Rick Blaine
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,958
- Location
- Saskatoon, SK CANADA
Once upon a time a not-so-young tyro hat collector & wanna-be renovator (your humble narrator, in fact) scored what looked to be his first Stetson Open Road from a chap in Scotland, of all climes.
(Auction photos)
As we can all see, due to casual storage, the hat was in need of a little tlc...
because of that and perhaps the fact that shipping to North America was gonna be steep, the hat was won for a mere twenty five bucks. I was overjoyed, ecstatic and I was counting the days that the slow boat from the UK arrived bearing my first thin-ribboned, bound brimmed lid and I too might join the O.R. fellowship!
Upon arrival I was not disappointed, in fact my estimation of the rarity and value of the purchase increased considerably as I learned that this lovely & unique off white (SB) Royal Stetson Western (not an Open Road at all, I can now see the subtle differences) was made in Spain under license to the John B. Stetson Co. of Philadelphia USA.
It was retailed on the Calle Antonia Salva (Antonia Salva Street) shopping district in Palma de Mallorca, one of Spain's poshest resort areas. Palma is the major city and port in the island of Mallorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Ok... so far so good, I start to put a little steam to it to resolve the hella-creases that resulted from the smashed-in crown. I also used the better part of a can of some "light colored felt hat cleaner", I guess it worked, though it left the under brim kinda splotchy and uneven in tone, like it had vitaglio or something.
Still, I was quite happy with the results.
The only thing that was bugging me, and you cannot see it here, was the less than consistent tone beneath the brim. So after owning and wearing this hat for almost a year I decide to give it the ol' white gas baptism!
What could happen, thinks I, after all I had dunked over a dozen hats in gas, naphtha, alcohol or the like and all of them have come through with flying colors. Why, once I even inadvertanly left the feather in a ribbon of an Adam and it came out looking fantastic! So what the hey, right?
Into the gas it goes and then, to my absolute horror, this ensues:
I am devastated, overwhelmed, confounded and stunned... beneath the sweatband there was apparently some sort of &^%#$#@#$&^ soot like material, some black granular CRAP that proceeded to ABSOLUTELY PERMEATE this lovely silver belly body
maybe in Europe, at one time, the sweats were smoke tanned or cured or something, maybe it was mold or mildew, maybe it was karma biting me on the @ss, I dunno, but it was a monumental DRAG.
My first major setback as a DIY renovator... I tried gas, water & woolite, threats & demands and nothing, it seems, is going to dislodge this FUNK.
The hat's remains have now been sent to a well known Mississippi hatter to see if anything might be done to resuscitate the poor bugger. I no longer hold out much hope, but one never knows, eh?
(Auction photos)
As we can all see, due to casual storage, the hat was in need of a little tlc...
because of that and perhaps the fact that shipping to North America was gonna be steep, the hat was won for a mere twenty five bucks. I was overjoyed, ecstatic and I was counting the days that the slow boat from the UK arrived bearing my first thin-ribboned, bound brimmed lid and I too might join the O.R. fellowship!
Upon arrival I was not disappointed, in fact my estimation of the rarity and value of the purchase increased considerably as I learned that this lovely & unique off white (SB) Royal Stetson Western (not an Open Road at all, I can now see the subtle differences) was made in Spain under license to the John B. Stetson Co. of Philadelphia USA.
It was retailed on the Calle Antonia Salva (Antonia Salva Street) shopping district in Palma de Mallorca, one of Spain's poshest resort areas. Palma is the major city and port in the island of Mallorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Ok... so far so good, I start to put a little steam to it to resolve the hella-creases that resulted from the smashed-in crown. I also used the better part of a can of some "light colored felt hat cleaner", I guess it worked, though it left the under brim kinda splotchy and uneven in tone, like it had vitaglio or something.
Still, I was quite happy with the results.
The only thing that was bugging me, and you cannot see it here, was the less than consistent tone beneath the brim. So after owning and wearing this hat for almost a year I decide to give it the ol' white gas baptism!
What could happen, thinks I, after all I had dunked over a dozen hats in gas, naphtha, alcohol or the like and all of them have come through with flying colors. Why, once I even inadvertanly left the feather in a ribbon of an Adam and it came out looking fantastic! So what the hey, right?
Into the gas it goes and then, to my absolute horror, this ensues:
I am devastated, overwhelmed, confounded and stunned... beneath the sweatband there was apparently some sort of &^%#$#@#$&^ soot like material, some black granular CRAP that proceeded to ABSOLUTELY PERMEATE this lovely silver belly body
maybe in Europe, at one time, the sweats were smoke tanned or cured or something, maybe it was mold or mildew, maybe it was karma biting me on the @ss, I dunno, but it was a monumental DRAG.
My first major setback as a DIY renovator... I tried gas, water & woolite, threats & demands and nothing, it seems, is going to dislodge this FUNK.
The hat's remains have now been sent to a well known Mississippi hatter to see if anything might be done to resuscitate the poor bugger. I no longer hold out much hope, but one never knows, eh?
