Panama Hat Thread

[daizawaguy]

 

[alanfgag]

Super!!

 

[daizawaguy]

 

[DRB]

My first Panama Bob hat arrived yesterday. One of his $39.95 specials. Good quality and great value. The weave is more consistent than with other inexpensive panamas I have. Thanks, Bob.

I can see why you are smiling, you got a great deal on a respectable hat. I may have to take another look at Panama Bob. I love white hats. That one looks very comfortable.

 

[DanielCoffey]

I have a care question to do with reshaping a Panama that has been user-cleaned.

I have just washed my gardening Panama (PB Cuenca Fino Brisa bashed to Rio Plata style) with the standard black cloth sweatband that was looking rather grubby after last season in the sun and garden and I have made a bit of a mess reshaping it.

I removed the original fixed ribbon (and am now using a standard navy 2-hook pug), hand-washed it in very mild soap as directed on PB's site, got it to remember the location of where the top was folded down and let it dry. When I put it on my hat jack to get the size back, that is where I ran into my problem... I now have a "shoulder" in the sides all round just above where the hat jack was. The hat is perfectly straight under the band but as soon as the sides rise, they dish in in a concave fashion till they reach the top crease. I also did not have much luck getting the bump on the very top to pop out correctly. I would love to know how a user can tackle re-blocking of this grade of Panama in a more pleasing fashion.

Do I need a block? If so I am a 7 5/8 long oval. Do I need to stuff the crown with something while it dries? If so, how do I get the top crease in the correct place afterwards? Do I need some better way of generating steam than a domestic iron?

If you want me to break this discussion out into a separate thread, just let me know.

Cheers,

Daniel.

 

[Lefty]

If it's just a brim problem, you could try this.

Your issues with the crown will require either a lot of trial and error for shaping, a block, or taking the hat to a hatter for blocking.

 

[DanielCoffey]

The brim is actually well behaved... it is the sides and top I am having an issue with. Thanks for the link though.

 

[Lefty]

There's an article on panamas on Kaufmann Mercantile, though it's really just a cut and paste of several sites, including panamas.biz (credits are given).

 

[Panamabob]

Funny. The comparison shot is of a regular Montecristi and a finer one.

 

[daizawaguy]

Funny. The comparison shot is of a regular Montecristi and a finer one.

Right!

 

[DanielCoffey]

Thanks for the link to that site - some interesting background on Panamas and the retail hype there. I am just glad this is my gardening hat - it looks odd now but at least it is clean.

 

[Marcovgv]

Batsakes finished Panama from Bob. Lovely hat, great color, well woven.

what size brim is that?

 

[Marcovgv]

Batsakes finished Panama from Bob. Lovely hat, great color, well woven.

oh and can we get a mug shot with the hat on . i am in the process of buying some hats from bob but i would like to see what diff brim sizes look like

 

[Marcovgv]

OK. So while in the Bahamas (wearing my Rio Plata) I get caught on the island in a nasty rain. My Rio Plata is drenched. I get back to the cruise ship cabin, shape the hat to the best of my beginner ability, and hope for the best. Here is how it dried.

It's not too bad but definitely is less "formal" looking in my opinion.

It shrunk a bit, but was a little loose before and now it is softer and fits like a glove. One concern I have is that the brim is softer and may start to droop.

I still love this hat. It performed very well on it's first international trip and I received alot of compliments.

what size brim is that rio plata? it looks like exactly what im looking for!

 

[daizawaguy]

oh and can we get a mug shot with the hat on . i am in the process of buying some hats from bob but i would like to see what diff brim sizes look like

I have it on the what are you wearing today a few days ago...page 3349.

Nice one Rodkins! Suits you well.

 

[ScottF]

Yesterday I found a 7 1/8+ 1940's Optimo-style wide-brim Panama, probably about 250 wpi, nice colorful pug, cheap at a vintage clothing store. The sweatband (no labels) was coming off, but in okay shape, and the straw's supple and clean with no issues. I hate to put anyone in touch with the place, as it's kind of a secret 'fishing hole' for me, but if anyone's interested I'll take pics and maybe we can work out a trade. I'm 7 1/4

 

[randooch]

Nice straws, folks. 'Tis the time all hot heads begin thinking of lighter covers. To that end, I bought this one despite the fact it looks kinda wonky. The seller sent me an inside photo, and it looked new. Anyone have one like it? The website she cited, www.panador.com, has quite a selection.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_963

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

I think you mean this website for Panadorhats.com
http://www.panadorhats.com/?gclid=CMXRw5q_y6gCFQbe4AodhSBjqA
panador.com is just a link bait site.
Looks like you have some work to do when you get the hat it is kinda wonky looking.

 

[DanielCoffey]

Another quick question about re-blocking my PB Cuenca Fino Brisa... I will be ordering a hat block from a local maker but how essential is the "tipper" or "creaser" which matches the top of the block and is used to push the crown down into the block while it is still soft from the steam? I was wondering if a home-made solution such as a cotton bag filled with rice and a weight on the top would be sufficient or whether I really should pay the extra for a matching tipper?

 

[Rodkins]

what size brim is that rio plata? it looks like exactly what im looking for!

It's a 7 3/8 standard Panama Bob rio plata issue - I think the brim is about 2 1/2 inches wide.

Thanks D'Guy