Recent content by rpersson

Does Akubra still manufacture their "Heritage Felt" for the hats in their "Heritage Series"? The reason I ask is that the online vendors don't seem to mention it, and I remember reading in some thread on here (which I can't seem to find again) that Akubra recently (like a year or two ago) made...

What about Bailey's rabbit-beaver blends (like the "Noble", the "Ralat", or the "Bowery", all of which are 40% beaver hair by weight)? After all the rage I read on these boards about the qualities of beaver felt, surely they can't be that bad?

I tried steaming the hat, but could never get the "snap" back. No worries, I have it shaped in the snapped-down position permanently and used some of the wife's hairspray which gave it a lot of stiffness. Experiments prove that this helps the hat keep its shape even in the rain (although...

Apart from the sarcasm, thanks for your informative reply. The reason I ask is because ignorance gave me this surprise, and I want to know as much as possible so as to minimize the probability of further surprises, whether they be pleasant or not. In case anyone is curious, I misquoted the...

This is not a wool felt hat (I own one from Jaxon, that I regret buying). It is 100% fur felt according to the label and you can really tell the difference -- it is much lighter and thinner than the wool felt hat. The manufacturer is the German hat maker Fiebig. A lot of people mention steam...

Thank you. With this information, I'm thinking of not trying to recover the "snap", as I don't think I would ever conceivably wear it snapped up, but rather to try and stiffen the felt of my fedora in its current shape. That way, I figure it should be more rain resistant.

I am not trying to be dense, I just want to figure this out. Please bear with me. A non-snappable curled felt brim is treated with a stronger (or at least different) stiffener than a snappable one?

Well, the felt is soft, I can push it back up, but it won't "snap" into place and stay there. It will stay down once I let go. I figure, the radius of the curl is directly related to the force required for the snap, no?

Are they not "snappable-snappable" or are they in fact snappable given enough applied force? If it's the former, it means that there is something more that is needed to make a snap brim, and I am curious to know what it is.

OK. Thanks for the clarification. What I mean by "permanently snapped down" is basically "no snap", i. e., there is only one configuration possible and that is with the front brim down. I'm writing this before watching the video you linked, but I think I understand now that basically "snap brim...

Thank you for your answer, but this is where I have trouble understanding. I am reluctant to try any steam or water on my hat until I can figure out exactly what the difference is between a snap brim and a non-snap brim. It seems to be a very delicate difference during the blocking, whether the...

I purchased a new fur felt hat (not vintage) with a 75 mm snap brim, the cheapest fur felt (not wool felt, mind you) hat I could find (79 euros, if I recall correctly). I love it and wear it constantly, but one night after walking home from a party, I was caught in a slight shower without an...