Barcellino transformation

[fedoralover]

A few days back I bought a Black Barcellino Homburg for a whopping !3.25. I got it today and put it on and it sat almost on top of my head, Way too small, I got my hat stretcher and cranked it tight, steamed it and cranked some more, let it set till it cooled and now it fits. I took off the bound edge, ironed the brim flat, it now measures 3 1/4 inches. I cut it down to 2 5/8ths, I get the steam going on it again and reshape the brim and crown and now it doesn't look like the same hat. It closely resembles the Last Crusade hat Indy wore without a dimensional cut. The crown is very straight sided with a nice swoop to the brim. The felt is fairly stiff but pretty dense, and better quality than an Akubra, but not as good as an older stetson.

When I first got it I thought "Oh well it was only 13 bucks" but with about an hours play time with it, it turned out to be a decent looking hat and while it definitly isn't a Borsalino quality hat, it stil beats anything new.

I finally have a Black work hat with a wide brim and a high crown that has "The Look".

I thought I'd share this transformation experience, as many hats like this could end up in the trash pile but with a little work they can have years and years of life left.

fedoralover

 

[Matt Deckard]

Can't go wrong for 13 bucks. Good felt at a cheap price.

We need to see pics.

 

[jamespowers]

Yes, pictures are definitely in order.
I see you have found out how to stretch a hat very well. How did the sweatband stand up to the pressure?

Regards to all,

J

 

[SHARPETOYS]

A few days back I bought a Black Barcellino Homburg for a whopping !3.25. I got it today and put it on and it sat almost on top of my head, Way too small, I got my hat stretcher and cranked it tight, steamed it and cranked some more, let it set till it cooled and now it fits. I took off the bound edge, ironed the brim flat, it now measures 3 1/4 inches. I cut it down to 2 5/8ths, I get the steam going on it again and reshape the brim and crown and now it doesn't look like the same hat. It closely resembles the Last Crusade hat Indy wore without a dimensional cut. The crown is very straight sided with a nice swoop to the brim. The felt is fairly stiff but pretty dense, and better quality than an Akubra, but not as good as an older stetson.

When I first got it I thought "Oh well it was only 13 bucks" but with about an hours play time with it, it turned out to be a decent looking hat and while it definitly isn't a Borsalino quality hat, it stil beats anything new.

I finally have a Black work hat with a wide brim and a high crown that has "The Look".

I thought I'd share this transformation experience, as many hats like this could end up in the trash pile but with a little work they can have years and years of life left.

fedoralover

Sounds like a good find. Enjoy