Mario
03-07-2010, 09:24 AM
I went and did it...
Most of the regulars here may know my gray Canadian Brooks. You may also know that I really love wider brims. Most of my hats are at least 2 1/2" or 2 3/4" while two actually have a 2 7/8" brim. And I like a tall crown. Tall crows, wide brims. It's all about proportions. On that Brooks I alway thought that the crown was just a tad too low for the 2 3/4" brim. Now because there was nothing I could about the crown height I decided to look at it the other way round: the crown is not too low but the brim is simply too wide... Now there suddenly WAS something I could do... ;)
And so I did. I did the Gene - and trimmed that brim!!! :eek: :D
Thanks to the fact that it started life as a bound brim I had a perfect guide for my scissors and so I just cut tightly along the inner circumference of the binding. A little sanding on the now raw edge and that was it. I think the proportions look much better now (and I also have another raw edge lid, one of only three in my collection so far). The brim is now 2 1/4" wide.
Ok. Here it is before and after the surgery:
http://www.slashcafe.com/images_new/Brooks-Gray-Old-New.jpg
I know what some of you are thinking now: Those skinny guys! They bring a knife to a gun fight and actually get away with it while their opponents hat ends up sliced and diced! :p :D ;)
Now that I was in a haberslahing frenzy anyway I also had a go at my Pilgrim. The sweatband on this one was pretty stiff and rumpled, it always felt strange on my head. There was also a very thick sewn-in plastic protector between the sweat and the felt which made the whole hat a little too snug to feel comfortable, so in the end I decided to do away with it and put in a new one. Along the way I also swapped the old, faded ribbon for a new one (which I took off a defunct Dobbs 20). The bow one this one is a lot nicer than the original. Last not least I removed the plastic protector from the liner as it was just as stiff and rumbled as the sweatband. While I was at it I also gave it a thorough cleaning with Naptha. The result is a hat the feels as if it is brand new.
The old and the new ribbon:
http://www.slashcafe.com/images_new/Pilgrim-Bow.jpg
The old sweatband and the new one (I really have to work on a more even spacing with my stitches... :rolleyes:)
http://www.slashcafe.com/images_new/Pilgrim-Sweat.jpg
Most of the regulars here may know my gray Canadian Brooks. You may also know that I really love wider brims. Most of my hats are at least 2 1/2" or 2 3/4" while two actually have a 2 7/8" brim. And I like a tall crown. Tall crows, wide brims. It's all about proportions. On that Brooks I alway thought that the crown was just a tad too low for the 2 3/4" brim. Now because there was nothing I could about the crown height I decided to look at it the other way round: the crown is not too low but the brim is simply too wide... Now there suddenly WAS something I could do... ;)
And so I did. I did the Gene - and trimmed that brim!!! :eek: :D
Thanks to the fact that it started life as a bound brim I had a perfect guide for my scissors and so I just cut tightly along the inner circumference of the binding. A little sanding on the now raw edge and that was it. I think the proportions look much better now (and I also have another raw edge lid, one of only three in my collection so far). The brim is now 2 1/4" wide.
Ok. Here it is before and after the surgery:
http://www.slashcafe.com/images_new/Brooks-Gray-Old-New.jpg
I know what some of you are thinking now: Those skinny guys! They bring a knife to a gun fight and actually get away with it while their opponents hat ends up sliced and diced! :p :D ;)
Now that I was in a haberslahing frenzy anyway I also had a go at my Pilgrim. The sweatband on this one was pretty stiff and rumpled, it always felt strange on my head. There was also a very thick sewn-in plastic protector between the sweat and the felt which made the whole hat a little too snug to feel comfortable, so in the end I decided to do away with it and put in a new one. Along the way I also swapped the old, faded ribbon for a new one (which I took off a defunct Dobbs 20). The bow one this one is a lot nicer than the original. Last not least I removed the plastic protector from the liner as it was just as stiff and rumbled as the sweatband. While I was at it I also gave it a thorough cleaning with Naptha. The result is a hat the feels as if it is brand new.
The old and the new ribbon:
http://www.slashcafe.com/images_new/Pilgrim-Bow.jpg
The old sweatband and the new one (I really have to work on a more even spacing with my stitches... :rolleyes:)
http://www.slashcafe.com/images_new/Pilgrim-Sweat.jpg