Thinking about Conversions

[Trouser Bark]

I see the term 'conversion' used around here plenty and often w/ outstanding results. I'll be dipped if I can find any sort of tutorial or suggestions on what a guy would need to have in order to tackle a project like that.

A clapped out western, some white gas, a flange, a hat block and a way to cut the brim. Is it that simple to get started? My apologies if I've missed a thread on the topic. I did look and found nothing.

 

[jlee562]

So, if you're going to be doing a full rebuild you would need:
Hat block: you need a block that is one size above your normal hat size. E.g., I wear size 7, so the blocks I use are 7 1/8, this is to account for the sweat band in the finished size.
Flange: needs to match the size of the block, obviously
Source of steam: if money is no object, Jiffy hat steamer. But even handheld clothes steamers are better than nothing.
Iron: you'll be ironing the crown and the brim.
Brim cutter/rounding jack: if you're doing this with regularity a rounding jack is pretty much a necessary investment. If you just want to do one or two, you could probably get away with those western brim trimmers
Hand tools/misc: it's nice to have the proper hatters tools, but if you were doing this on a budget, you could get away with forgoing the pusher downer and puller downer. One is a flat piece of wood cut into a curve. If you have woodworking skills, this could easily be made from scrap. Or heck, a ruler if you really didn't want to spend any money. The other just has a notch for the cord, but could you use the (clean!) handle of the wooden spoon in your kitchen to just push a tied piece of string down the hat body? Absolutely. You will need a brim tolliker to set the brim break though. You can sew the sweatband by hand, but I use a stitch awl and upholstery thread. Plus scissors, cord, a yard or two of clean cloth for use in reflanging and ironing.

If you have the space to work with naptha, by all means knock yourself out (not literally, you need ventilation!), that's the tried and true method. If you were maybe looking to avoid the whole flammable thing, I've used both diluted woolite and Dr. Bronners. They are not as effective as naptha, but you can do it in a tub in your sink. And when I say "not as effective," that could also translate to "nice patina." I like my hats a little lived in, and having a mild touch with one of those soaps is a way to achieve that.

 

[belfastboy]

I see the term 'conversion' used around here plenty and often w/ outstanding results. I'll be dipped if I can find any sort of tutorial or suggestions on what a guy would need to have in order to tackle a project like that.

A clapped out western, some white gas, a flange, a hat block and a way to cut the brim. Is it that simple to get started? My apologies if I've missed a thread on the topic. I did look and found nothing.

I write a column each month for HaTalk eMagazine covering an aspect of fedora hat making. The series began in Oct 2023 and continues. Next month's column will cover restorations and refurbs. Subscription is $5 per month, all articles are archived and you get a 14 day free trial. Read fast or print them out and you get it all for free. Also, early on is an article covering tools and equipment needed.

 

[jlee562]

I miss the old Internet.

I don't frequent so much anymore, but one of the forums I used to spend time on is The Replica Props Forum, or RPF. As the name suggests, it's the corner of the internet for movie buff detail obsessives. My personal Indy hat journey started there, ended here. One of the notable things (to me anyway) that happened through collaboration back then was the identification of all the little scrap metal parts that were used to kit bash the original Obi Wan Kenobi lightsaber. The last piece of the puzzle came from a Rolls Royce jet engine. And sure, individuals then went on to sell replica parts, kits, and what not (...in the appropriate subforum). But the knowledge was always shared. Which is not to say nobody ever had proprietary tricks, or that everyone was all hunky dory every day; but, in general everyone was there to share. It's the same kind of attitude that built the maker movement, and the reason why you can find a how-to for just about anything on YouTube.

Now we live with paywalls and endless subscriptions, Patreon, and Substack. Which, fine, whatever, do your hustle. I'm just saying I don't remember Art dropping into threads every other day trying to sell to folks inquiring about modern Stetsons or Akubras. Though I did learn how to sew an edge binding from a tutorial Art posted here on the forum. Ditto with learning the stitch awl method from our resident Hatted Professor, who posted a guide here. Tip of the hat to a previous forum 'generation.'

...oh, sorry, was I musing completely, definitely, totally unrelated to anything else posted in the thread again? My bad.

Anyhoo, I forgot about band blocks! You could theoretically skip them, but they are helpful in ensuring sizing and setting of the sweatband.

 

[milandro]

much depends on what you thing a conversion would be.

I had a go at " changing" several hats and staring them was a great way to reshape the hat ( crown and brim).

I also owned at some point a thermic, domed, aluminum, hat stretcher and a plexiglas (I guess you could call it a block) shape which helped me giving hats a cattleman crown.

but I think that a steamer is the first and foremost tool.

Have a goo at that and then think whether you want to invest more or less large sums of money .

I have had once the need of cutting a brim and I went to a shop (one of the few in the NL which owned the cutting instrument) and paid them a fe the reshaping of the hats I did it at home and I only needed steam.