CHURCHILL HATS

Rmccamey said:

I like your pinch front crease better than the cattlemen's crease and the felt is wonderful, very reminiscent of my Stetson 100s. I know you will enjoy the Churchill, Stefan. Wear it in good health.

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steur said:

Our esteemed member Randy @Rmccamey found this Churchill hat, which wasn't in his size and he thought of me (bless him). A Churchill hat was lacking in my collection, so we were set up for an exchange.
Here's the Churchill beaver 50. Silverbelly I guess, which seems to vary between light grey and beige with some green (yikes!) tones in there, depending on the light. Quite stiff but easily moldable. I don't own an Open Road, but this is what I would imagine they'd be.
The hand of the felt is what really makes this hat; it's exceptionally smooth and lovely to the touch. Not a thick felt, but certainly not a lightweight hat at 131 grams. The brim binding is well done and very thin (the way I like it) and the sweatband is sturdy but supple. The liner is a glorious wine red. I'm guessing 1950's, but that's just a stab in the dark really.
Thanks, Randy!
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steur said:

Our esteemed member Randy @Rmccamey found this Churchill hat, which wasn't in his size and he thought of me (bless him). A Churchill hat was lacking in my collection, so we were set up for an exchange.
Here's the Churchill beaver 50. Silverbelly I guess, which seems to vary between light grey and beige with some green (yikes!) tones in there, depending on the light. Quite stiff but easily moldable. I don't own an Open Road, but this is what I would imagine they'd be.
The hand of the felt is what really makes this hat; it's exceptionally smooth and lovely to the touch. Not a thick felt, but certainly not a lightweight hat at 131 grams. The brim binding is well done and very thin (the way I like it) and the sweatband is sturdy but supple. The liner is a glorious wine red. I'm guessing 1950's, but that's just a stab in the dark really.
Thanks, Randy!
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steur said:

Thanks, Randy. A cattleman's crease is a bit too "western" for our surroundings here. I will get the "cowboy" comment no matter what on occasion though. I will convince the Churchill to adapt to it's European environment soon enough I think
Thanks again for your generosity and I'm sure I'll come up with something suitable to be sent across the pond.

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deadlyhandsome said:

That’s a great hat. I owned a Churchill Beaver 50 for a short time (not my size) and it had some of the best felt I’ve handled. It was my epiphany moment when I understood the “molds like clay” description for felt. It’s definitely western, but it’s among the best of the western felts. It was heads and shoulder above my vintage 3X and Royal Deluxe Open Roads. I think it compares favorably with Stetsons 7X CB, and that’s some real praise. Congratulations on such a rare find.

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Just Daniel said:

SWEET! And a great Lounge story.

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Just Daniel said:

I think you can put a wide ribbon on it without offending anyone (or at least not offending a lot of people if you save the original. The change is impressive. Hopefully that’s not too much preservation heresy.

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Louis Mountbatten said:

I was lucky enough to stumble across a Churchill 100 in my size still in its hard-sided case a few years ago.

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Louis Mountbatten said:

I was lucky enough to stumble across a Churchill 100 in my size still in its hard-sided case a few years ago.

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DaveProc said:

I have ready in multiple threads that the felt on these tends to be thick, stiff and not easily shaped.

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deadlyhandsome said:

View attachment 279366 View attachment 279367 View attachment 279368 View attachment 279369 View attachment 279370 My latest Churchill just came back for VS where David put in a new sweatband. It’s an interesting color. The raw edge brim is 3 1/4” wide and the crown is just over 5” at the dip and just shy of 5 1/2” at the tallest. I’d bet it would be 6” open. The felt is on the better end of the spectrum of modern western...not sure how to describe it. It’s of medium density, has a decent hand, and the felt flexes easily and doesn’t sound like plywood when you thump it. You know, the standardized felt thump test.

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Louis Mountbatten said:

I was lucky enough to stumble across a Churchill 100 in my size still in its hard-sided case a few years ago.

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Neiru said:

I bought my first Churchill not sure what decade it's from but the felt is very soft and I love it. It's so soft and not floppy at all that I don't need to steam it to mold it. It's beautiful.

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deadlyhandsome said:

Been looking for one of these for a few years: Churchill Beaver “50”
This is. 7 1/2 long oval, but the sweatband has seriously deteriorated and needs replacement so it will get nudged up a size when it gets re-blocked and a new sweatband.

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Great felt with a fantastic hand. It’s very dense and molds wonderfully.

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