The Conversion Corral

[indycop]

Nice job.. Man that's a tall straight crown on that hat. Looks sharp.

:arated: :arated:

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Well done, gtd! That looks great. :eusa_clap

 

[frussell]

eBay Stetson into Open Road/Campdraft style

I got this new/old stock **XXX Stetson "Cowboy" in Ranch Tan, very close to the Akubra Silverbelly on eBay and sent it to Catalena Hatters. They sent it back a few days ago cut down and styled as an Open Road, but it was just too shallow for my big head and sat up very much like the Dallas cops in the Jack Ruby/Oswald photo. I sprayed it with water and gave it a Brewster/Stylemaster sort of bash. Still working on the brim curl in back, but Catalena did a pretty good job. Stiff like a cowboy hat, but real easy to re-shape, and holds a bash like modeling clay. Got another coming in a more traditional fedora shape from Az-Tex hatters next week, using a fifty year old American Hat Co. small brimmed cowboy hat my grandpa gave me years ago. Frank.

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[gtdean48]

Very nice Frank. Good to see good hats getting back in action! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[RBH]

Very nice Frank. Good to see good hats getting back in action! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

:arated:

 

[frussell]

Thanks

Thanks for the support guys. I'm not 100% sure I'm keeping this one yet, since I need to fund my upcoming Art Fawcett creation, but it sure looks better than it did when I got it in the mail. I wish all my old Stetsons didn't have pin holes from hat tacks and funky stains from working with horses and drunk cowboys, they'd make some great conversions. I must have five or six old beat up Silverbellies and a few black hats, all with nice high crowns, all 5 to 10X, but they're just too "cowboyed up" to spend money on. Frank

 

[gtdean48]

I have a few of those as well Frank. Hats that worked hard in the show pen, got trampled on a roll back or sweated in heavy in the warm up pen. Some I have sent off to be refurbed, some are thrown in the "retired hat box". I do have an old Resistol that may go to Catalina Hatters one day...[huh]

 

[frussell]

Catalena

gtd - They did exactly what I asked them to do, and did a good job on the brim binding. I had to remind them once to get updates, as they are very busy, but overall I'm pleased with their work. When I get the other one back from Az-Tex I'll post the results. I believe their quote was lower, we'll see if the work is as good as they used to be long ago when I used them. Frank

 

[gtdean48]

I've used Catalena a couple of times for western hats, one that I even had them trim & bind the edge. They always did good work but it has been quite a few years. I stopped by Az-Tex's shop when doing a computer system at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital just to have that contraption map out my head shape. Never did buy a hat from them, tho.
Keep us posted...

 

[frussell]

Az-Tex western conversion

This is an old American Hat Co. cowboy hat my grandfather gave me in the early 80s. It was old when he got it from the widow of some old cattleman. When I took it to the Hat Store in Houston years ago, Gary the owner said he thought he had actually been on the line when this hat was produced, and he was just a kid. Az-Tex hatters cleaned it, cut it down, and re-blocked it. I like the shape they gave it, just need to work out the tons of stiffener they put in it, and get it stretched back out to long oval.
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[Dundee]

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap Very nice.

 

[RBH]

Looks great!!!

 

[gtdean48]

Looks great!!!

:arated:

 

[High Pockets]

I like that,.....great looking hat!

I love conversions that turn some old hat that never gets worn anymore into something that not only looks great but gets to go back out on the town every now and then.

 

[frussell]

Nice to have it back

I'm really happy about how this one turned out. I thought it would come back with a real low crown and lots of taper, but it's just fine. Stiff as heck, but super smooth felt. It's already been worn more the last week than it has been in over 20 years. Thanks, Frank

 

[Jingo Mastapone]

Hello folks,

I would like to make my first post to this forum in this thread. Before I go any further, I want to say that I'm a wide brim man. I like me some brim on my fedoras. Since they're pretty rare, I was wondering about converting cowboy hats to fedoras for a while and then I discovered the Conversion Corral! Encouraged, I hustled back to the vintage shop where I had found a nice newer Stetson and bought it for $32. Then I got to work.

I've done a couple hatbands before but no edge bindings yet I'm pretty happy with how mine turned out. All I did to the hat was rebash it, hand-compress the rear brim's edge while it was wet in attempt to gain some snap (not sure if this really worked), and sew the new stuff on. I left the brim width at its full 3-1/4" since, as I stated, I like me some brim. Still, I have this nagging feeling that it looks too much like a cowboy hat. What do you all think? Should I trim 1/4" off and go from there or leave it as it is?


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[High Pockets]

If it were mine, I woudn't touch it. It looks fantastic!

 

[frussell]

Wide Brim

Nice job on the conversion. It's definitely a wider brim, but pretty cool looking nonetheless. It's got a Zoot Suit look to it for sure. I wish I had the manual dexterity to cut down and re-ribbon some of my old cowboy hats, since they're just sitting around. Sending them off to be converted is great, but pretty expensive. Good work. Frank.

 

[gtdean48]

Nice work Jingo & that is truly some BRIM! For fedoras I like 2 7/8 & maybe a 3 inch brim for outdoor use. That does have a the Zoot Suit vibe to it like Frank said. Like the colors & how it goes with your coat & tie.
Welcome! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[cybergentleman]

Jingo- nice work.

I have considered doing this for sometime too.

There are people on this forum who have received cowboy comments even while wearing bowlers and homburgs; so don't worry about any hints of cowboy in it. Looks very zoot suit to me.

Most of the modern black borsalinos worn in religious Jewish neighborhoods are 3 inches of brim. I saw one listed online with a 3.25 and 3.5 inch brim.

looks sharp- well done.