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What I'm sadly finding out is that lack of $$$$ is keeping me from doing more with hats. To make your conversions come out nice you want to have the tools and materials to work with. You would want hat blocks, brim flanges, rounding jack, good quality leather sweats, ribbon, and there's just so much more you would need. My income is very limited and Social Security and working part time in a Warehouse doesn't pay well at all. The wife and I can't even afford to buy health insurance. So I'll stop there before I get myself worked up into an angry political rant. I would love to do so much more but I'm limited right now. I guess my frustration is showing.
But, if you're doing conversions for yourself, find a hat block for your size, around a quarter inch larger than your head measurement. If you're going to do a snap brim you'll also need a brim flange for the width you want. What I like to do, if the hat I'm converting is the same as my head size, is to try and reuse some of the original stuff that came with it, like the sweat and liner, or the ribbon, if they're in good shape. You want to make sure the hat you're converting is fur felt. There's other shortcuts you can take if you don't have the tools to work with but your hats won't come out nearly as good and won't look as crisp.
Thank you for your help. It sounds like I'd be over my head in no time. I've read others who improvised with what they had around the house and maybe a plastic block by Hat Shapers. I thought it would be a fun project and that I'd end up with a wearable hat. An exercise in frustration with disappointing results is not what I'm looking for.
I'll keep scrounging at antique stores and searching eBay.
Thank you again for your help.
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