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What Hat Are You Working On Today?
- Thread starter Hat and Rehat
- Start date
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
Well..... the wool hat saga continued to completion..only to discover that Id sewn the sweatband in backwards arrrrggggh!
Being a cheap wool hat I didnt see it worth the effort to rip the stitching out and resew. Made a command decision to just steam up, soften the shellac, and reblock the other direction. Got it basically back to a round open crown. Had to do a bunch of work to get the factory moulded crease out. I think its going up on the rack for a few days till I decide what to do....
My biggest issue is that this hat has a 4-1/2" tall crown... Any bashing up top and Ive got a hat that rides the pointy part of my head and still has an inch and a half between my ears and the brim.. Just doesnt fit my head worth a darn. At least the open crown shape fits the head better. In 20/20 hindsight, I suppose I could have just relocated the little back bow inside to the other end and been done with it lol
Bottom line... It was a cheap hat, its ugly, its wool, it doesnt fit my head...... I put way too much effort and lipstick on this pig..... When we have our little local Christmas in Crockett holiday festival in a few weeks, Ill just stick a $25 price tag on it and let someone else take it home. No more wool hats will cross my workbench in the future for anything more involved than a woolite bath. Was kinda hoping the dog would pick it up to chew on or just hike his leg on it lol
Being a cheap wool hat I didnt see it worth the effort to rip the stitching out and resew. Made a command decision to just steam up, soften the shellac, and reblock the other direction. Got it basically back to a round open crown. Had to do a bunch of work to get the factory moulded crease out. I think its going up on the rack for a few days till I decide what to do....
My biggest issue is that this hat has a 4-1/2" tall crown... Any bashing up top and Ive got a hat that rides the pointy part of my head and still has an inch and a half between my ears and the brim.. Just doesnt fit my head worth a darn. At least the open crown shape fits the head better. In 20/20 hindsight, I suppose I could have just relocated the little back bow inside to the other end and been done with it lol
Bottom line... It was a cheap hat, its ugly, its wool, it doesnt fit my head...... I put way too much effort and lipstick on this pig..... When we have our little local Christmas in Crockett holiday festival in a few weeks, Ill just stick a $25 price tag on it and let someone else take it home. No more wool hats will cross my workbench in the future for anything more involved than a woolite bath. Was kinda hoping the dog would pick it up to chew on or just hike his leg on it lol
HatsBySam
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 159
You could always cut a sunroof out of it and patent the wide-brimmed golf visor! You’re sitting on a gold mine, lol.
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
Ive got to admit I was SORELY dissappointed in the quality of a Stetson made wool hat..... Ive got a $10 Dorfman Pacific lawnmowing hat from Tractor Supply that is a far better hat
HatsBySam
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 159
Yeah, I’ve had similar experiences
HatsBySam
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 159
I have used MHT’s wool hats for Arthur Morgan hats and those things are built like a tank, they can double for chopping ice in the winter, lol.
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
I salvaged one of my Dads old MHT big boys... just couldnt stand to see it sitting around and not getting used..... total rebuild including enlarging from 6-7/8 to 7-1/4, pouncing to thin felt and brim trimming to remove about 1/2 acre of brim. Its definately a ******proof hat lol.
Last edited:
jeffgarf
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,204
- Location
- Jerusalem, Israel
I'm stumped.
RickP
Call Me a Cab
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- 2,848
Did resteam and get a shallow top dent that fits... At least it looks halfway decent and whomever buys it soon wont have a "what the heck did I just buy" moment. Time to leave it alone
RickP
Call Me a Cab
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- 2,848
Censors are definately working overtime lately..... I m suspecting Ai is still learning and censoring anything anything remotely close to questionable
Either they dont understand what upstanding folks we are here.... or maybe they know us too well lol
Either they dont understand what upstanding folks we are here.... or maybe they know us too well lol
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jeffgarf
One Too Many
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I thought so too, but the AI doesn't usually leave any crumbs. This time it must have left the t.
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Or there were two Ts?
RickP
Call Me a Cab
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- 2,848
A followup to the shellac on wool experiment....
Everclear 190 does a great job of dissolving the flakes. It definately stiffened the hat. in 20/20 hindsight my 4 oz flakes to quart of 190 proof cut probably should have been 1 or 2 oz of flakes per quart. it worked but lordy that little thing is hard! ( about right for a heavy use bowler) next time Ill also spray instead of paint. Easy to spray more as needed, but hard to remove a too heavy dose. Im going to experiment on some brim trimmings left over from past projects. And the wool has shrunk to somewhere between 7-1/8 and 7-1/4. Bottom line...Im not fond of wool, not a fan of too hard.... but now I know. Im sticking with decent and hopefully older furfelt going forward
Everclear 190 does a great job of dissolving the flakes. It definately stiffened the hat. in 20/20 hindsight my 4 oz flakes to quart of 190 proof cut probably should have been 1 or 2 oz of flakes per quart. it worked but lordy that little thing is hard! ( about right for a heavy use bowler) next time Ill also spray instead of paint. Easy to spray more as needed, but hard to remove a too heavy dose. Im going to experiment on some brim trimmings left over from past projects. And the wool has shrunk to somewhere between 7-1/8 and 7-1/4. Bottom line...Im not fond of wool, not a fan of too hard.... but now I know. Im sticking with decent and hopefully older furfelt going forward
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
the Resistol "Clear Beaver 50" has had some steaming/cleaning/brushing, and pulled it down over a block for some crown smoothing overnight. Brushing just about has the spot on the crown totally gone. Got the crown stretched to so it will be a perfect 7-1/4.. Dropped in a premade sweatband this morning just to check fit. Ill fit and make my own so there wont be any wrinkles in the final product. This hat deserves to be a real nice hat again real soon. For a $20 something dollar ebay hat, Im thrilled
Ill get a bit of brim flattening done today and work on the brim crown juncture.. Then get a new sweatband fit up... MAYBE get it sewn in by days end. Debating whether to leave the brim flat or do a bit of curling on it. Im a sucker for the flatter swooped brims
Ill get a bit of brim flattening done today and work on the brim crown juncture.. Then get a new sweatband fit up... MAYBE get it sewn in by days end. Debating whether to leave the brim flat or do a bit of curling on it. Im a sucker for the flatter swooped brims
HatsBySam
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 159
Looking great! What a find!
HatsBySam
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 159
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
Kissed the crown/ brim with the toliker so its got a nice 90 degree angle, ironed the brim flat, and played with a few hatbands to see what looks good. Im liking the darker tassel horsehair. I sorely wish I could find a braided band that was 3/4-1" wide.. Almost everything out there is 3/8"-1/2" . Anything wider is about a 1/4" thick and just looks clunky
Tapped my finger a couple times on the crown and this is what it popped into! No coaxing, steam, or stiffener. Im in love with the feel of the felt, and once I pick out a proper band and sew in a new sweat/ liner.... Im leaving this one alone... maybe a bit of finger smoothing some edges but It doesnt need a darn thing else!
Oh if only all $20 hats were like this one lol ( Id still be broke but Id have a lot more felt !)
Tapped my finger a couple times on the crown and this is what it popped into! No coaxing, steam, or stiffener. Im in love with the feel of the felt, and once I pick out a proper band and sew in a new sweat/ liner.... Im leaving this one alone... maybe a bit of finger smoothing some edges but It doesnt need a darn thing else!
Oh if only all $20 hats were like this one lol ( Id still be broke but Id have a lot more felt !)
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
The feel of this felt is blowing me away..... makes a modern 6x just plain rough and pedestrian!
RickP
Call Me a Cab
- Messages
- 2,848
The Resistol Clear Beaver 50 is alive again! New Sweatband, liner and horsehair band. ( still thinking a nice ribbon band might look good but Im a sucker for braided horsehair) May need to be the coffee hat tomorrow morning. The new sheepskin sweat really is soft.... without the liner it lays flat, but with the liner it wrinkles up. will see if a little head heat flattens it out . Bottom of the brim had a couple small rough spots and nibbles on the edge, so I did trim 1/8" off the brim and now its all clean looking. Still has a solid 3-3/8" of brim left. Ill call it a good days work. Such a pleasure working with nice felt
