What Hat Are You Working On Today?

[Rollin Rains]

A New American Hat Company hat came in today ( one of the older Houston Texas hats). Came without a hatband so I slapped a little off the shelf 3/4" brown leather band. Better than no band but it didnt ring my bell. So out came the ribbon box. Now has a 1" Khaki Grosgrain with a campaign bow. looks a little better now.

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This is what a Texas fedora should look like!!!
Great stuff Rick!

 

[RickP]

This is what a Texas fedora should look like!!!
Great stuff Rick!

Thanks! I think its a cool look... kind of a 125% stratoliner lol

 

[Rollin Rains]

Thanks! I think its a cool look... kind of a 125% stratoliner lol

It's got a good brim for the Texas sun, and a good combo of western and classic fedora D.N.A..

 

[RickP]

Wore the new American out this morning and after seeing it out in the sun, in mirrors and the coffee shop window, I decided the 3" brim was just a bit big for my liking..... Trimmed it down to 2-5/8".... I like it much better now. Well call this the " cant leave well enough alone" syndrome.. lol

Before...

Now...

Now its time for a little brim edge sanding

 

[jeffgarf]

This is a x-post, since I also posted in the Swiss Hatmakers forum, but figured I'd share here too. This is an Eichenberger I just received from a Vintage shop in Switzerland today. I'm not showing the final product yet, but it was an almost total rebuild (smashed felt and sweatband still intact). Three shots show the identifying info (except for the liner, which needed a thorough washing and is still drying out). The other two show the hatband I'm in the middle of replacing, contrasted with the original back-bow that I definitely will not be wearing.

 

[jeffgarf]

A final x-post with results - After a total rebuild, I can share the results of the Eichenberger. I was able to reuse the liner and kept the sweatband. The original bash was very difficult to discern, but I think I came close with a 5 inch crown and a large center dent. Thoughts? Any info on what the original was like?

 

[wsmontana]

Here is a rebuild dye project of a Stetson 60s/70s 5X Beaver that was in bad condition with a nasty ring and glue debris around the crown under and above the original 1/4” 2-ply hat band.

I didn’t take photos of the original hat but do have a shot of the middle of the dyeing process after the body has been cleaned and blocked. I also dyed a 1 5/8” natural color grosgrain ribbon to create a new hat band to cover the ring and glue areas.

Not sure how I will end up shaping this but here it is in a cattleman crease with a slight brim curl. Any suggestions on what would go with this wide ribbon? I thought about taking 1/2” off the brim to push it into dress hat territory.

 

[Stu K 323]

Here is a rebuild dye project of a Stetson 60s/70s 5X Beaver that was in bad condition with a nasty ring and glue debris around the crown under and above the original 1/4” 2-ply hat band.

I didn’t take photos of the original hat but do have a shot of the middle of the dyeing process after the body has been cleaned and blocked. I also dyed a 1 5/8” natural color grosgrain ribbon to create a new hat band to cover the ring and glue areas.

Not sure how I will end up shaping this but here it is in a cattleman crease with a slight brim curl.



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I really like this, fantastic work

 

[Blare]

Here is a rebuild dye project of a Stetson 60s/70s 5X Beaver that was in bad condition with a nasty ring and glue debris around the crown under and above the original 1/4” 2-ply hat band.

I didn’t take photos of the original hat but do have a shot of the middle of the dyeing process after the body has been cleaned and blocked. I also dyed a 1 5/8” natural color grosgrain ribbon to create a new hat band to cover the ring and glue areas.

Not sure how I will end up shaping this but here it is in a cattleman crease with a slight brim curl. Any suggestions on what would go with this wide ribbon? I thought about taking 1/2” off the brim to push it into dress hat territory.



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Came out great!

 

[wsmontana]

I really like this, fantastic work

Came out great!

Thanks guys!

 

[jeffgarf]

Here is a rebuild dye project of a Stetson 60s/70s 5X Beaver that was in bad condition with a nasty ring and glue debris around the crown under and above the original 1/4” 2-ply hat band.

I didn’t take photos of the original hat but do have a shot of the middle of the dyeing process after the body has been cleaned and blocked. I also dyed a 1 5/8” natural color grosgrain ribbon to create a new hat band to cover the ring and glue areas.

Not sure how I will end up shaping this but here it is in a cattleman crease with a slight brim curl. Any suggestions on what would go with this wide ribbon? I thought about taking 1/2” off the brim to push it into dress hat territory.



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What product do you use for dyeing fur felt?

 

[Rollin Rains]

Here is a rebuild dye project of a Stetson 60s/70s 5X Beaver that was in bad condition with a nasty ring and glue debris around the crown under and above the original 1/4” 2-ply hat band.

I didn’t take photos of the original hat but do have a shot of the middle of the dyeing process after the body has been cleaned and blocked. I also dyed a 1 5/8” natural color grosgrain ribbon to create a new hat band to cover the ring and glue areas.

Not sure how I will end up shaping this but here it is in a cattleman crease with a slight brim curl. Any suggestions on what would go with this wide ribbon? I thought about taking 1/2” off the brim to push it into dress hat territory.



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Beauty!!!
I love the Stetson makeovers.

 

[wsmontana]

Beauty!!!
I love the Stetson makeovers.

Thanks Rollin!

 

[CRH]

Wore the new American out this morning and after seeing it out in the sun, in mirrors and the coffee shop window, I decided the 3" brim was just a bit big for my liking..... Trimmed it down to 2-5/8".... I like it much better now. Well call this the " cant leave well enough alone" syndrome.. lol

Before...
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Now...
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Now its time for a little brim edge sanding

From my perspective neither looks better than the other, both good enough. I like bigger brims these days because hiding from the sun has become my MO.

 

[CRH]

Here is a rebuild dye project of a Stetson 60s/70s 5X Beaver that was in bad condition with a nasty ring and glue debris around the crown under and above the original 1/4” 2-ply hat band.

I didn’t take photos of the original hat but do have a shot of the middle of the dyeing process after the body has been cleaned and blocked. I also dyed a 1 5/8” natural color grosgrain ribbon to create a new hat band to cover the ring and glue areas.

Not sure how I will end up shaping this but here it is in a cattleman crease with a slight brim curl. Any suggestions on what would go with this wide ribbon? I thought about taking 1/2” off the brim to push it into dress hat territory.



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OK, that's a dress hat to me, especially if you're wearing overalls, Lol. I've been wearing a pair of Keys lately but these are really speaking to me.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1505285481/dickies-painters-bib-overall-iced-dye?ref=user_profile&sts=1&logging_key=70107bad378890b45b4097d6f89a1aeea5647162%3A1505285481

 

[SR James]

Creating a Clone
Several years ago I bought a Stetson “Bat Masterson”, part of their “Buffalo Collection”. The felt was very heavy and stiff and was essentially a wool felt. It came with a full pencil curl bound edge brim and open crown. I creased it as seen in the first pic. I liked its looks but never could warm up to the wool-like nature of the buffalo felt so it didn’t get worn a lot. Recently, I decided to try to replicate it using a good fur felt hat as the basis. It took a while but I finally found a suitable candidate; a black fur felt made by Gohn Bros. of Middlebury, IN with a nice ribbon bow, open crown with a three inch bound edge brim. The brim was ¼” less than the Stetson but close enough. Pic 2 shows it as received.

I was surprised to find that the felt was a western weight rather than the dress weight I had expected. The ebay description did not specify. But that was no problem as the original I was duplicating was a heavy weight felt. So I set to work with my steamer, hat block and brim curler.

Pics 3 and 4 show the finished reworked Gohn Bros. from the side and front. Pic 5 shows it next to its Stetson inspiration. The crown is just a tad lower and I decided to not curl the brim as strongly as the original. In all, I’m very happy with the way it came out and I actually like its appearance more than the Stetson.

 

[Blare]

Creating a Clone
Several years ago I bought a Stetson “Bat Masterson”, part of their “Buffalo Collection”. The felt was very heavy and stiff and was essentially a wool felt. It came with a full pencil curl bound edge brim and open crown. I creased it as seen in the first pic. I liked its looks but never could warm up to the wool-like nature of the buffalo felt so it didn’t get worn a lot. Recently, I decided to try to replicate it using a good fur felt hat as the basis. It took a while but I finally found a suitable candidate; a black fur felt made by Gohn Bros. of Middlebury, IN with a nice ribbon bow, open crown with a three inch bound edge brim. The brim was ¼” less than the Stetson but close enough. Pic 2 shows it as received.
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I was surprised to find that the felt was a western weight rather than the dress weight I had expected. The ebay description did not specify. But that was no problem as the original I was duplicating was a heavy weight felt. So I set to work with my steamer, hat block and brim curler.

Pics 3 and 4 show the finished reworked Gohn Bros. from the side and front. Pic 5 shows it next to its Stetson inspiration. The crown is just a tad lower and I decided to not curl the brim as strongly as the original. In all, I’m very happy with the way it came out and I actually like its appearance more than the Stetson.
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Quite nice. Job well done.

 

[SR James]

Thanks Blare. I went to the Gohn Bros. website. A lot of their merchandise is oriented toward the Amish. They still list this hat and it’s made for them by Stetson so it’s more of a clone of my original than I knew. Price is $225 whereas I only paid $85 for mine off of eBay. Not a bad deal.

 

[LeatherHunter]

I am considering buying this Akubra Dallas and would like to try my hand at reshaping it. I have limited experience using a steamer, it appears to be missing the liner as well . Based on the pics and condition , I wonder if is this an endeavor worth pursuing?

 

[jeffgarf]

I am considering buying this Akubra Dallas and would like to try my hand at reshaping it. I have limited experience using a steamer, it appears to be missing the liner as well . Based on the pics and condition , I wonder if is this an endeavor worth pursuing?
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Akubra hats are fun to learn with. Check to see that this hat ever had a liner, as many of them do not, being rugged, outdoorsy types instead of dress hats. I have even lined and reshaped some of their outdoor hats into more dressy ones, as the felt is easy to work with once you get a feel for it.