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What Hat Are You Working On Today?

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
I dont work on hats the way some of you do. So, I don't know if this post fits here or somewhere else, but did you ever have a hat you couldn't stop messing with? For me that is my Beaver Brand 5X. It started out very western and has morphed into something else. I have trimmed and flattened out the brim, changed the bash, changed the leather hat band to a simple ribbon, and then just today changed out the ribbon for a pug. I like what it has turned into though.
When I got it:
View attachment 496703
Now:
View attachment 496704
View attachment 496705
Beaver Brand are great hats to play with and modify... Ive got one similar to yours here that is getting ready for a diet (trimming brim from 3-1/2" down to 2-1/2" brim) Not expensive but decent fur. All of mine are comfortable hats
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
Did some work on the Knox 15 today. Leather sweatband was crumbling and about half the stitching in the hat were popped. I dissassembled, gave it a good gas bath, did some blocking and sewed in a new sweatband and liner. As mentioned before the sweatband was toast, but the gold embossed Knox 15 logo was decent so I salvaged it and affixed in the top of the new liner. Removed and pressed the ribbon and sewed it back on. Gave it a good steaming and press on the brim block so it snaps better now. Far from new, and I cant do much about the moth nibbles, but now it doesnt look like a garage sale refugee

I was all proud of myself as I did NOT prick my fingers with the needle at all. Also think I need to get my eyes checked...About the time I finished I noticed that I managed to sew in the sweatband about 5 % off kilter... Oh well. Ill address that another day.

Compress_20240902_182453_3528.jpg
Compress_20240902_182453_3862.jpg
Compress_20240902_182453_3172.jpg
 

VoodooSan

One Too Many
Messages
1,482
Location
Boise, ID
Did some work on the Knox 15 today. Leather sweatband was crumbling and about half the stitching in the hat were popped. I dissassembled, gave it a good gas bath, did some blocking and sewed in a new sweatband and liner. As mentioned before the sweatband was toast, but the gold embossed Knox 15 logo was decent so I salvaged it and affixed in the top of the new liner. Removed and pressed the ribbon and sewed it back on. Gave it a good steaming and press on the brim block so it snaps better now. Far from new, and I cant do much about the moth nibbles, but now it doesnt look like a garage sale refugee

I was all proud of myself as I did NOT prick my fingers with the needle at all. Also think I need to get my eyes checked...About the time I finished I noticed that I managed to sew in the sweatband about 5 % off kilter... Oh well. Ill address that another day.

View attachment 637170 View attachment 637172 View attachment 637171
Nice work, Rick!
 
Messages
11,546
Did some work on the Knox 15 today. Leather sweatband was crumbling and about half the stitching in the hat were popped. I dissassembled, gave it a good gas bath, did some blocking and sewed in a new sweatband and liner. As mentioned before the sweatband was toast, but the gold embossed Knox 15 logo was decent so I salvaged it and affixed in the top of the new liner. Removed and pressed the ribbon and sewed it back on. Gave it a good steaming and press on the brim block so it snaps better now. Far from new, and I cant do much about the moth nibbles, but now it doesnt look like a garage sale refugee

I was all proud of myself as I did NOT prick my fingers with the needle at all. Also think I need to get my eyes checked...About the time I finished I noticed that I managed to sew in the sweatband about 5 % off kilter... Oh well. Ill address that another day.

View attachment 637170 View attachment 637172 View attachment 637171
Ohh that came out nice. Love that idea of affixing the sweat logo to the new liner.
 
Messages
10,796
Location
vancouver, canada
Here are two felts on the bench for today. First is a Nutria in Cobalt blue. It is the thicker 160gr felt and the client wants a softer/thinner feel so I am pouncing the heck out of it. First pass is inside out with a coarser grit to thin it out without the care of producing mottling. It has now been reblocked inside right for a lighter pounce to finish.
Second pic is a FEPSA beaver felt that had a dye job that bled dye during the steaming. So I turned it into an experiment of a natural Indigo overdye.
cobaltnutria.jpg
denim1.jpg
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
FINALLY got around to starting big project... my first full hat build! Today I have to see how close I could get a raw rabbit cape to actually start looking like an actual hat. Took about 2 hrs of steaming and stretching, working, and smoothing to get to this point. Shooting for a 5-1/2" crown and about a 2-3/4" brim with a bound edge. Its way thinner than "cowboy " weight felt, but has a lot of material to work with. Planning to pounce the heck out of it and hopefully end up with a fairly thin soft hat ( Im assuming when it gets to that point Ill be working out on the patio... I have ENOUGH trouble with dust in this old house as it is lol!


So far have the crown pretty close to what I want and most of the major wrinkles worked out of the brim. Pretty much have a right angle established where the crown and brim intersect. Got to use a new-to-me old wooden Hat Block that just arrived today. My hands and forearms are sore so I believe this is a good stopping place for the day.

Ill call it a good start

Compress_20240918_164532_2126.jpg


Compress_20240918_120139_9882.jpg
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
Started the day with a little brim trimming. Got rid of the jagged edge it came with and now has a smooth 2-7/8" brim edge... definitely more civilized. Did a little pouncing and ironing so its a lot smoother surface. Will see if ive got any really fine sandpaper and load up a little vibratory sander later today to smooth and thin it out a bit more ( Im already regretting doing this on the workbench (kitchen table)... my dining room has fuzz everywhere. My dog walked through and has fuzz stuck to his paws lol. Ill be working outside later for sure.

I think the size is just about right... about the same as some of the cowboy conversions. ( Ive got plenty of more modest sized hats... Ill stay a hair bigger for this one) For size comparison, its sitting next to my green Akubra Lawson (it has a 3-1/8" brim)... Pretty similar but with more of a center dent. Loving the color now that its got some shape.

If you have to start the day early, might as well have some fun and start with some progress!

Compress_20240919_073937_7926.jpg
Compress_20240919_081217_7871.jpg
 
Last edited:

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
New project is looking better now that most of the fuzz is gone. Still got some more sanding and ironing to do... everytime I look at how nice and smooth the Akubra Heritage felt is beside it I want to go grab more 600 grit paper lol. (maybe I should go 100 or 1200 grit?) I DID go ahead and shave the brim down to 2-5/8. Still need to do some work on the brim thickness too. I like to looks of both the 1-1/2" brown and black ribbon, but Im thinking that with a brown edge binding that the brown would look less contrasty. Definately going to do a snap brim

This would probably be simplier if it was for for someone who already knew exactly what they wanted... Im designing and building on the fly here and there are so many nice treatments to choose from lol

Compress_20240919_144743_3020.jpg
Compress_20240919_143454_4733.jpg
Compress_20240919_143455_5019.jpg
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
As recommended by BellfastBoy, I upped the pouncing paper to 1000 grit. Ive been using a semi flexible sanding backer ( 3x9") and sanding by hand instead of using the vibratory sander. Have a couple passes now and its really starting to smooth the surface out and look a lot more evened up . Sitting here right now with a big honking Bloody Mary trying to decide if I should get brave try the vibratory sander to speed things up or just keep going slowly by hand ( power tools scare me sometimes) Ill do a couple more rounds of 1000 grit dust creation ( Figure I already have a bunch of felt dust in the dining room so I might as well keep working in there ... its too hot and muggy outside today) . I DO have some 2000 grit paper but that MAY prove to be overkill. Its already ALMOST up to the finish level of a couple soft Soverign Temples I have with the 1000 grit. Im getting the felt thinned down to a nice dress thickness and its nice and soft. This is very, very possibly going to being a nice little rabbit hat.. Ive already got the 5/8" ribbon standing by for the edge binding just as soon as I get the surface and thickness where I want it. Ill be using a slow hand double needle stitching so Ill have a nice tight straight stitch line with no gaps. Once again, the leatherworking skills are coming in handy with hats.

Compress_20240920_110938_8269.jpg
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
The former Gay Prince lives to ride again!

Breathing a big sigh of relief... a couple hours of work and things are looking a lot brighter. Ive lowered the crown of yesterdays ebay disaster about 3/4" and most of that has moved out on the brim. Now sitting just a hair over 2-1/8" brim and thats livable. Think the shorter crown looks a little more civilized anyway.

During the process I found several holes and a bad tear where the brim meets the crown. Got the felt cleaned and reblocked. I was honestly afraid that this hat was going to turn into nothing more than a spare Sweatband, liner and late 40's tags with a bit of scrap felt. Now Im confident it can all go back together. It just wont be a Gay Prince/ Tijuana anymore (sad face). I think Ill be able to carefully cut some plugs out of inconspicuous spots on the back of the original hatband and plug up the 4 or 5 holes that were found under the hatband and are now out on the brim. The brim/ crown tear that is now a half inch out on the brim will have some repair stitches showing, but I can live with it. Ribbon binding on the edge will hide any warts on the brim edge just fine. A 1-1/2" Grograin band and ribbon should camouflage some crown spots from the old shorter 1" felt hatband.... Im way happier than I was 4-5 hours ago

Heres some before, during and after pics. As I mentioned in a previous post... if anyone needs a decent mint green Gay Prince/ Tijuana hatband let me know, Im not planning on reusing it.



Compress_20240920_103703_3935.jpg
Compress_20240920_103704_4499.jpg
Compress_20240921_144749_9595.jpg
Compress_20240921_161633_3660.jpg
 
Messages
11,546
The former Gay Prince lives to ride again!

Breathing a big sigh of relief... a couple hours of work and things are looking a lot brighter. Ive lowered the crown of yesterdays ebay disaster about 3/4" and most of that has moved out on the brim. Now sitting just a hair over 2-1/8" brim and thats livable. Think the shorter crown looks a little more civilized anyway.

During the process I found several holes and a bad tear where the brim meets the crown. Got the felt cleaned and reblocked. I was honestly afraid that this hat was going to turn into nothing more than a spare Sweatband, liner and late 40's tags with a bit of scrap felt. Now Im confident it can all go back together. It just wont be a Gay Prince/ Tijuana anymore (sad face). I think Ill be able to carefully cut some plugs out of inconspicuous spots on the back of the original hatband and plug up the 4 or 5 holes that were found under the hatband and are now out on the brim. The brim/ crown tear that is now a half inch out on the brim will have some repair stitches showing, but I can live with it. Ribbon binding on the edge will hide any warts on the brim edge just fine. A 1-1/2" Grograin band and ribbon should camouflage some crown spots from the old shorter 1" felt hatband.... Im way happier than I was 4-5 hours ago

Heres some before, during and after pics. As I mentioned in a previous post... if anyone needs a decent mint green Gay Prince/ Tijuana hatband let me know, Im not planning on reusing it.



View attachment 641399 View attachment 641400 View attachment 641398 View attachment 641397
Much better proportions! Was going to suggest you attempt just That. Glad you were able to preserve through to salvage this cool felt.
 
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RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
The formerly Gay Prince is ALIVE again!

Got my first sewing machine Edge binding done today ! I wasn't brave enough to actually plug the electrical cord in, so I just rotated the crank by hand. Figured it would be a lot more consistent than doing by hand ( and it was!) It covered up all the edge imperfections up nicely ( most were unevenly cut scissor marks that I had to clean up) This one project has justified every penny I spent on the new Singer Heavy duty sewing machine a few months back! Ill get brave on the next ribbon binding and plug the machine in, that should give a more consistent stitch length ..... but its still better than my hand stitching

Among other things, I had to cut and glue some felt plugs in to camo some of the old ripped hatband stitch locations that are now 1/2" out on the brim instead of under the hatband. Pleasantly surprised at how well they came out. I lightly sanded with some 2000 grit on a couple and they basically disappeared. One rip was almost 1/4" in diameter. Sure glad there was some extra "donor" felt on the underside of the original felt hatband. Had JUST enough while still leaving the original intact ( as I said earlier, if anyone needs an original mint green Gay Prince / Tijuana hatband let me know!... I have no use for it. ).

I DO seem to have glued the bad tear at the crown/ brim junction back together ( it had a 1/4" wide diagonal tear with plenty of surface area for the fabric glue) No visible glue, and it looks like I can avoid having to do any reinforcing stitches. As a side note for anyone who has wondered about the stuff, The Fabri-Tac glue works well. Apply it and pin in place till dry... then scrape of any excess that is visible and iron with a press cloth, the steam reactivates the glue and gives a nice bond on the fibers. Ive used it on light leathers for years as well. Good stuff

I managed to rework the crown and brim so that after adding the edge binding, I now have ALMOST a 2-1/4" brim now (much better than the 1-3/4" that I got from ebay). Crown is about 3/4" shorter than it was and doesnt look like Elmer Fudds "Wabbit huntin" hat anymore

I looked at using a darker green ,a mint green, a black , a silverbelly, and this Khaki colored ribbon. For such a light colored hat, the Khaki seemed less contrasty and more complementary. I just threw on an old hat ribbon I had laying around to see what it looked like... I dont really like the flat bow on this one so Ill make up a nicer one. The 1-1/2" ribbon perfectly hides a couple ugly spots on the crown. Only minor oops is that my "Khaki" thread is a bit lighter than the ribbon itself... maybe I can rub some nose and forehead oil in to darken it a bit lol.

There are a couple ugly spots at the brim/crown junction underneath from old ripped stitching holes, but Im pretty sure they will be pretty well hidden when I sew the sweatband back in. ( Ive never had anyone peek under the brim of any of my hats anyway lol) At least now the sweatband will have "new" felt to get sewn to without any holes or rips underneath the stitches

Its not a Gay Prince anymore, but Ill be able to glue all the original tags back inside when I reassemble... AND WEAR IT!!!!. Im beyond thrilled with how its turning out. Throwing in a before shot with the new pics



Compress_20240920_103704_4499.jpg
Compress_20240922_152430_0743.jpg
Compress_20240922_152926_6323.jpg
Compress_20240922_153210_0983.jpg
 
Messages
11,546
The formerly Gay Prince is ALIVE again!

Got my first sewing machine Edge binding done today ! I wasn't brave enough to actually plug the electrical cord in, so I just rotated the crank by hand. Figured it would be a lot more consistent than doing by hand ( and it was!) It covered up all the edge imperfections up nicely ( most were unevenly cut scissor marks that I had to clean up) This one project has justified every penny I spent on the new Singer Heavy duty sewing machine a few months back! Ill get brave on the next ribbon binding and plug the machine in, that should give a more consistent stitch length ..... but its still better than my hand stitching

Among other things, I had to cut and glue some felt plugs in to camo some of the old ripped hatband stitch locations that are now 1/2" out on the brim instead of under the hatband. Pleasantly surprised at how well they came out. I lightly sanded with some 2000 grit on a couple and they basically disappeared. One rip was almost 1/4" in diameter. Sure glad there was some extra "donor" felt on the underside of the original felt hatband. Had JUST enough while still leaving the original intact ( as I said earlier, if anyone needs an original mint green Gay Prince / Tijuana hatband let me know!... I have no use for it. ).

I DO seem to have glued the bad tear at the crown/ brim junction back together ( it had a 1/4" wide diagonal tear with plenty of surface area for the fabric glue) No visible glue, and it looks like I can avoid having to do any reinforcing stitches. As a side note for anyone who has wondered about the stuff, The Fabri-Tac glue works well. Apply it and pin in place till dry... then scrape of any excess that is visible and iron with a press cloth, the steam reactivates the glue and gives a nice bond on the fibers. Ive used it on light leathers for years as well. Good stuff

I managed to rework the crown and brim so that after adding the edge binding, I now have ALMOST a 2-1/4" brim now (much better than the 1-3/4" that I got from ebay). Crown is about 3/4" shorter than it was and doesnt look like Elmer Fudds "Wabbit huntin" hat anymore

I looked at using a darker green ,a mint green, a black , a silverbelly, and this Khaki colored ribbon. For such a light colored hat, the Khaki seemed less contrasty and more complementary. I just threw on an old hat ribbon I had laying around to see what it looked like... I dont really like the flat bow on this one so Ill make up a nicer one. The 1-1/2" ribbon perfectly hides a couple ugly spots on the crown. Only minor oops is that my "Khaki" thread is a bit lighter than the ribbon itself... maybe I can rub some nose and forehead oil in to darken it a bit lol.

There are a couple ugly spots at the brim/crown junction underneath from old ripped stitching holes, but Im pretty sure they will be pretty well hidden when I sew the sweatband back in. ( Ive never had anyone peek under the brim of any of my hats anyway lol) At least now the sweatband will have "new" felt to get sewn to without any holes or rips underneath the stitches

Its not a Gay Prince anymore, but Ill be able to glue all the original tags back inside when I reassemble... AND WEAR IT!!!!. Im beyond thrilled with how its turning out. Throwing in a before shot with the new pics



View attachment 641632 View attachment 641635 View attachment 641634 View attachment 641633
Well done!!
 

shopkin

Familiar Face
Messages
95
The formerly Gay Prince is ALIVE again!

Got my first sewing machine Edge binding done today ! I wasn't brave enough to actually plug the electrical cord in, so I just rotated the crank by hand. Figured it would be a lot more consistent than doing by hand ( and it was!) It covered up all the edge imperfections up nicely ( most were unevenly cut scissor marks that I had to clean up) This one project has justified every penny I spent on the new Singer Heavy duty sewing machine a few months back! Ill get brave on the next ribbon binding and plug the machine in, that should give a more consistent stitch length ..... but its still better than my hand stitching

Among other things, I had to cut and glue some felt plugs in to camo some of the old ripped hatband stitch locations that are now 1/2" out on the brim instead of under the hatband. Pleasantly surprised at how well they came out. I lightly sanded with some 2000 grit on a couple and they basically disappeared. One rip was almost 1/4" in diameter. Sure glad there was some extra "donor" felt on the underside of the original felt hatband. Had JUST enough while still leaving the original intact ( as I said earlier, if anyone needs an original mint green Gay Prince / Tijuana hatband let me know!... I have no use for it. ).

I DO seem to have glued the bad tear at the crown/ brim junction back together ( it had a 1/4" wide diagonal tear with plenty of surface area for the fabric glue) No visible glue, and it looks like I can avoid having to do any reinforcing stitches. As a side note for anyone who has wondered about the stuff, The Fabri-Tac glue works well. Apply it and pin in place till dry... then scrape of any excess that is visible and iron with a press cloth, the steam reactivates the glue and gives a nice bond on the fibers. Ive used it on light leathers for years as well. Good stuff

I managed to rework the crown and brim so that after adding the edge binding, I now have ALMOST a 2-1/4" brim now (much better than the 1-3/4" that I got from ebay). Crown is about 3/4" shorter than it was and doesnt look like Elmer Fudds "Wabbit huntin" hat anymore

I looked at using a darker green ,a mint green, a black , a silverbelly, and this Khaki colored ribbon. For such a light colored hat, the Khaki seemed less contrasty and more complementary. I just threw on an old hat ribbon I had laying around to see what it looked like... I dont really like the flat bow on this one so Ill make up a nicer one. The 1-1/2" ribbon perfectly hides a couple ugly spots on the crown. Only minor oops is that my "Khaki" thread is a bit lighter than the ribbon itself... maybe I can rub some nose and forehead oil in to darken it a bit lol.

There are a couple ugly spots at the brim/crown junction underneath from old ripped stitching holes, but Im pretty sure they will be pretty well hidden when I sew the sweatband back in. ( Ive never had anyone peek under the brim of any of my hats anyway lol) At least now the sweatband will have "new" felt to get sewn to without any holes or rips underneath the stitches

Its not a Gay Prince anymore, but Ill be able to glue all the original tags back inside when I reassemble... AND WEAR IT!!!!. Im beyond thrilled with how its turning out. Throwing in a before shot with the new pics



View attachment 641632 View attachment 641635 View attachment 641634 View attachment 641633
Really nice. What kind of machine?
 

RickP

Practically Family
Messages
750
Really nice. What kind of machine?
its just a Singer 4452 I originally bought it to sew light suedes and leather. Figured it work for felt too. My big leather machine(Cobra Class 4) just cant do the smaller needles and thread so I picked up this Singer
 

The Shoe

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,083
Location
Wakayama, Japan
The formerly Gay Prince is ALIVE again!

Got my first sewing machine Edge binding done today ! I wasn't brave enough to actually plug the electrical cord in, so I just rotated the crank by hand. Figured it would be a lot more consistent than doing by hand ( and it was!) It covered up all the edge imperfections up nicely ( most were unevenly cut scissor marks that I had to clean up) This one project has justified every penny I spent on the new Singer Heavy duty sewing machine a few months back! Ill get brave on the next ribbon binding and plug the machine in, that should give a more consistent stitch length ..... but its still better than my hand stitching

Among other things, I had to cut and glue some felt plugs in to camo some of the old ripped hatband stitch locations that are now 1/2" out on the brim instead of under the hatband. Pleasantly surprised at how well they came out. I lightly sanded with some 2000 grit on a couple and they basically disappeared. One rip was almost 1/4" in diameter. Sure glad there was some extra "donor" felt on the underside of the original felt hatband. Had JUST enough while still leaving the original intact ( as I said earlier, if anyone needs an original mint green Gay Prince / Tijuana hatband let me know!... I have no use for it. ).

I DO seem to have glued the bad tear at the crown/ brim junction back together ( it had a 1/4" wide diagonal tear with plenty of surface area for the fabric glue) No visible glue, and it looks like I can avoid having to do any reinforcing stitches. As a side note for anyone who has wondered about the stuff, The Fabri-Tac glue works well. Apply it and pin in place till dry... then scrape of any excess that is visible and iron with a press cloth, the steam reactivates the glue and gives a nice bond on the fibers. Ive used it on light leathers for years as well. Good stuff

I managed to rework the crown and brim so that after adding the edge binding, I now have ALMOST a 2-1/4" brim now (much better than the 1-3/4" that I got from ebay). Crown is about 3/4" shorter than it was and doesnt look like Elmer Fudds "Wabbit huntin" hat anymore

I looked at using a darker green ,a mint green, a black , a silverbelly, and this Khaki colored ribbon. For such a light colored hat, the Khaki seemed less contrasty and more complementary. I just threw on an old hat ribbon I had laying around to see what it looked like... I dont really like the flat bow on this one so Ill make up a nicer one. The 1-1/2" ribbon perfectly hides a couple ugly spots on the crown. Only minor oops is that my "Khaki" thread is a bit lighter than the ribbon itself... maybe I can rub some nose and forehead oil in to darken it a bit lol.

There are a couple ugly spots at the brim/crown junction underneath from old ripped stitching holes, but Im pretty sure they will be pretty well hidden when I sew the sweatband back in. ( Ive never had anyone peek under the brim of any of my hats anyway lol) At least now the sweatband will have "new" felt to get sewn to without any holes or rips underneath the stitches

Its not a Gay Prince anymore, but Ill be able to glue all the original tags back inside when I reassemble... AND WEAR IT!!!!. Im beyond thrilled with how its turning out. Throwing in a before shot with the new pics



View attachment 641632 View attachment 641635 View attachment 641634 View attachment 641633
Beautiful work. Well done!
 

rogueclimber

A-List Customer
Messages
461
Location
Marina del Rey
The formerly Gay Prince is ALIVE again!

Got my first sewing machine Edge binding done today ! I wasn't brave enough to actually plug the electrical cord in, so I just rotated the crank by hand. Figured it would be a lot more consistent than doing by hand ( and it was!) It covered up all the edge imperfections up nicely ( most were unevenly cut scissor marks that I had to clean up) This one project has justified every penny I spent on the new Singer Heavy duty sewing machine a few months back! Ill get brave on the next ribbon binding and plug the machine in, that should give a more consistent stitch length ..... but its still better than my hand stitching

Among other things, I had to cut and glue some felt plugs in to camo some of the old ripped hatband stitch locations that are now 1/2" out on the brim instead of under the hatband. Pleasantly surprised at how well they came out. I lightly sanded with some 2000 grit on a couple and they basically disappeared. One rip was almost 1/4" in diameter. Sure glad there was some extra "donor" felt on the underside of the original felt hatband. Had JUST enough while still leaving the original intact ( as I said earlier, if anyone needs an original mint green Gay Prince / Tijuana hatband let me know!... I have no use for it. ).

I DO seem to have glued the bad tear at the crown/ brim junction back together ( it had a 1/4" wide diagonal tear with plenty of surface area for the fabric glue) No visible glue, and it looks like I can avoid having to do any reinforcing stitches. As a side note for anyone who has wondered about the stuff, The Fabri-Tac glue works well. Apply it and pin in place till dry... then scrape of any excess that is visible and iron with a press cloth, the steam reactivates the glue and gives a nice bond on the fibers. Ive used it on light leathers for years as well. Good stuff

I managed to rework the crown and brim so that after adding the edge binding, I now have ALMOST a 2-1/4" brim now (much better than the 1-3/4" that I got from ebay). Crown is about 3/4" shorter than it was and doesnt look like Elmer Fudds "Wabbit huntin" hat anymore

I looked at using a darker green ,a mint green, a black , a silverbelly, and this Khaki colored ribbon. For such a light colored hat, the Khaki seemed less contrasty and more complementary. I just threw on an old hat ribbon I had laying around to see what it looked like... I dont really like the flat bow on this one so Ill make up a nicer one. The 1-1/2" ribbon perfectly hides a couple ugly spots on the crown. Only minor oops is that my "Khaki" thread is a bit lighter than the ribbon itself... maybe I can rub some nose and forehead oil in to darken it a bit lol.

There are a couple ugly spots at the brim/crown junction underneath from old ripped stitching holes, but Im pretty sure they will be pretty well hidden when I sew the sweatband back in. ( Ive never had anyone peek under the brim of any of my hats anyway lol) At least now the sweatband will have "new" felt to get sewn to without any holes or rips underneath the stitches

Its not a Gay Prince anymore, but Ill be able to glue all the original tags back inside when I reassemble... AND WEAR IT!!!!. Im beyond thrilled with how its turning out. Throwing in a before shot with the new pics



View attachment 641632 View attachment 641635 View attachment 641634 View attachment 641633

An amazing transformation
 

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