do vintage fur felt hats fall apart?

[Detective_Noir]

my constant worrying about my hats are what get to me but i was wondering since theyre vintage do they start to fall apart in time or will the fur stay locked together from when they were made for good pretty much? theyre both royal deluxe stetson models from the late 40's and one is from the early 50's (Korean Wartime)

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Keep the moths a way by storing your hats well.
Do not place them in a place where they can get hot in the summer as this will dry out the fur and sweatband.
Did store your hats properly they will last a long time.

 

[Detective_Noir]

I put them in my hat boxes when done and brush them and keep the dust off of them always... I treat them with the utmost care as much as possible

 

[gtdean48]

Fur felt continues to felt, fibers locking tighter & tighter, until it becomes dead felt = can't get any tighter.

 

[Dinerman]

Over time, components degrade. Leather dries out, stitching dry rots, silk bands shatter, and felt wears where handled and creased. Hats won't last forever.

But generally, the felt itself is the most resilient part of the hat, and will outlast everything else. As has been said, the felt becomes tighter with age and exposure to water- that's part of the reason hats taper when wet.

 

[tonyb]

Given that absolutely nothing lives forever (except my love and affection), your felt hat will, even when kept under the most favorable conditions, eventually disintegrate. But we're talkin' a long, long time, probably longer than any of us need concern ourselves about.

The operative phrase here is "even when kept under the most favorable conditions." Organic materials (wood, for instance), unearthed from Egyptian tombs can still look pretty darned good, considering they're literally thousands of years old. And I got a half-rotten wooden fence that has yet to see its 20th birthday.

 

[danofarlington]

Fur felt is tough. They've found fur felt hats at the bottom of the ocean, in wet ditches, and lots of other challenging place and they still hold together.

 

[fedoralover]

How long do you plan to live?? I've got vintage hats older than I am (62) and the felt and leather is still in great shape. The ribbon is just a touch faded. So with reasonable care you don't have to worry about it in your lifetime.

fedoralover

 

[tonyb]

Fur felt is tough. They've found fur felt hats at the bottom of the ocean, in wet ditches, and lots of other challenging place and they still hold together.

I suspect that part of that is due to the felt staying wet. In some of the archeological digs out here on the Northwest Coast very old bits of basketry have survived in remarkably good condition, considering that the material isn't the most durable stuff imaginable. But if it were buried in a mudslide and left in soil that never dried out, the decomposition is slowed down dramatically. It seems that keeping it either consistently dry (think Egyptian tomb) or consistently wet is what does the trick.

As fedoralover observed, as a practical matter, there's no need to concern yourself with its longevity. It'll outlast you. This is not to say that you couldn't render a fur felt hat useless for all but the dirtiest work by wearing holes in it or fading it or staining it. And you can tear it. You almost have to try, but you can.

 

[Detective_Noir]

ive never known that they can last through the harshest conditions like that... new fact of the day in my book. thank you for the information on them, it definately puts some worries to rest!