Alright, dumb question...

[JoeSki]

Just what exactly is a "snap brim"? I've read many threads here, searched Yahoo answers and browsed numerous online stores selling fedoras, but I've not seen a single definition for what a "snap brim" is. From the sounds of it, it's a hat with a brim that can either be snapped upward or downward, but I'm not positive.

And while I'm on this question, has there ever been a thread that explains a lot of the terminology used here? Sometimes I can gather what a word is by reading through a thread, but then other times I never fully "get it", which makes it a bit difficult to get by around here since there's no other dictionary online for a lot of the terms used.

 

[Caity Lynn]

I second that request for information!

 

[Lefty]

You've got it on the snap brim. Some brims are flanged (shaped in manufacture) to stay up or down. Some are just kind of floppy. Snap brims do just what the name implies.

As to terminology and general knowledge, this place is a disaster. The stickies are weak (at best) and the knowledge is beyond diffuse. This isn't a characteristic of this site alone, but is pretty common for these types of boards. Read and learn is the best advice I can give. For me, though there are different methodologies recommended by others, the best way to search the Lounge is not through the search function, but by using Google this way:

1. type (with the quotes) in the search field "fedora lounge" and whatever it is you're looking for, in the way that it's most likely to be written by a casual web poster, i.e., "fedora lounge" "best felt"
2. don't bother reading the results yet. go to the bottom of the last page of results and click the link that says something along the lines of "run search again and show omitted results."
3. your first page of results should now show all of the links to postings in the lounge where "best felt" appears.

once you get through the basics, the rest is easy, as there are photos of nearly everything.

good luck, and welcome to the lounge.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Agreed, Lefty. The one thing I would add is that I use a slightly different system to search the Lounge. Go to Google and use the "Advanced Search" function. Then type in thefedoralounge.com as the domain to be searched. You are then free to enter precise phrases, along with any adjunct terms that may help to flag appropriate content. I find that this method has a very high percentage of returning the results that I am looking for.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Josephine]

You've got it on the snap brim. Some brims are flanged (shaped in manufacture) to stay up or down. Some are just kind of floppy. Snap brims do just what the name implies.

But Is there something (wire??) in the brim that allows it to snap into place? Or is the felt just stiff enough that the brim keeps the shape you put it by itself?

 

[barrowjh]

No wire in the brim. The felt is just tight, such that it will NOT lie flat, in other words, the circumference of the outer edge is not sufficient relative to the width of the brim. Either it is all up, or all down, for the felt to 'relax.' When it is all up, and you pull the front brim down, it feels like it is snapping, and sometimes you may hear a sort of snap, but it is a felt snap and not a metallic sound. Hats should be stored with the brim relaxed, or otherwise the brim becomes stretched out and no longer has any snap (becomes floppy).

 

[thunderw21]

But Is there something (wire??) in the brim that allows it to snap into place? Or is the felt just stiff enough that the brim keeps the shape you put it by itself?

It's the tension in the felt, around the edge. Most snap brim fedoras are at rest when the brim is flipped up all the way around. But if you try snapping it down eventually you'll 'break' that tension and it will go down. It makes a slight popping noise when you do.

One thing about snap brims, you don't want to keep the brim down too long (when not being worn) because it can stretch the felt a bit and wear out the snap, removing it from the snap brim fedora catagory.

 

[Tango Yankee]

^ There's nothing in the brim other then a stiffening agent and the way it's "flanged" when the hat is being made. The flange is an oval-shaped piece of wood with an oval in the middle. The top side of the flange has a curve to it. The hat body, pulled down onto a hat block, is set inside the flange "upside down" so that the crown of the hat is down. Brim sticks out over the flange. If you're a hatter with a heated sand back press, the combination goes under the press; if you don't have a press you use a steam iron. The heat activates the stiffener in the felt, and the curve to the flange sets the curve in the felt. When the hat is removed from the flange and block and set upright the brim will curve up around the edge all the way around. Traditionally the front of the brim is then "snapped" down when worn, giving that snapped down in front and curved up in the back look that we associate with fedoras.

Here's a photo from another thread that shows a flange (under the hat Steve Delk is holding) and in front of his right arm is a hat block. You'll notice the flange is on a stand--that lifts the flange up so the hat on the block can be set inside it, crown down.

That's a rough description of how I think the "snap" is created. I hope it's somewhat accurate!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Josephine]

Ok, thanks!

 

[JoeSki]

Ok, here's another one:

I see the "block" in the picture above, but how is it used? What does "reblocking" mean exactly?

I think for a message board like this a sticky vocabulary thread could be very useful. Has an admin ever thought of creating one? I'm sure most of the long time members here understand the lingo used but having a all purpose Dictionary thread could cut down on superflous threads asking questions like "What is velour?", or "Who is this 'Art' guy anyways?".

If anyone thinks this is a good idea, maybe someone could start a "Post terms you don't know the meaning to" thread and then later compile and organize that into a sticky.

 

[Wil Tam]

using advanced search works you know

you can usually find an answer to a question by typing keywords in Google which usually brings you right back to this forum ... fancy that!

New York certainly still has a good number of hat stores, and some of them offer excellent customer service (I had a great experience at Arnold Hatters). The problem is that they can only sell the hats they are supplied with, and since the overall quality of hats produced today has fallen dramatically from what it was in "the good old days," few of them have anything that approaches the quality of a vintage hat.

The most popular modern fedoras on this site are custom options such as Vintage Silhouettes and Optimo for around $300 to $500, and hats by an Australian company called Akubra, which are more affordable at $100 to $200.

As far as reshaping is concerned, be aware that there is a difference between blocking and simply shaping a hat. Blocking is a process by which a hatter puts the hat on a wood block and conforms the hat to the shape of the block. However, many hats can be reshaped by the owner with little to no equipment, unless they are really in bad shape, or have a lot of stiffener keeping them in one particular shape.

For information on shaping the hat yourself, variously referred to as creasing, bashing, and shaping, do some searches here for "hat creases" and the word "bash". Though many use steam from a tea kettle, I suspect that the heat may cause the hat to taper prematurely, and recommend using room temperature distilled water. Simply wet the hat and the fibers will loosen up. When it dries, it will hold the shape it was in. Also, some hats don't even require moisture- you just shape them and they stay that way.

Looks like this is the thread that you wanted to start Joe!



----------------
Now playing: Juliana Theory, the - 10000 Questions
via FoxyTunes

 

[zetwal]

How would you identify a brim with the following characteristics?

One of my favorite hats is an old open crown with a brim that has a very slight curl up in the back but the front will stay flat or dip down as you choose. It's very soft and doesn't really 'snap down' at all. Is there a name for what I'm describing? Or is this simply a pleasant characteristic of this particular hat?

Thanks!

 

[Lefty]

Please post a photo.

 

[JoeSki]

Just so everyone knows, when I get a good, clear, slow day at work I plan on creating a small Fedora Lounge dictionary based on what I already know and the answers here in this thread for the board.

Until then, what in Hades in a "nap" when referring to hats?

I've read that "velour" is a type of finish applied to felts. Are there any other kind of finishes? And what is a "finish" anyways? Is it a protective coating to give the hat material a particular texture, or an additional process that the material goes through before being blocked?

Is a "crushable" fedora one that can be rolled up and condensed (or "crushed") into a compact sized or that that is stiff and thus destroyed (or "crushed) when applied with pressure?

Is Art short for Arnold Hatters?

 

[Lefty]

Just so everyone knows, when I get a good, clear, slow day at work I plan on creating a small Fedora Lounge dictionary based on what I already know and the answers here in this thread for the board.

good luck with that.

Until then, what in Hades in a "nap" when referring to hats?

I've read that "velour" is a type of finish applied to felts. Are there any other kind of finishes? And what is a "finish" anyways? Is it a protective coating to give the hat material a particular texture, or an additional process that the material goes through before being blocked?

Nap refers to the hairs of the felt. Finish, from what I understand and as it relates to felt, is the final look and feel of the felt. It doesn't seem to be a precise term, but can include the length of the hair (there are plenty of posts talking about long-hair finishes), or the degree and evenness of pouncing (sanding of the felt).

Is a "crushable" fedora one that can be rolled up and condensed (or "crushed") into a compact sized or that that is stiff and thus destroyed (or "crushed) when applied with pressure?

rollable=crushable. crushable is not delicate.

Is Art short for Arnold Hatters?

no. not even close.

Read more threads, starting with the stickies at the top of the page.
There's a lot to learn here.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

I second that request for information!

This may help

http://www.villagehatshop.com/glossary_a.html:eek: