ORE, not OR as we use today!). Anyone have info on C. C. Bradley and Gold Medal hats?

Beautiful, I think I bid on the same one. The price was right.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

A few more of the Strat.

View attachment 153133 View attachment 153134 View attachment 153135 View attachment 153136

Stellar find!!
Most Excellent!!
B