The Conversion Corral

T Jones · May 18, 2017

I wasn't exactly satisfied with the way the brim turned out on my 4X Western Stetson conversion that Moon gave me. I got the brim flange out again and reworked it. Looks a whole lot better this second time around...

On the flange. Ironed out and cooling.

After letting it cool for a while I took it off the flange and snapped the front down.

I scavanged the ribbon and bow off of a modern Stetson Whippet.

On the head...

Fed in a Fedora · May 18, 2017

T Jones said:
Off the block. Sized up. Sweat band in and ready to crease and then to sew on the ribbon. Always check the inside of the hat for semetry as you're creasing.

I was pretty bummed out over this Bradford OR clone. It was originally a 7 1/8 and I needed to size it up to a 7 1/4. I had planned to sew the thin ribbon back on it and then this happened....

When I was stretching the hat over the block it ripped on me. No amount of glue and fur fluff was going to hide this, let alone hold it together. I didn't want to throw it away since it was nice felt. So I taped it together and sewed it and hid the stitching under a bronze colored mid ribbon. It seems pretty solid. I don't foresee any problems with it. It's just that I wanted that thin ribbon back on it.

Recreased. Resized, and reflanged.

The pictures aren't very good. I kept the ribbon and bow work plain and simple to accentuate more of the crown. The open crown height is 5 3/4. I gave it a teardrop crease with a tight pinch. It's 4 3/4 at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 1/4 to the back. The color is Silverbelly with a bronze colored mid ribbon. The brim width is 2 5/8.

On the head

Actually, I think the mid sized ribbon balances that hat nicely. It is what I would have chosen anyway.

Fed

RJR · May 19, 2017

T Jones said:
I wasn't exactly satisfied with the way the brim turned out on my 4X Western Stetson conversion that Moon gave me. I got the brim flange out again and reworked it. Looks a whole lot better this second time around...

On the flange. Ironed out and cooling.

After letting it cool for a while I took it off the flange and snapped the front down.

I scavanged the ribbon and bow off of a modern Stetson Whippet.

On the head...

Super job,Terry.

Windsock8e · May 19, 2017

T Jones said:
I wasn't exactly satisfied with the way the brim turned out on my 4X Western Stetson conversion that Moon gave me. I got the brim flange out again and reworked it. Looks a whole lot better this second time around...

On the flange. Ironed out and cooling.

Very nice, looks great. What size flange did you use / do you have?

T Jones · May 21, 2017

Windsock8e said:
Very nice, looks great. What size flange did you use / do you have?

I used a 2 3/4 flange. Although the brim is 2 5/8 it still gave a fairly decent full cupped flange.

Wesslyn · May 29, 2017

Undertaking my 4th conversion. An old Dynafelt. So far I've gotten the brim trimmed about half an inch, which I need to get trimmed a bit more evenly, a center crease, and a temporary ribbon.
About a 5 1/2 inch crown but a ton of taper. A very wonky brim. And a gash in the felt in the back that mostly covered by the ribbon. Dunno if it should be considered a compromise of the hats physical integrity or not.
Sweatband is dried out, too, and frankly the lowest quality sweatband I've come across on a "real" hat before.
Hoping to get a Fed IV. In the meantime I'll pretend this beater is one.

scottyrocks · May 29, 2017

If you push a diamond into it, it'll spread out the crown for a little more width.^

bond · May 29, 2017

This is a custom conversion for a lounger that I just completed. Vintage 1960s Stetson ; brim trimmed, w/binding and new crown ribbon. Had a cattlemans crease previously with thin ribbons.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

scottyrocks · May 29, 2017

bond said:
This is a custom conversion for a lounger that I just completed. Vintage 1960s Stetson ; brim trimmed, w/binding and new crown ribbon. Had a cattlemans crease previously with thin ribbons.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a handsome hat!

Wesslyn · May 30, 2017

scottyrocks said:
If you push a diamond into it, it'll spread out the crown for a little more width.^

Thought about it, but my head unfortunately doesn't like diamonds or teardrops unless the hat is a size or two too small.
I'm cursed with cone head syndrome.

bond · May 31, 2017

Thanks for comments guys. Found original pic of before conversion so here that is for reference

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

scottyrocks · May 31, 2017

Wesslyn said:
Thought about it, but my head unfortunately doesn't like diamonds or teardrops unless the hat is a size or two too small.
I'm cursed with cone head syndrome.

I'm not quite sure what the shape of your head has to do with a hat holding a particular crease of you steam or wet it to set it.

T Jones · Jun 1, 2017

Finished converting this Bradford 7X Quality Westerner last week. I've been wanting a '40s era Stratoliner for quite a while but I don't own a gold mine to bid for a nice one on ebay. Social Security and part time warehouse wages certainly isn't going net me a nice one either. So, I did the next best thing, I converted one from a '50s era Bradford western hat that I had. I have a few blocks so I used one that was closer to the open crown shape of a Stratoliner. The ribbon and bow work was scavenged from another Bradford I have. I wasn't able to scavange the brim binding from the other hat since the brim on my conversion is 2 3/4 and the brim on my donor hat is 2 5/8. So, I had no choice but to go with a raw edge brim. The felt on this hat is phenomenal, easily shaped and not thick and stiff like Westerns today. The particulars on this hat is a 5 3/4 open crown, creased in a C crown. It's 4 3/4 at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 1/4 at the back. The brim is 2 3/4 and flanged with a nicely cupped fedora curl. It's a Silverbelly color with a matching 3/8 thin ribbon...

On the head...I'm under a tree so I'm covering up my coffee in case of any surprises being dropped from overhead, and I was thinking of my hat too.

KarlCrow · Jun 1, 2017

T Jones said:
Finished converting this Bradford 7X Quality Westerner last week. I've been wanting a '40s era Stratoliner for quite a while but I don't own a gold mine to bid for a nice one on ebay. Social Security and part time warehouse wages certainly isn't going net me a nice one either. So, I did the next best thing, I converted one from a '50s era Bradford western hat that I had. I have a few blocks so I used one that was closer to the open crown shape of a Stratoliner. The ribbon and bow work was scavenged from another Bradford I have. I wasn't able to scavange the brim binding from the other hat since the brim on my conversion is 2 3/4 and the brim on my donor hat is 2 5/8. So, I had no choice but to go with a raw edge brim. The felt on this hat is phenomenal, easily shaped and not thick and stiff like Westerns today. The particulars on this hat is a 5 3/4 open crown, creased in a C crown. It's 4 3/4 at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 1/4 at the back. The brim is 2 3/4 and flanged with a nicely cupped fedora curl. It's a Silverbelly color with a matching 3/8 thin ribbon...

On the head...I'm under a tree so I'm covering up my coffee in case of any surprises being dropped from overhead, and I was thinking of my hat too.

great work, it looks new.

T Jones · Jun 1, 2017

KarlCrow said:
great work, it looks new.

Thanks, KC

hatophile · Jun 1, 2017

T Jones said:
Finished converting this Bradford 7X Quality Westerner last week. I've been wanting a '40s era Stratoliner for quite a while but I don't own a gold mine to bid for a nice one on ebay. Social Security and part time warehouse wages certainly isn't going net me a nice one either. So, I did the next best thing, I converted one from a '50s era Bradford western hat that I had. I have a few blocks so I used one that was closer to the open crown shape of a Stratoliner. The ribbon and bow work was scavenged from another Bradford I have. I wasn't able to scavange the brim binding from the other hat since the brim on my conversion is 2 3/4 and the brim on my donor hat is 2 5/8. So, I had no choice but to go with a raw edge brim. The felt on this hat is phenomenal, easily shaped and not thick and stiff like Westerns today. The particulars on this hat is a 5 3/4 open crown, creased in a C crown. It's 4 3/4 at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 1/4 at the back. The brim is 2 3/4 and flanged with a nicely cupped fedora curl. It's a Silverbelly color with a matching 3/8 thin ribbon...

On the head...I'm under a tree so I'm covering up my coffee in case of any surprises being dropped from overhead, and I was thinking of my hat too.

I'd hate to see bird droppings on that one

RJR · Jun 1, 2017

T Jones said:
Finished converting this Bradford 7X Quality Westerner last week. I've been wanting a '40s era Stratoliner for quite a while but I don't own a gold mine to bid for a nice one on ebay. Social Security and part time warehouse wages certainly isn't going net me a nice one either. So, I did the next best thing, I converted one from a '50s era Bradford western hat that I had. I have a few blocks so I used one that was closer to the open crown shape of a Stratoliner. The ribbon and bow work was scavenged from another Bradford I have. I wasn't able to scavange the brim binding from the other hat since the brim on my conversion is 2 3/4 and the brim on my donor hat is 2 5/8. So, I had no choice but to go with a raw edge brim. The felt on this hat is phenomenal, easily shaped and not thick and stiff like Westerns today. The particulars on this hat is a 5 3/4 open crown, creased in a C crown. It's 4 3/4 at the pinch with a rake sloping to 4 1/4 at the back. The brim is 2 3/4 and flanged with a nicely cupped fedora curl. It's a Silverbelly color with a matching 3/8 thin ribbon...

On the head...I'm under a tree so I'm covering up my coffee in case of any surprises being dropped from overhead, and I was thinking of my hat too.

You've developed a real touch for conversions,Terry.I can't help but think that your Bradford conversion is very much equal in quality to the '40s strat you've wanted.Wear it proudly that's a heck of a job,imo.

Wesslyn · Jun 1, 2017

scottyrocks said:
I'm not quite sure what the shape of your head has to do with a hat holding a particular crease of you steam or wet it to set it.

The top of my head touches the crown way before the sweatband touches my head. Imagine a conehead like Dan Aykroyd trying to wear a c crown.

BobHufford · Jun 2, 2017

T Jones said:
Finished converting this Bradford 7X Quality Westerner last week.

^^^^
THAT is amazing work! And you wear it well.

T Jones · Jun 2, 2017

RJR said:
You've developed a real touch for conversions,Terry.I can't help but think that your Bradford conversion is very much equal in quality to the '40s strat you've wanted.Wear it proudly that's a heck of a job,imo.

Thank you, RJ. I really appreciate the comment.

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