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Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
I have one Sissal and several Panama straw hats in differnt qualities.
The Sissal fibers are very thin and fine-woven; feel, stiffness, weight and breathability are comparable with my best Panama hat. I do not no if all Sissal hats are of that quality.
Because I didn't like the original center-dent, I modified the crown to a tear drop using some steam; which worked out fairly good.

The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.

knoxpremierbaku4.jpg


knoxbuntal7.jpg


knoxbuntal1.jpg
 

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Chasblount

New in Town
Messages
41
Location
Amarillo, Texas
The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.

View attachment 152526

View attachment 152527

View attachment 152529
Wow. Learn something new on here every day. Alan, if I had seen your Baku on eBay I would have thought it was a Panama but that there was something different about it. Thanks for posting yours with the description. It is a great looking hat.
 

Bcraig

Familiar Face
Messages
52
Location
West Memphis ,Arkansas
I got the hat in and did not really like the way the Homburgish style looked on me so I took the steam to it and reshaped it.
Here are a few pics my wife took of me wearing the hat after the reshaping.
View attachment 152323 View attachment 152324 View attachment 152325 View attachment 152326 View attachment 152327
Thanks for the likes Guys,I am very pleased with how this turned out.
This is the first hat I have steamed and shaped since I last steamed and shaped several of my Resistol Cowboy hats back in 1973 when I was 13 !
 
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Messages
14,993
Location
Buffalo, NY
Wow. Learn something new on here every day. Alan, if I had seen your Baku on eBay I would have thought it was a Panama but that there was something different about it. Thanks for posting yours with the description. It is a great looking hat.

The wealth of variation in vintage woven hats is rich indeed. There are some great examples posted in the Panama Hats thread, though virtually none originated in Panama. Baku hats are among the very lightest in weight.
 

JWSV11

New in Town
Messages
7
Location
Orlando Fl
This seems to work on other sites, so I figure that it deserves a shot here.

If you've got a quick hat question and don't see a thread for it, just post it here. Whether the question is about cleaning, anatomy of a hat, brands, etc., this is the place.

Here's one to break the ice.
1919-1940ArentsCigaretteCards.jpg
1919-1940ArentsCigaretteCardsback.jpg
This seems to work on other sites, so I figure that it deserves a shot here.

If you've got a quick hat question and don't see a thread for it, just post it here. Whether the question is about cleaning, anatomy of a hat, brands, etc., this is the place.

Here's one to break the ice.
1919-1940ArentsCigaretteCards.jpg
1919-1940ArentsCigaretteCardsback.jpg

I am having trouble finding a solid answer of what is the best type of ribbon for a felt fedora hat. I know of grosgrain and petersham are there better?
 
Messages
11,894
Location
Southern California
The hat you posted is lovely. I believe sisal is produced from the agave. Baku, from the buri palm is similar. Some baku weaves can be very fine. It will show up on ebay from time to time as a panama hat. Here a couple I found over the years.
View attachment 152527
I think the patterns created by the weaves and the color variations are very attractive. I hope someday I'll find a sisal hat that fits my head and budget.
 

Bill Hughes

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
North Texas
I traded for this 1940s Stetsonian. As you can see it needs work. I will send it to Art Fawcett to have the the binding and sweatband replaced. The ribbon treatment may also get replaced if needed. The real bummer in my mind is the sweatband. It's the only place that has the Stetsonian label.

My question is - how badly will this affect the value?

IMG_5768.jpg IMG_5770.jpg IMG_5771.jpg IMG_5772.jpg IMG_5773.jpg IMG_5774.jpg IMG_5775.jpg IMG_5776.jpg IMG_5779.jpg IMG_5780.jpg
 
Messages
18,915
Location
Central California
BEE COOL STRAW HATS

Is anyone familiar with the Bee Cool Milan straw hats? How is their quality? What is the company history?

I own and have owned a few Bee Hats. I currently have a Bee Cool and it’s a coarse weave but genuine Panama. I can’t say I know much about the company, but the straws and felts that I’ve seen, including westerns, seem to be aimed at the economy market.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Messages
19,096
Location
Funkytown, USA
I traded for this 1940s Stetsonian. As you can see it needs work. I will send it to Art Fawcett to have the the binding and sweatband replaced. The ribbon treatment may also get replaced if needed. The real bummer in my mind is the sweatband. It's the only place that has the Stetsonian label.

My question is - how badly will this affect the value?

View attachment 152865 View attachment 152866 View attachment 152867 View attachment 152868 View attachment 152869 View attachment 152870 View attachment 152871 View attachment 152872 View attachment 152873 View attachment 152874

Bill, I can't speak for the masses, but for me, quite a bit. I like to get my vintage hats with as much factory equipment as possible, and the loss of the sweatbands with debossments, etc. is a major loss that affects my view of the value of a hat. I usually dismiss them outright, unless they're bad enough I see the opportunity to rebuild them myself. At that point, I give up on resale entirely and resolve the hat is mine forever.

That's not to say you don't have a great hat there, and as you know, Art will do a fine job on it and you'll have an exceptional hat. Also, others may not feel as I do about having all the original equipment. Plus, heck, it's an Art rebuild, a work in its own right.

I hope that you enjoy this hat and wear it in good health. That wide brim binding is fantastic!
 

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