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What is your favorite hat crease?

jonbuilder

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,563
Location
Grass Valley CA Foothills
Hat bash gone wild

Esteemed Loungers,
(Off Topic) I would like to introduce my self. I am just getting started with fine hats. I think it was Patty from Vintage leather Jackets who introduced me to the lounge. I was dropping in now and then for a quick pick. During the past few months, I decided I wanted to start owning and enjoying hats and started researching past threads. I have to tip my hat to knowledge, contribution, through and enthusiasm that going into the posts I have been readying.
(Back on topic) Following is a link to my first fedora hat a Royal Stetson and third of four has I have purchased on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160264740799&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=006 I guess I am following my jacket preferences with vintage hats. Moving on I decided I would try to re bash a perfectly good hat that looked a little tired. I had success stretching a Stetson 25 western looks like a Stratoliner with steam and a vintage hat stretcher. I also steamed, stretched and re bashed a Mexican straw hat by inserting a hat stretcher and holding over a pot of boiling water with good results. Feeling new confidence, I opened the crown of the Royal Stetson and put in a colander over a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. When I took the hat out, the leather sweatband had shrunk. I tried to work leather condition in to sweatband to no avail the leather was brittle and tearing. Now my only option is to have the hat re block and finished by a profession hatter. After viewing the crumpling sweatband, I notice the hat is a whippet. Would any on like to comment what happen to the sweatband? Was the leather dry rotted, or my procedure to harsh? As far as value, the felt on the hat seems excellent to my limit experience and I do not think I would go wrong to invest with an other $100 in shipping and re blocking cost.
 

handlebar bart

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,623
Location
at work
jonbuilder said:
Esteemed Loungers,
(Off Topic) I would like to introduce my self. I am just getting started with fine hats. I think it was Patty from Vintage leather Jackets who introduced me to the lounge. I was dropping in now and then for a quick pick. During the past few months, I decided I wanted to start owning and enjoying hats and started researching past threads. I have to tip my hat to knowledge, contribution, through and enthusiasm that going into the posts I have been readying.
(Back on topic) Following is a link to my first fedora hat a Royal Stetson and third of four has I have purchased on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160264740799&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=006 I guess I am following my jacket preferences with vintage hats. Moving on I decided I would try to re bash a perfectly good hat that looked a little tired. I had success stretching a Stetson 25 western looks like a Stratoliner with steam and a vintage hat stretcher. I also steamed, stretched and re bashed a Mexican straw hat by inserting a hat stretcher and holding over a pot of boiling water with good results. Feeling new confidence, I opened the crown of the Royal Stetson and put in a colander over a pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes. When I took the hat out, the leather sweatband had shrunk. I tried to work leather condition in to sweatband to no avail the leather was brittle and tearing. Now my only option is to have the hat re block and finished by a profession hatter. After viewing the crumpling sweatband, I notice the hat is a whippet. Would any on like to comment what happen to the sweatband? Was the leather dry rotted, or my procedure to harsh? As far as value, the felt on the hat seems excellent to my limit experience and I do not think I would go wrong to invest with an other $100 in shipping and re blocking cost.


Others with much more knowledge will address theis better than me, but go easy with the steam. Alittle goes a long, long way. Steaming any hat for 15 minutes is a no-no under any circumstances to my knowledge. I no longer use steam on my hats, preferring distilled water most of the time; but I would apply steam for just a few moments at a time with a electric steam pot. But others with much more experience will be commenting soon though. I would certainly send the whippet off to get fixed up.
 

jazzncocktails

A-List Customer
Messages
484
Location
Long Beach, California
Great, helpful post!

Matt Deckard said:
Some preliminary shots for the Golden era... I'll take better ones.. soon. The diamond crease is hard to make out... what do you think?
VERY helpful, Matt--thanks for these images. I'm working on a diamond crease now and will post images on the Johnnyphi club thread soon...but your images, along with your belief in the dry bash, have been very helpful.
 

armod

Familiar Face
Messages
98
Location
australia
what would this crown be called?

les03b.jpg
btmles.gif
 

Corky

Practically Family
Messages
507
Location
West Los Angeles
I think it's known as a late model "Bush Tucker Man" bash...

I think it's known as a late model "Bush Tucker Man" bash.

There is a thread on the "Bush Tucker Man" hat created by WOMBAT of Broken Hill at:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=39084

On the North American continent, a variant of that style might also be called "The Rocky Mountain Ranger".

In 1885 the Riel Rebellion inflamed the Canadian West - and in response militia units were formed throughout the Northwest Territories of Canada. One unit was organized and commanded by a former Cavalry Captain, John Stewart, in 1885. Stewart called the group the Rocky Mountain Rangers, and the unit was made up of 3 troops of 40 men each. The Rangers were composed of former Mounties, Military men, but most were American cowboys who were working ranches in the Medicine Hat area.

The original Rangers lasted only 3 months, and never saw any action. Called the "Tough Men" by the towns folk of Medicine Hat, the troop spent their time on long, dull patrols and amused themselves by getting drunk and annoying as often as possible the Halifax Provisional Battalion that was stationed nearby. The Rocky Mountain Rangers were resurrected in 1900 and to this day remains the name of a prestigious Canadian Infantry Regiment.

A photo of the Rocky Mountain Ranger hat can be found at:
http://www.thelastbestwest.com/rocky_mountain_ranger.htm

Best of luck
 

Tampahound

One of the Regulars
Messages
100
Location
Tampa, Florida
Footballed teardrop

I can't really describe the shape of the bash in my Tan "Silverbelly" Akubra Campdraft better than that...

DSC_0701.jpg
DSC_0702.jpg


Anyone have a better name for that?[huh]
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,272
Location
West Branch, IA
Tampahound said:
I can't really describe the shape of the bash in my Tan "Silverbelly" Akubra Campdraft better than that...

...

Anyone have a better name for that?[huh]

Football teardrop?

Tearball? Footdrop? :rolleyes:

What about just Football?

The Campdraft looks good in any crease except if it's too high or too low and that's a matter of opinion relative to the head that it sits on.
 

Tampahound

One of the Regulars
Messages
100
Location
Tampa, Florida
I vote yea! In fact I wore my "Stewie" bashed campdraft today! Great call Lefty! For some reason I had this desire to take over the world..not sure what that was about... =D
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,272
Location
West Branch, IA
Tampahound said:
I vote yea! In fact I wore my "Stewie" bashed campdraft today! Great call Lefty! For some reason I had this desire to take over the world..not sure what that was about... =D

OK, then the Stewie it is!

Tamphound, I do hope your pants stay clean :eusa_doh:.
 

fluteplayer07

One Too Many
Messages
1,844
Location
Michigan
What is your favorite hat crease/bash? These options represent the basic ones; if you can think of anything else, choose 'Other' and tell us what it is.
 

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