Interesting. I just measured mine again with a tailor's tape, and I got 2-9/16" on the left side, 2-5/8" on the right side, and 2-3/4" front and rear. Not that it matters. Now that I've given it a little character I'm happy with the hat I got. I'd still like to replace that "ribbon" though...
Very nice hat,,,fast shipping...great price...good company..5 stars TomUnder the heading of "You asked for it", here are the photos of my second attempt at shaping the brim. At the risk of being redundant, I'm going to repost the first "after" photos from post #391 along with the new "after" photos to make it easier to do a side-by-side comparison (so to speak).
The angle on the side shot is different, but it was the photo that best illustrated the brim curl increase, and also that I was able to continue it forward to give the brim that nice "swoop" when viewed from the side (even though that's not apparent in the photo). Besides, this angle shows the amount of rake on the crown better than the first one.
Alas, the coconut husk band has been replaced with the thin "ribbon" that came with the hat. I wore the hat in public for the first time this evening, and...well, that coconut band isn't heavy when you're holding it in your hand, but put it on your head and it seems to weigh a ton.
That's really looking good. They're pretty easy to work with once you get the hang of it, and you get the feeling of customizing your hat. They don't "break in" the way a felt does, though: it's more like, over time, the hat finally gets the shape you wanted for it. I spoke with them yesterday and should be receiving my next one in a few days. I think you wondered somewhere above about the open-crowned oak-colored hats: You can simply call them and request the four-inch brim oak, and they'll cut it down to your specifications and put a brim-binding on it (no extra charge!). I also requested a diamond crease for the crown. Finally, I also said "What the hell" and went for the "Old West Leather Band", which looks cool, but now I'm wondering if it might be a little on the heavy side. Just curious: what was your impression of the hat's weight?Under the heading of "You asked for it", here are the photos of my second attempt at shaping the brim. At the risk of being redundant, I'm going to repost the first "after" photos from post #391 along with the new "after" photos to make it easier to do a side-by-side comparison (so to speak).
The angle on the side shot is different, but it was the photo that best illustrated the brim curl increase, and also that I was able to continue it forward to give the brim that nice "swoop" when viewed from the side (even though that's not apparent in the photo). Besides, this angle shows the amount of rake on the crown better than the first one.
Alas, the coconut husk band has been replaced with the thin "ribbon" that came with the hat. I wore the hat in public for the first time this evening, and...well, that coconut band isn't heavy when you're holding it in your hand, but put it on your head and it seems to weigh a ton.
One of the projects that's on my to do list is making a hat band out of beer bottle caps. Poke holes threw them and thread them together with paracord. Fun summer hat project.Interesting. I just measured mine again with a tailor's tape, and I got 2-9/16" on the left side, 2-5/8" on the right side, and 2-3/4" front and rear. Not that it matters. Now that I've given it a little character I'm happy with the hat I got. I'd still like to replace that "ribbon" though...
Thank you. Once the straw/palm was good and wet I found there wasn't much difference between shaping it and fur felt. Wet or not, I think it's possible to damage the straw/palm if someone were to try to make too sharp of a bend/crease, so I was careful not to do that. Besides, except for adding the "brim curl" I really didn't do much to it.
That was in response to Terry's (T Jones) inquiry about the open crown height. I've learned I need hats with taller crowns myself, and this hat had just enough crown for me to shape as I wanted and still fit my head comfortably. It has already conformed to my head nicely, but if the sweatband shrinks more over time I'll probably need to stretch it out just a little. I thought about giving it a Diamond crease, but with this being my first straw hat I didn't want to push my luck; I can always change it again if I decide to.
As I wrote previously, with the "coconut husk" band it felt heavy to me. Now that I've put the original ribbon back on it feels lighter and more comfortable. It's certainly heavier than my other "cheap tourist" straw hat and might be a little heavier than my Akubra Fed IVs, but doesn't feel heavier than any of my Akubra Campdrafts.
It took several hours for my hat to dry completely because I had soaked it for so long before shaping it and, of course, the straw around the cloth sweat was the last to dry because the sweat had absorbed so much water. So for the last two hours or so I wore the hat damp so it would conform to my head, and it did have a nice cooling effect.
It took several hours for my hat to dry completely because I had soaked it for so long before shaping it and, of course, the straw around the cloth sweat was the last to dry because the sweat had absorbed so much water. So for the last two hours or so I wore the hat damp so it would conform to my head, and it did have a nice cooling effect.
My wife teased me a little about wearing the hat in the house (browsing The Lounge most of that time) but she understood when I explained why.
Mine doesn't even ask anymore.
I can't. 90-95% maybe, but not 100%.
Maybe it'll show up with some extra palm fronds.
Alden 403 Moc Toe Boot - Brown Chromexcel - $680 The classic "Indy" style Alden Boot in the classic Horween brown Chromexcel. 
Grant Stone Diesel Boot Dark Olive Chromexcel - #395 Goodyear welted, Horween Chromexcel, classic good looks. 
Himel Bros. - The Ross Mk. 1 Leather Jacket Classic D-pocket motorcycle/aviator style jacket.
Good looking.Got my Sunbody fedora today. Thank you Monavillecowboy! It's exactly what I expected, came super fast, and the sizing tape is a nice bonus! I'm very happy. Got it shaped in the shower and I've been wearing it all day.
A couple of surprises: Val's sun body is a 7 1/2 and it has stretched up a size. Her hat is sectioned (for lack of a better word), so maybe that's why hers stretched. I don't think this one will stretch, but I've been tugging and pulling on it while it's wet to see and there's not much give. Also, the brim is 2 3/4 inch all the way around. At first I thought it was too big (because I've always thought my Akubra Balmoral was too big), but the structure and the color are perfect. This is the happiest I've been with any of my hats. I absolutely love it.
