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Western, anyone?

Messages
18,161
Was still wearing a Rand Tom Horn yesterday when the lighting present really lit up the soft hand & finish of the felt.

IMG_9824.jpg
 
Messages
11,366
Location
Alabama
Was still wearing a Rand Tom Horn yesterday when the lighting present really lit up the soft hand & finish of the felt.

View attachment 299691

Great shot, HJ. Nice finish on that one. Still my favorite beaded band and it really shows in your presentation. To me, it’s always difficult to find a beaded or horsehair band to go on a big black western that the colors and design don't stand out like a sore thumb or become too busy over time. The intricate design and subtle colors against the cream/white beads work just right on that hat.
 
Messages
18,161
Great shot, HJ. Nice finish on that one. Still my favorite beaded band and it really shows in your presentation. To me, it’s always difficult to find a beaded or horsehair band to go on a big black western that the colors and design don't stand out like a sore thumb or become too busy over time. The intricate design and subtle colors against the cream/white beads work just right on that hat.
Thanks BB. When it comes to detail the size of the seed bead used is everything. This band has 7 different colors & some are subdued to begin with. Plus the subdued colors tend to get underexposed in a photograph due to it being a black hat. Besides the texture of the felt the lighting in this pic helped to bring the details out.
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,776
Location
Portugal
Hi Joao, you still spending your time gaming?

Yes. And with all this confining times it got more and more.

I've been recognized as an American several times & called by the names of Cowboy or Tex. Always in a friendly way & I never found it offensive. Especially in countries with less strict "personal services" laws. But I'm sure there are countries now where politics make things different.
I also have been recognized as a American but I'm not.
But still since I wear cowboy hats, I've only been in 3 different countries, all in Europe (more if we separate the "still" UK).
 
Messages
18,161
Texas Hat Company 30X, 3-1/2" brim with curl x 5-1/2" crown at dip. 1-1/2" ribbon & nice 2-1/2" perforated sweat.

IMG_3634.JPG


Last Friday Jan 15th was the birthday of Coleman Younger (1844) who shared birthdays with his brother James Hardin Younger (1849).

IMG_0979.jpg


Taken sometime after his parole release to return to MO, & probably around the time he & Frank James licensed their names to a Wild West Show.

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Yahoody

One Too Many
Messages
1,112
Location
Great Basin
There are "go to town hats" and I'm proud of mine. Then there are work hats. The hats you wear every day. The hat you'll likely eventually get dirty or get a spot of grease or a nasty dob of mud on if you are obliged to wear boots to work.

Every day hats aren't usually worth a chit IMO for a month or so, as they need to get broke in some to become the perfect mimic of your noggin's odd shape. Gone hopefully, is that store bought crease and ever so carefully shaped brim. Nothing worse than looking like you just walked out into public in a store bought hat. Don't matter how much it cost or who made it for you or who is wearing it. You just look silly in a new hat. The rain, some wind and likely a few ground loops will put a better hand into the shaping. Or in some cases a horse or heifer or unruly 4 wheeler generally gets their teeth, tire or a hoof on them. Better yet!

About the time a hat starts to take on some real character that directly mimics as well as identifies the owner it is likely time the hat needs to get cleaned and rebuilt. In our world that is usually just 2 or 3 years years use if you have other hats to rotate through the cycle of abuse.

But boy howdy, those two years of a perfect hat are something to remember and cherish. The first "real" week on a 4 month old hat. Finally!

IMG_3090 (2).JPG
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,776
Location
Portugal
There are "go to town hats" and I'm proud of mine. Then there are work hats. The hats you wear every day. The hat you'll likely eventually get dirty or get a spot of grease or a nasty dob of mud on if you are obliged to wear boots to work.

I don't like the "distress look" some (if not all) hatters do to new hats. They look so horribly fake.
A nicely broken hat looks so great!
 

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,786
Location
Central Ohio
There are "go to town hats" and I'm proud of mine. Then there are work hats. The hats you wear every day. The hat you'll likely eventually get dirty or get a spot of grease or a nasty dob of mud on if you are obliged to wear boots to work.

Every day hats aren't usually worth a chit IMO for a month or so, as they need to get broke in some to become the perfect mimic of your noggin's odd shape. Gone hopefully, is that store bought crease and ever so carefully shaped brim. Nothing worse than looking like you just walked out into public in a store bought hat. Don't matter how much it cost or who made it for you or who is wearing it. You just look silly in a new hat. The rain, some wind and likely a few ground loops will put a better hand into the shaping. Or in some cases a horse or heifer or unruly 4 wheeler generally gets their teeth, tire or a hoof on them. Better yet!

About the time a hat starts to take on some real character that directly mimics as well as identifies the owner it is likely time the hat needs to get cleaned and rebuilt. In our world that is usually just 2 or 3 years years use if you have other hats to rotate through the cycle of abuse.

But boy howdy, those two years of a perfect hat are something to remember and cherish. The first "real" week on a 4 month old hat. Finally!

View attachment 302389
I like that natural lived in look too. When I refurbished this '50s era 3X Stetson, the person who gave it to me said that it had a story to tell. It was plain to see that it was worn to be a work hat. It was dirty, nasty, and sweat stained, and it definitely had a story to tell. When I refurbished it I wanted to preserve some that hat's history. I cleaned it up just enough to get the sweat stains out, but left some of the dirt and staining on it and lightly cleaned the original three ply ribbon and reused it...

Before:
IMG-20200628-072901941.jpg


IMG-20200628-073145590.jpg


After:
3-X-Beaver-Quality-Stetson-5-A.jpg


IMG-20200704-091846988.jpg


3-X-Beaver-Quality-Stetson-9-A.jpg


3-X-Western-Hat-Stetson-3-A.jpg


3-X-Western-Hat-Stetson-4-A.jpg
 
Last edited:

T Jones

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,786
Location
Central Ohio
Ok, I have no idea WHY, but to me the hat should have less curl to the brim in the first pictures. It looks right when you're wearing it. I like the crown height.
Later
It could be the angles of the pics that shows more curl in some and less in others. I know some like the flat brims, some with little curl, and others want more curl. The thing I like about Western hats is that is they take to personalization much easier than other hats. Add feathers, add leather bands, various crown styles, etc....it's all about what you like
 

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