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jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,099
Location
San Francisco, CA
Can someone please help me with this:
What is the Borsalino made of, Fur/felt or wool:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110979344907?ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2649

Personally I think it's reasonable to assume that unless marked specifically as wool, a vintage felt hat will be fur felt. Not only was wool less common as a hat material, wool simply isn't as resilient as even the cheaper fur felts in the long run, so less of them survived.

And the more you look at hats, as long as there's a clear enough picture, it's usually fairly easy to spot wool felt from fur.
 

Mystic

Practically Family
Messages
882
Location
Northeast Florida
004rw.jpg

This is a Wafer edge....thanks.

Is it a particular feature of any brand? I have seen this on a Stetson but don't recall seeing it on another hat.
Does it mean anything as to dating a hat?
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Can a ultrasonic humidifier be used instead of steam to shape a hat?
possibly - some people use steam and seem to have better results. hatter and cowboy hat places are usually going to use steam. However some people use will use cool water and a sprayer to shape a hat, steam seems to be prefered. If you get an inexpensive tea kettle you can use the steam from the spout. Still makes me wish i bought one of those scuzzy steam cleaners. Also good for removing cosmoline.
 

m0nk

One Too Many
Messages
1,004
Location
Camp Hill, Pa
possibly - some people use steam and seem to have better results. hatter and cowboy hat places are usually going to use steam. However some people use will use cool water and a sprayer to shape a hat, steam seems to be prefered. If you get an inexpensive tea kettle you can use the steam from the spout. Still makes me wish i bought one of those scuzzy steam cleaners. Also good for removing cosmoline.
It also seems to depend on the felt. I've found that vintage felts are easier to shape than modern, thicker ones. I've used plain water from a spray bottle on all, since I'm lazy, but found that modern felts require quite a bit more to hold their shape.
 

Dan Allen

A-List Customer
Messages
395
Location
Oklahoma
I was curious as I was under the impression that it was the moisture, not the heat that was needed. I was in a drug store the other day and placed my hand in the fog of one being demonstrated and my hand was instantly damp.
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
I don't know, but I don't believe it's wool. The felt looks a little thin at the edges to be wool, and the hat is numerically sized. I'll bet it's fur felt. EBay sellers are notorious for not knowing the difference between wool and fur felt. At least they didn't call it polyester.
 

jlee562

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,099
Location
San Francisco, CA
Yeah, the first tip off that the seller has no idea what they're talking about is that they called it "beaver wool." As I said before, I think the chances of you 'accidentally ' bidding on a vintage wool hat is slim to nil. And again, look at the texture of the felt. Wool and fur felts do look different.

Teach a man to fish what not.
 
Last edited:

tridentine

Suspended
Messages
292
Location
USA
Could someone please tell me if a 23 1/4 inch head is a 7 1/2?

The reason I ask, because I thought for a long time I thought was 7.5 [I might be]
I have an older Borsalino that is 7.5 and a new Falcon Park fedora that is 7.5, and they both fit perfectly.

Today I got a new Stetson Ashland in 7.5 and it is loose.

I have a 23 1/4 inch head.
Am I missing something here.
Thank you.
 

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