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[Hurricane Jack]

Possibly. Bowlers are flatter on top than most people think, and if the BOP has a shorter crown, it may be a sort of optical illusion which is why I'm hoping someone can give a real side-by-side comparison.

Not to bu*tt in but one of the major differences is going to be in the crown shoulder of the BOP regardless of how flat top the bowler is or isn’t.

 

[jlee562]

Asking for a friend...

Does anyone have a Boss of the Plains AND a vintage Stetson bowler who could tell me how similar or different the crown shapes are from one another?

Thanks.

Well, not exactly. But here is my 1922 hat which comes from.the BOP/Austral lineage, my Knudsen repro BOP, and a Select Quality bowler.

 

[belfastboy]

Not to bu*tt in but one of the major differences is going to be in the crown shoulder of the BOP regardless of how flat top the bowler is or isn’t.

I welcome your input. What will that difference be?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I welcome your input. What will that difference be?

The radii are different.

 

[belfastboy]

The radii are different.

But you don't know in which way and how much?

 

[belfastboy]

Possibly. Bowlers are flatter on top than most people think, and if the BOP has a shorter crown, it may be a sort of optical illusion which is why I'm hoping someone can give a real side-by-side comparison.

How close is the bowler in JLee's picture to the one you want? I am away all weekend doing grand nephew minding. I will block the hat on Monday and show the result.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

But you don't know in which way and how much?

The crown shoulder radius on a bowler is much more open & relaxed than a BOP, just like the radius of a BOP is much more open & relaxed than say a Gambler or Vaquero. But I haven’t measured any blocks.

 

[Rmccamey]

That is a key ingredient, Jack.

Not to bu*tt in but one of the major differences is going to be in the crown shoulder of the BOP regardless of how flat top the bowler is or isn’t.

The crown shoulder radius on a bowler is much more open & relaxed than a BOP, just like the radius of a BOP is much more open & relaxed than say a Gambler or Vaquero. But I haven’t measured any blocks.

 

[Rmccamey]

Thank you, Jared. Very helpful.

Well, not exactly. But here is my 1922 hat which comes from.the BOP/Austral lineage, my Knudsen repro BOP, and a Select Quality bowler.

 

[Rmccamey]

The crown top on Jared's BOP/Austral (first picture) is a reasonable approximation. But notice, also, the very straight sides of the bowler in contrast to the side taper on the BOP's (more noticeable on the front and rear of the crown). In addition to the shoulder radius, the straight/vertical sides all around the crown are also a key element in order to help differentiate a Bowler crown from an Open crown.

Thanks, Robert.

How close is the bowler in JLee's picture to the one you want? I am away all weekend doing grand nephew minding. I will block the hat on Monday and show the result.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

That is a key ingredient, Jack.

I came from the BOP side & think the radius is one of two things most modern clones get wrong from an original BOP.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

The crown top on Jared's BOP/Austral (first picture) is a reasonable approximation. But notice, also, the very straight sides of the bowler in contrast to the side taper on the BOP's (more noticeable on the front and rear of the crown). In addition to the shoulder radius, the straight/vertical sides all around the crown are also a key element in order to help differentiate a Bowler crown from an Open crown.

Thanks, Robert.

Now compare the radii including a vaguero.

 

[Frunobulax]

Now compare the radii including a vaguero.

View attachment 822499

Hat? What hat?

 

[Rmccamey]

Yep. The Cambridge has a much smaller (tighter) radius than the standard bowler, then the vaquero and Gambler even tighter, then the top hat with an (almost) 90 degree break.

It seems like we would have at least one interested engineer/entrepreneur here on TFL who could do some sort of lazer mapping of some of these old hats to come up with a 3D program that could then be used to cut hat blocks to those exact specifications.

Now compare the radii including a vaguero.

View attachment 822499

 

[belfastboy]

Yep. The Cambridge has a much smaller (tighter) radius than the standard bowler, then the vaquero and Gambler even tighter, then the top hat with an (almost) 90 degree break.

It seems like we would have at least one interested engineer/entrepreneur here on TFL who could do some sort of lazer mapping of some of these old hats to come up with a 3D program that could then be used to cut hat blocks to those exact specifications.

There is now a website with free downloads of 3D printing of hat blocks. It has a drop down menu where you can dial in the degree of taper & the amount of dome. I have my 11 year old grand nephew working on. He has a high grade 3D printer and he itching to find projects. He is on the case!!!