The Open Road Guild

[maxrob200]

Is it my imagination or has Open Road hats gone up significantly in selling prices on ebay. Must be due to you guys talking it up! LOL

 

[Landman]

Mayserwegener, beautiful hat!

Maxrob200, they sure have gone up. Seems like fairly recently too.

 

[maxrob200]

Real glad, I got my ORs (25 and Akubra/Stetson 3x) before the price hikes!

 

[hatophile]

Some of those prices seem a little much. I think you can still find smaller size ORs for decent prices. Some of the clone hats aren't bad either.

 

[gtdean48]

Prices for ORs size 7 1/2 & up have always been steep for the ones in good shape.
Now you have a lot of interest in the bargains bidding the prices up....JMHO

 

[bowlerman]

new to me 3X

couldn't pass this up, box included, from a local antique shop this afternoon. 3X beaver Open Road. Not sure of the vintage, but it's younger than my other two.

It was stained and very dirty, and needed a re-crease. Most of what looked like stains came out very easily. You can see on the underside of the brim a few marks that I'm guessing might be burn marks, but they don't bother me at all.

I think I'm rediscovering this type of hat, cliche or not-- I'm really enjoying them again.

Compared with my other two:

bottom pic, clockwise from 11, is Royal Deluxe, 25 OR, 3X beaver. I'm fascinated by the color variations.

 

[randooch]

I'm fascinated by the color variations.

With good reason. Did Stetson specify these slight shade differences, I wonder?

 

[RBH]

SWEET Bman! I think a little naptha will clean that one right up.
Even if a little 'stain' is left... its a great fedora!!!
Good job.... and by the way... you should wear more thin ribbons!!!!

 

[DJH]

Very nice, Jeff.

How does the feel of the felt on the 3X compare with the 25 and Deluxe?

 

[bowlerman]

Thanks guys!
Randall-- I will have to look again and see if there are any indications on the 3X. The Royal Deluxe specifies silver belly, and the 25 doesn't specify any color at all that I've been able to find.

Rusty-- I'm kind of diggin' this new rebirth of TARs on my head! When you say a little naptha, do you mean to spot clean it or soak it? I'm terrified of doing a full fledged bath.

David, hmm. If I were to make an immediate assessment, I'd say the 25 (though easily the most worn down) feels the softest and has been the easiest to crease and recrease. I would speculate medium weight, but dense felt. The Royal D feels much lighter to me, and maybe even thinner, but very soft and nicely pounced. And the 3X is no slacker either, but my initial impression is that it's a bit heavier and more rugged. A little stiffer as well, but maybe some wear will soften it up. After I steamed it open, I let it mostly dry and it took my dry crease very easily, which I steamed in shortly after.

does that help and/or make sense?

 

[Chepstow]

Jeff, great find and Hat. Looks very good.

 

[DJH]

does that help and/or make sense?

Yes, very much so - thanks.

I've not owned an OR for a while, but that is about to change.

 

[RBH]

Yes, its on the bottom of the brim, so I would try spot cleaning first.

 

[hatophile]

Jeff, nice find. I too am surprised by the color differences in my OR's, some are a greenish, some pinkish and some more tan.

 

[gtdean48]

Jeff, nice find. I too am surprised by the color differences in my OR's, some are a greenish, some pinkish and some more tan.

With different ages & the different felt quality, the hues petina differently. The dyes of the Royal Deluxe & 3X would fade differently. The 25 has more beaver, if the other 2 have any, that would fade differently as well.
The lifes the hats led is in play as well. JMHO

 

[randooch]

With different ages & the different felt quality, the hues petina differently. The dyes of the Royal Deluxe & 3X would fade differently. The 25 has more beaver, if the other 2 have any, that would fade differently as well.
The lifes the hats led is in play as well. JMHO

Sounds like a rational explanation.

 

[randooch]

With different ages & the different felt quality, the hues petina differently. The dyes of the Royal Deluxe & 3X would fade differently. The 25 has more beaver, if the other 2 have any, that would fade differently as well.
The lifes the hats led is in play as well. JMHO

Sounds like a rational explanation, and another marvelous aspect of vintage hats.

 

[bowlerman]

Agreed, on both counts. Do you imply that the dyes would have been more similar when new, though? The Royal D, barely worn, has such wonderful rose undertones, it's hard for me to believe that the formula would have been the same, where my Resistol silver belly "wide country" looks positively sage next to it.

 

[gtdean48]

Agreed, on both counts. Do you imply that the dyes would have been more similar when new, though? The Royal D, barely worn, has such wonderful rose undertones, it's hard for me to believe that the formula would have been the same, where my Resistol silver belly "wide country" looks positively sage next to it.

Stetson had a specific recipe for dyes. HatCo makes both brands these days & the Stetson Silverbelly is more pinkish than Resistol.

 

[Jedwbpm]

Stetson had a specific recipe for dyes. HatCo makes both brands these days & the Stetson Silverbelly is more pinkish than Resistol.

I am sure that even with recipes colours changed with batches or even the recipe was tweaked if parts of it were not available or at too dear a price. or even the age of the ingredients or a mixed batch can change to way it coloured the felt. Even today with computerized everything dye lots or listed on cloth and say carpets because of changes from lot to lot.

Jeff Dyer (as in one who changes colours not kills things)