Ask a question, get an answer

[buler]

Stetson 100 case keys.... interest check

Just checking to see if there was any interest in keys for the Stetson 100 leather case? I found a local source that has some in his backroom stash. They didn't have "blanks" that could be cut, but he had a few old keys in back and found some that are identical. They are silver in color, not gold. Don't know if all of the originals were gold or not. I have 2 that are "on hold" until I hear back from someone here. If there was any interest I'll go back and see how many he has left. They are $5 a piece from him and I'll sell them for that. Not looking to make a profit off these.


The locks on my case are labeled Presto. Here is what the keys look like. I don't know for sure that these will work for every case.

B

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I'd like one, buler.

 

[RBH]

click

Thanks for the search Lefty, I had missed that thread.

 

[nathanael]

Good Afternoon and belated happy Thanksgiving wishes to all. Please indulge this new member a novice question, as I am new to hat ownership and willing to admit my ignorance of all things hats.

While back in NY for Thanksgiving, my father passed along a bowler that had belonged to my great-grandfather, purchased in 1916. As the hat did not fit my father, it has sat in its original box in a closet for many years. My father pulled it out of storage after the box disintegrated and now it is in my possession.

The hat fits and is in wonderful condition, albeit in need of a good cleaning, which brings me here today. Aside from seeking general insight into how to care for and clean a 94 year old hat, I want to know if I can/should even wear the hat because of its age. If so, how do I best protect it and continue its life? And in what may be a fit of ignorance-inspired hubris, I would also like to re-form the brim (the sides are curled up, whether from storage or style, and I would like to flatten them) and I have no idea how to begin to do that, or if it would be a disservice to the hat.

Any and all input/insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your patience as I am sure hat novices have posted here on many occasions.

Thanks!

Nathanael

 

[Midwest Boater]

welcome to the lounge nathanael,
i am not an expert in bowlers or any hats for that mater but please dont mess with the brim unless someone who knows better than me says its ok from what i understand the brims were made ether flat or curled up.
Btw grats on the cool hat what a great story to go with it also. i cant wait until you can post some pics of it.

 

[Lefty]

100 year old bowlers/derbies are pretty common here. To care for the hat, just keep it in the box between wearings, and don't touch that curl. The curl is what makes it a bowler. Click here and you can see plenty of other old bowlers in many styles.

Welcome to the Lounge.

 

[Midwest Boater]

how would i be able to tell if a vintage hat has any or all beaver fur?
this 1951 Knox Fifteen longhair for instance.

or any hat that dose not state on it that its beaver?

 

[danofarlington]

how would i be able to tell if a vintage hat has any or all beaver fur?
this 1951 Knox Fifteen longhair for instance.

I don't know how to tell for a blend of fur, nor for longhair. But I bought a vintage Borsalino hat over the summer which was not marked as beaver, but when it arrived, I thought it was. I have two modern Borsalino beaver hats, and this one had the same dense, not nappy, thin and hard felt of the beavers. So I am inferring beaverness on the part of the vintage one. It's different from the thicker, lusher and a little nappier regular fur of my other hats. As to judging longhair, I wouldn't know, but I do not believe that every beaver hat is marked "beaver" or the foreign-language equivalent.

 

[Lefty]

how would i be able to tell if a vintage hat has any or all beaver fur?
or any hat that dose not state on it that its beaver?

Unless it's marked, you won't be able to tell. Good vintage, fur felt hats will all feel very nice. Many rabbit/hare hats feel better than beaver blends. As to vintage pure beaver hats, there are so few out there, that they will be marked as such (100 & clear beaver for Stetson).

From what I've seen, a pure beaver hat at an affordable price is a pretty recent phenomenon. I base this on the CB ($50) and 100 (and the 40, 50, and 100 hats of other makes) existing at a time when most other models were under $13 (though a handful of mid-range hats existed at $15, $20, and $25). With the price of around $300 being offered by Art, Tony, and maybe others for a pure beaver hat, that disparity has disappeared. Now, I think most Stetsons are at least half that price, and I don't know if there's a Borsalino under $200 - none of which, around those prices, have much, if any beaver in them.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi, I purchased a Wool felt Western styled hat at the Stetson outlet in St. Joe. It's basically a cattleman crease with a 3-4 inch brim ( I need to measure it). I'd like to dip both front and back a little for a slightly Safari look. Do I need to treat the felt differently than Fur? If I get it in position, can I put the stiffener on the wool?

Thanks

 

[gtdean48]

Hi, I purchased a Wool felt Western styled hat at the Stetson outlet in St. Joe. It's basically a cattleman crease with a 3-4 inch brim ( I need to measure it). I'd like to dip both front and back a little for a slightly Safari look. Do I need to treat the felt differently than Fur? If I get it in position, can I put the stiffener on the wool?

Thanks

Wetting the felt will help with shaping, avoid steaming like you would with fur felt. Stiffener can be sprayed onto the felt if desired.

 

[Midwest Boater]

thanks Lefty;
i keep on learning here. from what i have gathered on the stetson "x" thread there are also many different grades of beaver fur (5 if i remember right) meaning of coarse that even a hat clearly marked all beaver fur felt doesn't necessarily make it a grand hat, so perhaps the best way to get an all beaver fur hat is to go modern custom hats like Arts or Optimo. Who is this Tony you speak of ?

 

[Lefty]

TonyB - Tumwater hats. See this thread.

The Xs used to mean different amounts of beaver in the blend, and that amount seems to have changed quite a bit over time. The 3x of the 40s might be better than the 10x of the 60s, as Stetson has always kept the X factor a secret forumula. Designations were also added and dropped.

The only pure beaver Stetsons were the CB and 100. It's possible that the 100 is made of better beaver fur than the CB, but I sure can't tell the difference. Any 100% beaver hat is going to be pretty great, as long as the maker bothered to finish is well. This would include pouncing, the sanding of the felt, which is key to a nice finish - of course, with a pure beaver body, the maker will probably spend the time to get it right - and things like the quality of the sweat, ribbon work, etc.

As far as I've seen, there's no such thing as a bad, pure beaver hat. The expense of the body mandates the better work. When it comes to blends or rabbit bodies, many vintage hats, especially vintage Borsalinos, might have great finish work. For modern hats, however, the lesser expense of the blend or rabbit bodies doesn't require the maker to spend the time to finish the hat well.

This seems most notable, IMO, by the many posts concerning the rough finish of Akubras. When you can see that a hat needs to be pounced finer in a photo, it's telling. Gtdean has posted on using a fine grit sandpaper to improve the finish on his Akubras. Modern stetsons, on the other hand, seem to be pounced well enough, but have long been criticized for their plasticky sweatbands and often badly tacked ribbons. Of course, with both of these, price is a consideration. A nice $100 hat can certainly be considered better than a great $300 hat. It depends on what you want and can afford.

 

[Kenny.S]

Hey fellas. I'm new to this site, I heard its pretty cool, and from what Iv'e seen its the best thing ive stumbled upon in ages ... Anyways. I'm sure this question has been asked a countless number of times before, but I'm looking for a fedora that I could buy.. One of the old school gangster ones (not the stupid ones you see in places like Khols and Target today), but the real classy old school gangster hats like you see in the movies. I'm wondering whats the best brand, style and material?
Thanks for your time,
-Kenny

 

[KY Gentleman]

I suggest you browse the Hats discussions in the Lounge, brands are debated and features of each are weighed in on constantly. You'll probably end up buying your fedora on-line, I suggest Hats Direct or Everything Australian for Akubras. Quality Hats has a good selection of Stetsons. Everyone has preferences and it's very interesting researching opinions on the Lounge.

 

[danofarlington]

Hey fellas. I'm new to this site, I heard its pretty cool, and from what Iv'e seen its the best thing ive stumbled upon in ages ... Anyways. I'm sure this question has been asked a countless number of times before, but I'm looking for a fedora that I could buy.. One of the old school gangster ones (not the stupid ones you see in places like Khols and Target today), but the real classy old school gangster hats like you see in the movies. I'm wondering whats the best brand, style and material?
Thanks for your time,
-Kenny

Look for a wide-brim vintage Borsalino. Many come up for sale, so you don't need to buy the first one you see, or go for one that is not your size. They may go for up to $150 sometimes, maybe more on occasion, but that's the price of an authentic vintage example. Of course, retailers including Borsalino sell such hats new, more expensive, and they are widely available, for example from JJ Hats in New York City.

 

[el Mongoose]

shrinking a hat

Hello. I am new here and am hoping maybe you guys can give me some advice.

I have a wool hat with a leather interior band. It seems like my head is between sizes so it can be difficult for me to find a good fitted hat. I have one hat now that I would like to shrink. Putting hat sizer (not sure if that is the proper term for the stuff that looks like weather stripping) in the inside works, but I would love to shrink the hat a bit.

Any recommendations? Water? Heat? I do not want to damage the hat, but I would not be worried if it loses some shape. It is a Smithbilt telescope crown Western hat. With that look I think a little dishelved is OK. But I do not want to wreck it.

Any advice?

Thanks.

 

[jlee562]

Hey fellas. I'm new to this site, I heard its pretty cool, and from what Iv'e seen its the best thing ive stumbled upon in ages ... Anyways. I'm sure this question has been asked a countless number of times before, but I'm looking for a fedora that I could buy.. One of the old school gangster ones (not the stupid ones you see in places like Khols and Target today), but the real classy old school gangster hats like you see in the movies. I'm wondering whats the best brand, style and material?
Thanks for your time,
-Kenny

I would suggest the Akubra Federation IV, available from hatsdirect.com. It's a really nice example of a pre WWII style hat with a taller crown and straight sides. Akubra is also a well known brand and they're really well made and will last a long time. My Fed IV is my go-to rain hat. It comes open crown so you can shape to your liking.

Hello. I am new here and am hoping maybe you guys can give me some advice.

I have a wool hat with a leather interior band. It seems like my head is between sizes so it can be difficult for me to find a good fitted hat. I have one hat now that I would like to shrink. Putting hat sizer (not sure if that is the proper term for the stuff that looks like weather stripping) in the inside works, but I would love to shrink the hat a bit.

Any recommendations? Water? Heat? I do not want to damage the hat, but I would not be worried if it loses some shape. It is a Smithbilt telescope crown Western hat. With that look I think a little dishelved is OK. But I do not want to wreck it.

Any advice?

Thanks.

If you've still got a lamp with an incandescent bulb, if you gently dampen the sweatband with just a touch of water and let it sit on the lampshade for a bit, it should start to shrink some. If you do a search for the lampshade trick, you'll be able to find more information.

 

[DRB]

Mixture of furs.

WITH ALL THINGS CONSTANT, is a felt body made of 30% Beaver and 70% Mink superior, equal, or worse than a hat body that is 100% beaver? I believe that mink makes for a lighter body and adds intrinsic economic value to the felt body just because mink is considered a more valuable commodity, but there are other things to consider. I believe if we added cashmere to the mix, it would lower the quality. I am just guessing here and any help would be appreciated.

I know Beaver makes a better hat than rabbit WITH ALL THINGS CONSTANT. Beaver hats are thinner, lighter weight, more weather resistant and durable. They last longer, clean up better and hold their shape better. So, if we take some of the beaver out of a hat and put in mink are we lowering the quality, or just adding more softness?

 

[scottyrocks]

Steve Delk, the man behind Adventurebilt, who made Harrison Ford's hats for IJ&tKotCS recently received a hat from his partner Marc, made from a beaver/mink mix. Among the things he said about the hat is that its super smooth and very soft - almost to the point, right now, of not holding a crease too well, if I remember correctly.

You could even see, in the pictures posted on COW, how smooth the hat is.

If Steve is here, he could fill in the blanks on this one.