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  1. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    Yes, I may in fact just get more of the fractionated oil, say 30ml or so, rather than drops. I don't have a sheen on this hat, it does feel softer, but certainly no shine. If I had vaseline, as recommended in one book, I would have tried that! Microwaved to melt a bit, then tried on the hat.
  2. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    Thanks for the advice :) I put some aloe gel on a mark, rubbed it with a cotton bud/ q tip. Seemed to work well. Also tried luring as per Ermatinger and other hat care book, using coconut drops. Well. I saw on here suggesting only 5 or 6 drops. That seemed to just absorb into my improvised...
  3. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    Thanks Brent, Lean. Not bothered about the colour contrast - ribbon will hide it. I do wonder what the heck you'd ever call the colour it is now - or was. Dirty sand, I'd say. Not the nicest shade, but it is what it is.
  4. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    Thank you, I'm intrigued by the concept of something non abrasive being used to polish something/finish something. Final point about this hat: I realised that the area where the band had been is lighter than the rest of the hat (as one might expect). I further thought that if Woolite had done a...
  5. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    PS, can you show me a link or photo of the white abrasive pad please? I'm not familiar with it. The only white sponges I know are what we call "magic sponges", very finely abrasive melamine sponge.
  7. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    Thanks for the grit help. I had a stash of paper from when I used to paint guitars, but frustratingly not here with me. I was being fairly light so took off a few hairs, bit of dust. I'll know next time!
  8. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    Thanks for the help, all! Hat got dunked and left for 30mins - 1 hr a few times. Woolite (cold water) then woolite lukewarm water a few times. After bucket three, the water was 8/10 clear. Good enough for me. Rinsed by dunking in cold water and a touch of shower hose nozzle. No ill effects, no...
  9. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    That's encouraging! I have pink Woolite and that bare fur felt hat, no leather. Dunk and try, then rinse? Jlee, I'm tempted by Woolite: after all, technology's moved on, right? (?)
  10. nickwellings

    STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

    I read in the 1920 document Instructions in Hat Cleaning and Renovation (Hatters Supply House, Chicago here https://archive.org/details/instructionsinha00hatt) that an alternative to a gasoline or naphtha bath is to "use Castile soap" after giving the hat a dunking in hot water (page six on the...
  11. nickwellings

    Moth Damage Repair

    How did that go, Abridged?
  13. nickwellings

    Travel to France/Paris- Vintage shopping suggestions?

    Curious if you found anything - sorry for a bit of a random bump! I'm a big fan of Paris for hat shopping. I'd say 95% of mine are from there.
  14. nickwellings

    Cleaning spots, stains and soiling from felt hats

    Noted! :D
  15. nickwellings

    Cleaning spots, stains and soiling from felt hats

    So I went on a...date...sort of coffee/meeting thing with a girl (tempted to say a "dame") and she said how she liked my hat. Hat's nothing special, a ZENIT Gentleman fur felt which has shed many a raindrop for me and kept my head warm on many a night. I gave it to her to have a look at, said...
  16. nickwellings

    The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

    Sure, I'd be interested in addresses. I think I have been to most places like Episode and the like in Paris, bit I could have missed some. Feel free to message me on here!
  17. nickwellings

    The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

    Episode is a must visit for me anytime I'm in Paris. I've done fairly well from them before, but at the old price of €20 a hat! I bought a Stetson in their Copenhagen store, a Barbisio and beautiful Roeckel in the Paris one above, plus some others. (Not all at once!) Sorry to hear about the bad...
  19. nickwellings

    The BORSALINO BROTHERHOOD

    Hi all. Don't wish to alarm anyone, but if you're in Paris, or nearby, and like Borsalino, proceed in an urgent drooling fashion towards the store called Episode. I'd estimate 98% of their hats are Borsalino at €35 each. There's maybe 100 inside. 35 is too much for me, so I'm posting here Some...
  20. nickwellings

    Ask a question, get an answer

    Thank you, Mr E! It's my daily "beater" really. Not too warm, which means good for Spring Autumn and some winter. Found in Paris for €3 like a lot of my hats!
  21. nickwellings

    Ask a question, get an answer

    Just wondered if anyone had more information on this hat? It's a Super Zenit Gentleman. Feels quite anonymous, generic. Fur felt. Sweatband has wrinkled due to being caught in a thunderstorm. Unfortunately it won't let me upload label pic. Zenit Lepro Raso, col: Ticino
  22. nickwellings

    French Hats and makers.

    Great, thank you for your help. I began to read posts on here about replacing bands. Will have to see what I can do...
  23. nickwellings

    French Hats and makers.

    Thanks! I removed the old leather. Without wishing to derail the thread too much, would you suggest removing all the rigid remnants? I have a smaller inner grey band left, and where the hat turns into a brim, a raised kind of hard tiny tube all the way around circumference of the hat. I've...

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