Western, anyone?

[Neophyte]

That's fantastic! Looks like a fun time.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks Alex... we like to play dress-up around my house.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Fantastic looking fun Alan. As a father of three little girls I hope to have that much fun as they get older.

 

[ManofKent]

Alan - be careful, they might want to borrow the big brown furry monster

Great shot.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Thanks for sharing those Alan

 

[John Galt]

Stetson Nutria Quality in rare chocolate brown. This is a project hat. Re-blocked it just after taking these photos and will put a new liner & sweat in tomorrow.

 

[splintercellsz]

Great color. I really like the hat logo on the sweatband!

 

[John Galt]

Great color. I really like the hat logo on the sweatband!

Here's a closer shot. It says "Owner Ashton the Hatter."



The felt is amazing too. I usually clip the logo and other markings from the rotten bands (this one is falling apart) and glue them behind the new sweat with spray glue so as to save the important info. The spray glue makes it a lot like a post-it & doesn't seem to damage the felt.



And the new crease & roll, along with some of my new Beaver Brand (and Keen) crown blocks.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I like it. And I don't go much for brown hats...

 

[John Galt]

I like it. And I don't go much for brown hats...

I need to pick a band. I'm contemplating:

1. A durable leather band, maybe black with silver conches or studs;

2. A real brown bridle leather band with a bridle buckle;

3. An old fashioned mid-width grosgrain band & bow;

3. A thin grosgrain band in a contrasting color;

4. A thin grosgrain band in the same color.

Of these, the bridle band appeals most to me. I made one for a hat I refurbished fir my brother, and it came out nice. I'll post a pic of that & see what you all think of it.

 

[John Galt]

I like it. And I don't go much for brown hats...

Thanks, BTW. I like it too. It is lightweight - similar to an Open Road, but noticeably more durable by virtue of the nutria fur.

 

[John Galt]

Here's the new sweat and liner. These are Leko products. Not the best sweat, but it will do for a while, until I buy a gross of good ones. The main issue I have with it is that the leather is weak and always tears at the bottom stitches where the sweat is cut & sewn back together, and therefore always requires extra stitching to hold it together there.





Anyway, this is ready for a hatband. Here's the one I made from a bridle for my brother's fishing style hat, made from a stripped down Blltmore I bought at an antique store for $5.00. I'm thinking about making another for this hat:

 

[John Galt]

Just realized I sewed the little bow in upside down

 

[Landman]

Great job on the sweatband. I wish I had the skill and patience to sew a sweatband.

That old Nutria would look good with a horse hair band too. You can find some very nice horse hair bands on Ebay.

 

[frussell]

I agree with the horsehair band. If you want the hat to stay western, a mid-width ribbon or two cord ribbon would be great on that old hat, and keep it period accurate. You can always add a horsehair or leather hat band over the ribbon, like most cowboy hat wearers do. The bridle leather belt is nice, but would make it look more like a shooting or fishing hat. You've got my admiration just by sewing in your own sweats, that's hard work. Good luck, and good score, that's a killer hat. Frank.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I too would like to see the horsehair band option.

 

[Rogera]

I found some pretty cool westerns today while out and about. This one had a real nice hand. A little on the big side though!

 

[John Galt]

Thanks all! I will pick a horsehair band and/or a mid-width ribbon, I think. I may have trouble choosing. Both are pretty authentic, and I have no westerns with either trim. I love these Nutria and Nutria Quality hats, and have a few. I actually have another one the way from an eBay seller. Here's a before shot. Don't know yet whether I'll do anything but clean it up. It should be here Monday.



I grabbed this one at a shockingly low price. I may try one of Henry Ermatinger's cleaning solutions or Naptha, but Scout hat cleaner has been pretty good to me thus far...

 

[John Galt]

I found some pretty cool westerns today while out and about. This one had a real nice hand. A little on the big side though!

That one looks good on you. Might make a good project hat if the price is right. When resizing though, I like to go up rather than down, especially on light colored hats. The stitch marks and fading stains tend to be visible when going down on a light colored hat, because they move out onto the brim. Sizing up can sometimes be accomplished with a stretcher, which doesn't present that problem. If it's more than can safely be stretched, the fading and/or stitching holes can be hidden under the new ribbon. No such option when the ring is out there on the brim. Here's an example: my first effort at downsizing was on an old Portis I resized for my little boy (cost $.99 for the hat, my labor priceless)):



This is all right for a little kid who wants a hat like dad's, but no gent wants to wear something like this.

Here's one the ladies at Paul's in SF did for him, from an old Champ (cost $.99 for the hat - nasty & greasy, I cleaned it before having them resize it; $150.00 for labor - I didn't realize it would be so expensive & walked away a little embarrassed, which is why I made the other one myself).



the point is that color plays an important role in downsizing. The ladies obviously did a much better job than I did on my first attempt, but with a block and a dark hat, I think I could now do just as well.

 

[gtdean48]

Put my Campdraft Deluxe in an arena crease, top row 4th from left http://www.hatdoctor.com/styles.html gives it more of a western flair like original Open Roads...