What Have I Got Here, and what can I do with it?

[Timeras]

Hello Lounge, first off, I'd like to say you've got a helluva good site here...

Secondly, I was hoping to glean a little info about a hat I found at a second-hand/consignment store, and then maybe a little advice about what I can do with it to make it what I want- (no surprise here) an Indy hat ('cause lets be realistic, 'twas Indy that introduced me to the fedora all those years ago...)

Anyhew, I got this hat for about $20; the lining says "Dobbs Fifth-Avenue; New York" and the sweatband says "Dobbs; Sturtevant's Sports; Roundup Collection- Made in Texas"

There is a tag beneath the sweatband that states the style: Gila and the color: 023 Mink and the original price: $55.

Now I'm guessing this hat is approximately 20-30 yrs. old, but I may be way off... any ideas? What are the probable materials? What have I got here?

Now, as can be seen, it does have a somewhat well-worn look, and is missing the ribbon/hat-band; So, what are my options for reblocking/recrushing? The brim seems to me to be wider than normal (@3 1/4"- must be the "Roundup- Texas collection" thing), is it even feasible to consider trimming to a Indy-like oval shape? Will anyone even consider doing this to a hat they didn't sell?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any info, advice, comments, etc.

Tim

 

[Jerekson]

It certainly is a good looking hat. The high crown and straight sides give it a very nice aura...

Upon seeing it, I wanted to say Akubra Bushman. But obviously it is a Dobbs...

Really, you could just leave the ribbon off, and it would still work nicely. Just spritz it with some cold water and reshape it as you wish.

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge Timeras !
Do a search here on ribbons and you will find how to replace one, you may have to go through several thread post to get it but its there.
Also there are severa;l hatters here that would more than likely be glad to help you out.
I think it would make a great Indy hat, good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[indycop]

Hello Lounge, first off, I'd like to say you've got a helluva good site here...

Secondly, I was hoping to glean a little info about a hat I found at a second-hand/consignment store, and then maybe a little advice about what I can do with it to make it what I want- (no surprise here) an Indy hat ('cause lets be realistic, 'twas Indy that introduced me to the fedora all those years ago...)

Anyhew, I got this hat for about $20; the lining says "Dobbs Fifth-Avenue; New York" and the sweatband says "Dobbs; Sturtevant's Sports; Roundup Collection- Made in Texas"

There is a tag beneath the sweatband that states the style: Gila and the color: 023 Mink and the original price: $55.

Now I'm guessing this hat is approximately 20-30 yrs. old, but I may be way off... any ideas? What are the probable materials? What have I got here?

Now, as can be seen, it does have a somewhat well-worn look, and is missing the ribbon/hat-band; So, what are my options for reblocking/recrushing? The brim seems to me to be wider than normal (@3 1/4"- must be the "Roundup- Texas collection" thing), is it even feasible to consider trimming to a Indy-like oval shape? Will anyone even consider doing this to a hat they didn't sell?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any info, advice, comments, etc.

Tim

Tim if you want to put an indy dark brown ribbon on then as soon as you get 15 posts, pm me with your address and I can send you a ribbon from Todd's costumes. You will have to make the bow but there are tutorials and we can help you through it!
I would wet the crown with some distilled water and shape it. The brim can be trimmed if you want it smaller.

nice avatar too!

 

[Marty M.]

Welcome wagon.

Welcome to the Lounge Timeras.
Marty Mathis

 

[deelovely]

Welcome to the Lounge Timeras!

 

[DavidVillaJr]

Great Tales of the Gold Monkey avatar!!!

One of my favorite memories....


dv

 

[tandmark]

Greets,

Welcome, Timeras, to the Fedora Lounge! Another Seattleite? Wow, there must be something in the water out here. lol

Anyway, just wanted to say that there's another way to dress up a ribbon-less hat (perhaps while you rack up enough posts to PM Indycop). It's way non-Indiana Jones, but it is an alternative you might consider.

And that is to put a pugaree around it. Bernie Utz, a hat shop near 4th and Union downtown, sells them in a variety of colors and patterns. You can also find them at David Morgan in Bothell. They're super-easy to snap on, swap out, etc., depending on your outfit or mood.

I recently snagged a black sorta-fedora made by Broken River (whoever they might be) at an antique shop in Fremont. No ribbon. It didn't look quite right without one, either.

At first, since Broken River appears to have specialized in cowboy-type hats, I tried dressing it up with old beaded bands and leather bands with silver conchos, etc. Whatever was easy to cadge from the Western-style hats that were around the house. But no dice. All these bands just made the hat look worse.

Then I slapped on a pugaree, and voila! Instant wearable casual hat.

Your mileage may vary, but it might be worth trying.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Welcome

Pull up a stool and sit a bit.

 

[Timeras]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the warm welcome, and the info... I guess I'll be lurking a while, poring over the wealth of info here...

Can anyone tell me about Dobbs, the manufacturer? I gather they've been around a while, how are their hats, quality-wise? I've seen on the web their current line running around $130 ea. Good guess to say this particular hat may be from the 70's to 80's, based on it's original $55 price tag? Maybe older?

 

[Timeras]

BTW, sorta off-topic, but to those who appreciate my reference to Tales of the Gold Monkey, rumor has it the show might hit DVD in the spring, to take advantage of the pre- Kingdom of the Crystal Skull interest

 

[tandmark]

Hey y'all,

Can anyone tell me about Dobbs, the manufacturer? I gather they've been around a while, how are their hats, quality-wise? I've seen on the web their current line running around $130 ea. Good guess to say this particular hat may be from the 70's to 80's, based on it's original $55 price tag? Maybe older?

I've got 4 or 5 hats made by Dobbs. Two are '60s era trilbys/stingy brims. They're OK hats, not a thing wrong with them that I can see. Not the highest quality hats I own either. [huh] To put it another way, Dobbs isn't a brand that I specifically seek out, but certainly it's not one that turns me off.

All but one of them are fur felt. One gambler-style Dobbs is wool felt. This last-mentioned one cost about $60 new, just this year.

So if your hat is wool felt, it might be newer than you think. If it's fur felt, I'd guess you'd be right about the age.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Timeras]

Okay, then comes the next obvious question, how do I tell if it's wool or fur felt?

At this point, I suspect wool, but that's just a gut call. I would think (hope) that fur would have a more luxurious, softer feel, but maybe that's just me...

Any hints?

 

[fatwoul]

Okay, then comes the next obvious question, how do I tell if it's wool or fur felt?

At this point, I suspect wool, but that's just a gut call. I would think (hope) that fur would have a more luxurious, softer feel, but maybe that's just me...

Any hints?

Hey Timeras, welcome.

If you have any more pictures of the sweatband you could show us, that might help determine the type of felt.

The other way to tell would be to soak the hat. If it shrinks down to the size of a bottle cap, the hat is wool. But I wouldn't recommend this test. lol

Don't be fooled simply by the feel of the felt. I have fur felts that are rough to touch, and others that are smooth. From my limited experience,Western felts - which are often beaver felt - seem to be quite rough, but this could be a side effect of the additional stiffener used in those sort of hats.

Incidentally, the shape of the crown of your hat is wonderful. Sure, I'd take the brim down to 2.75 or 2.5 inches, but the crown is great as it is. The shape is so full of character and attitude.

 

[deanglen]

May I suggest drench and sniff? Wet wool has a distinctive odor. So does fur felt. The wool smell is more oppressive. And then the shrinkage comes so it occurs to me that you might not want to get it too wet all over. Maybe just a section of brim. I don't know. BTW I would make a great Span-Am War era campaign out of that at the drop of a,... wait for it...hat!



dean

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Timeras, Your Hat looks like fur. Is it soft or stiff? Most of the Dobbs wools that I've seen lately, have enough stiffener to make them qualify as hard hats!

 

[Timeras]

Timeras, Your Hat looks like fur. Is it soft or stiff? Most of the Dobbs wools that I've seen lately, have enough stiffener to make them qualify as hard hats!

Boy, I just don't know how to answer that... having really nothing to compare it to...

I used to have, many years ago, a cheaper, dept. store (JC Penney, etc.) fedora that was not, in my opinion, very stiff, nor do I believe it could possibly have been fur, not for what I paid for it...

But this one is stiffer than that one was... not as stiff as most cowboy hats, but stiff enough to keep the brim shape, once shaped.

Could I vague that up any more for ya?

Here's another question, is it okay to wear such a hat in the rain/snow? Should I treat it with something first? or not even consider it?

Thanks,

Tim

 

[deanglen]

Assuming it is fur felt, and by the looks of it, it is, being a Dobbs and with that brim and crown size, you should be able to go deep sea diving in it and it should remain sound after it dried out.








dean

 

[Timeras]

An update...

Just to update you guys...

I took the hat downtown (Seattle) to Byrnie Utz's Hats, to see what I could get done, and if I couldn't find out more about the hat in general. The folks there were very kind and helpful. They kindly brushed and re-blocked/bashed it (center dent) free of charge (as is their custom, I gathered; I did tip, however) as well as trimmed it down from it's wide 3.25" brim to the generally agreed-upon Indy fedora 2 7/8" brim. They did say they could not do a dimensional cut on the sides (which I guess I will have to do myself).

They also confirmed my suspicion that the hat is a product of the late 70's or early 80's, and to my pleasant surprise, that they thought it was constructed of fur felt, not wool felt.

To my disappointment, they were not able to fix me up with a ribbon/band that would work for my intended Indy facsimile; so I'll have to get commenting to take Indycop up on his offer.

So, well on my way now, all I really need is the ribbon, and to cut the dimensional cut. Now I've seen the tutorial for a dimensional cut here:

http://www.indygear.com/gear/akubra.shtml

But was wondering if anyone here could offer any hints/pointers?

Thanks again in advance..

Tim

 

[carter]

Timeras,
Here's a very belated "Hello and Welcome".

This project seems to be taking shape nicely. It's even gaining a bit of suspense. Please keep us posted until the grand unveiling of what promises to be a wonderful renovated fedora.