Ask a question, get an answer

[Cap_7597]

You brush the top of your hat counterclockwise, as that is the direction of the knap on the felt. If you then turn it over, the knap is still going in the same direction. So looking straight on at the hat, you would be brushing clockwise.

Thanks. I've been watching the bash videos. Is there any videos on showing how to clean and care for a hat?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Michael R.]

David Morgan , Akubra , and Kevin at Pork-Pie Hatters (quadropong1111 channel) on youtube have some , plus there are others , some are questionable (one I saw yesterday) .

 

[ariahokas]

I am looking into buying a brim flange marked 2 1/4. Does that mean it can block or form a brim UP TO 2 1/4 or would it also work for my 2 1/2 brim hat?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Frunobulax]

I am looking into buying a brim flange marked 2 1/4. Does that mean it can block or form a brim UP TO 2 1/4 or would it also work for my 2 1/2 brim hat?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Your 2 1/2" hat's brim will likely hang over the edge a bit.

 

[ariahokas]

Your 2 1/2" hat's brim will likely hang over the edge a bit.

I see, so the marking on a brim flange is the "max width"...

 

[Frunobulax]

I see, so the marking on a brim flange is the "max width"...

Well, it's the width the flange was made for. Some you can extend your brim a bit over it or slightly down the side, but a 2 1/4" brim flange is optimized for a 2 1/4" brim.

 

[ariahokas]

Well, it's the width the flange was made for. Some you can extend your brim a bit over it or slightly down the side, but a 2 1/4" brim flange is optimized for a 2 1/4" brim.

I see, I guess the edge would just be slightly more "curled" than normal maybe?

 

[Frunobulax]

I see, I guess the edge would just be slightly more "curled" than normal maybe?

Well, yeah, if you ironed out over the edge. Otherwise, that last 1/2" or so just wouldn't be properly "flanged."

 

[hatsRme]

Unless you find a real bargain flange, you may want to consider just sending it to a hatter, like Esther.

 

[Michael R.]

Also , if the Hat has the Ribbon still attached , you'll need a flange a larger size than the Hat , like a 7 1/4 with a 2 1/2" Brim will need a 7 3/8-7 1/2 with a 2 1/2" Flange . if not it will be on the ribbon .

NOT TRUE ! BRAD STRAIGHTENED ME OUT < AND GAVE THE ANSWER BELOW !

 

[Brad Bowers]

Not so. With flanges, you match the size of the hat to the flange, because they are designed to be used with ribbon attached. All of my vintage flanges have a concave area for the bow so that it doesn't get smashed. It also lets you know which is the front of the flange, and which is the back, because many flanges are different front and back.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor

 

[Michael R.]

Thanks Brad ! That's great to know . That was what I was told .

 

[ariahokas]

Not so. With flanges, you match the size of the hat to the flange, because they are designed to be used with ribbon attached. All of my vintage flanges have a concave area for the bow so that it doesn't get smashed. It also lets you know which is the front of the flange, and which is the back, because many flanges are different front and back.

Brad
~The Hatted Professor

This is good to know and makes sense because my block+flange combo is a matching set and works perfectly. It's only designed for making stingy brims

Thanks for all the input guys! This is so helpful! Now I'll go back to scouting eBay

 

[InsolentPuppy]

What is an American Hat Company 4X hat made of and how young might it be? The website claims that 4X is not something they make now.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

What is an American Hat Company 4X hat made of and how young might it be? The website claims that 4X is not something they make now.

No way to tell since no felt maker will tell you the exact fur composition of a felt.
About the age... hard to tell since it's not a common hat shown here.

 

[RJR]

Joao is exactly right;there is/was no standard for defining what"X" means.American isn't a name often seen here which infers it was made by one of the major hatters.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

oh yes, forgot that part. A 4x on a brand can be another "thing" on another brand.
For example, a 4x felt from FEPSA have no beaver fur. Beaver fur only "starts" beyond 10x quality.
But you can get a 4x beaver hat from Stetson. Or a 4x Buffalo...

 

[BobHufford]

American isn't a name often seen here which infers it was made by one of the major hatters.

http://www.cowboysindians.com/2015/02/american-hat-company/

Also:

From their website: http://americanhat.net

History of American Hat Company

Houston Texas in 1915 was a thriving city of 45,000 with eight-story “skyscrapers”. The first ships were journeying up the newly finished ship canal to the Port of Houston.

It was then in 1915 that Sam Silver founded the American Hat Company and began to make and sell cowboy hats. Since that time, Houston has grown, and so has American Hat. Three generations of the Silver family continued to carry on the tradition of founder Sam Silver. Then in 1984, Bill and Billie George owned the company until 2003 when current owners Keith and Susan Maddox purchased American Hat. They moved the company to Bowie, Texas where it now resides.

American Hat Company is known throughout the world as the hat preferred by rodeo champions, ranchers, and Texas lawmen. American Hats were worn by the likes of Freckles Brown, Jim Shoulders and Lane Frost to name just a few.

American Hat has always been an innovator in styling, manufacturing, and finishing. Prior to the 1950’s, straw hats could not be worn in the rain without being ruined. That’s when American Hat developed a special water-resistant finish.

American Hat is also credited with developing the “open crown” concept. Cowboy hats shipped with an “open crown” could be shaped to fit the customer's wishes. To this day American Hat traditional dealers order their cowboy hats in an “open crown” with a “flat brim”, and then shape the hats to fit their customers. When a specific shape is requested, American Hat Company has professional hat shapers who shape each hat by hand at no extra charge.

It’s this heritage of quality and innovation that has made American Hat the choice of rodeo champions and ranchers since 1915.


Here is an old one:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/western-anyone.24539/page-172#post-2120313

This is my 3X as bought and then reshaped more to my liking. I think it had been stretched at one point and could stand to be reblocked.

 

[Michael R.]

I know American makes the Best Western Straw Hats , and yep , Open Crown . Your's looks Great ! Thanks for the info .

 

[DJH]

Best Hat Store, here in Fort Worth is the same ownership as American Hat Co and carries a good selection of their hats.

We've called in a couple of times and there are guys there who crease the hats as the customers want them.

When I've been there the western straws have all been nicely trimmed and blocked but have all been Shantung straw.

If anyone visits Fort Worth and likes western hats, Best Hat Store is worth a visit - along with Peters Bros and the western stores in the stockyards.

Oh, American Hats are made just up the road in Bowie, TX - home of the worlds biggest Bowie knife