Trimming a Brim, or I Think I Should'a Listened to Mike

[portolan]

Mike Moore made me this wonderful 100% beaver hat for Christmas. He told me the brim width he wanted to make it and of course I didn't listen (my wife would not be surprised) and told him to make it 3/4 inch wider. Now I think it is a bit too wide and would like to trim it down 3/4 of an inch or so! Mike, join my wife in the "Phil is so stubborn club."

So, I can pack it up and ship it back to him to do it. That is a lot of work, time and money. Or, I can take my very first custom beaver hat and try and trim it myself. Sounds like a lot more fun, but might put me in the "Phil is stubborn and stupid club."

A lot of you post about having trimmed your hats to your liking. Would anyone post the best methodology for doing so? My brain says, get a tape put a dot every inch or so around the underside of the brim, connect the dots with a pencil line the same curvature as the brim, get a sharp pair of scissors and have at it. Then the new edge needs sanded????? Or perhaps it is better not to join the "Phil is stubborn, stupid and self-delusional club" and pack it up and send to Mike, or leave it like it is???? I love the hat. I just think I will leave the correct size for the style up to the gurus.

What is the best path? I am home all day tomorrow, have sharp scissors, a tape and a pencil......Or, I still have the original box......Or......

 

[billyspew]

I've heard of people using a Strap Cutters, they will cut the same amount off all around the brim.

I remember a thread about it, but can't find it.

Bill

BTW that IS some brim...

 

[bendingoak]

I would say pack it back up and send it to him. I'm sure he would do it in no time. Should only take him minute or two.

Look at it this way. Spend a little in shipping and time now or risk messing up a hat that will cost you a lot more. Not the way to learn on how to cut down your brim.

 

[carter]

Send it back to Mike. No way you should mess up your first custom hat.

 

[dhermann1]

Before you do that, play with the bash a little. Maybe try an old fashioned Hoot Gibson - Hopalong Cassidy bash. There may be something wonderful lurking in that hat, waiting to be set free.

 

[Johnnysan]

In the immortal words of Dirty Harry Callahan: "A man's got to know his limitations." Custom hat...send it back!

 

[tonyb]

Room for another in this choir loft?

I, too, suggest you send it back to Mike. It's not that you can't trim it yourself, and I believe the chances are reasonably high that you'd do an acceptable job of it. But man, wouldn't you be kicking yourself if you messed it up? And, I'm here to tell you, you can indeed mess it up in less time than it takes to say it.

If you wanna try your hand at brim trimming and such, I recommend you start with some forlorn old Western lid that might be bought at a secondhand shop for a few bucks.

 

[Hatsquad]

Follow your heart, brother, but that hat looks great on you! Great shade in the Florida sun. I like my fedoras, but when I winter in Texas, it's 4 and 1/2 inch brim Resistols all the way.

Gerry

 

[indycop]

I agree with the general consensus about sending it back. You would hate it if you messed it up and 3/4 is a huge difference. You could just convert it to a western, but to cut I would not think twice about sending it back and letting Mike do it.

 

[Slim Portly]

I would do it myself, but then I'm probably even more stubborn than you are!

 

[RBH]

By all means let Mike do it!!!
Get you a few cheap[er] old westerns to practice on, that way when you mess up [and you will] it will not be on a great looking custom like Mike made you!
I think it would look great with about a 2 7\8 inch brim, but that is also about as wide as I like for myself !

 

[Caity Lynn]

I'm ridiculously stubborn, so I'd do it myself...(like the time i refused to wait to return a shirt with an Ink tag left on it to the store...I just went at it with pliers I'm lucky it didn't burst) But i wouldn't advise you to do it yourself, unless you can live with it being messed up, if it gets messed up.

 

[demian]

Laugh, that looks like some brim!

Yes, send it back. *really*

Small price to pay for a lesson learned. I too have learned to trust a milliner's experience and talent as to style and what works and what does not. Buying without trying can be very tricky unless very experienced.


All of the seemingly simple things are almost always the most difficult. Now you know exactly what you want as you have it in your hand.

To have the frame of mind that you can mess it up only to have him "fix it" is poor character, distasteful, and presumptuous.

Having seen threads on those who try to replace sweatband, etc..it is money well spent and you would be very, very hard pressed to make it look professional at the end, if not ruin it.

Thanks for posting though. It is nice to see work from other milliners. There are obvioulsy many very fine ones in existence one does not hear of often.

best wishes.

PS: I would actually go more than 3/4" .. but that is me.

 

[majormoore]

Phil, send the hat to me, I'll cut it down and resew a new bow and ribbon on at no cost and then feather new cut edge.

There are several steps that will take place, one getting the brim flat again, taking off the bow and ribbon, place a band block inside the hat, so I can have a something to keep the rounding jack ( brim cutter) cutting the same cut all the way , would not what a spot on the bow/ribbon side to be a little wider than the rest.

You should not blame your self on the brim width, you thought you wanted a wide brim due to the hot sun at both homes you have, we all make mistakes.

A few dollars spent on the shipping here and back is a small price to pay.

Again, you should not worry about the brim, you just did not know , we all have done that, the up side is to this, is "what if it was to small?, be hard to add to the brim"""

Major Moore

 

[handlebar bart]

And that is real customer service.:eusa_clap Aside from being the act of a classy guy

 

[RBH]

And that is real customer service.:eusa_clap Aside from being the act of a classy guy

Well said HB! :eusa_clap

 

[BobC]

And that is real customer service.:eusa_clap Aside from being the act of a classy guy

Another example of the kind of guy the Major is. If you buy a hat from Mike Moore, he'll take care of you and your hat. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[thunderw21]

Having cut down two brims myself, I say send it back.

It's difficult to do well and I wouldn't want to try it for the first time on a custom hat.

 

[portolan]

OK....the Choir has Sung

I will send it back to Mike. Mike, thanks for the generous offer. I will post pics when it returns! Guess I'll put the scissors away! Phil

 

[bd3]

Phil,
I'm fairly new around here but I think that hat looks great on you like it is.

Now, if I were in your place, I would send it back to the hatter. With that nice of a custom hat I'd be terrified I'd mess it up.

Best wishes,

Bill