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[Hurricane Jack]

The open crown is supposed to allow us to create the look we want, right ?

One of mine:

 

[Tukwila]

I have a tea kettle. An electric one, but it will spew steam from the spout if left on long enough. I also have a steam iron that will exude steam in bursts. The video (thanks, @Tukwila) was very informative. It seems the steam is more to "cement" the shape, am I right?

That's how I use it. I work on a dry (without steam or water) crease to get an idea where the hat wants to go. Then when I'm satisfied, I add steam and work the crease into a better "hold," sometimes actually holding the shape in place with my hands while the felt dries.

 

[Tukwila]

One of mine:

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Jack, that looks great. How do you form the rounded dome in the middle of the crown? I watched a hatter use a small block to do this once and I thought maybe a small ball of sorts might work???

 

[deadlyhandsome]

While I'm waiting for my Akubra Campdraft (seems Australian Post is holding up a lot of things these days), it occurs to me that I might not actually know how to shape the crown. I vaguely recall from my youth shaping a cowboy hat by simply mashing and bashing it, but now I'm thinking that may not be the best approach. The open crown is supposed to allow us to create the look we want, right ? So what is the best way to go about doing so?

I spray the crown lightly with distilled water and use steam to set the shape once I have it where I want it. A kettle it better than an iron; although, give yourself some time and you’ll buy a Jiffy Hat Steamer.

Please also be aware that you purchased a great hat, but one a fraction of the cost of the Borsalino in the video. The rabbit/hare fur felt of your Akubra won’t respond like the felt in the video but it’s a great start. There are hat crease threads here on the Lounge and several YouTube videos. And if you don’t like one crease you can return the hat to open crown and start over. I do try to avoid acute/sharp bends that weaken the felt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[humanshoes]

My daughter has mostly vintage men's hats from the 50s - 70s and wears them as unisex. I think she looks great in them. IMO, too much emphasis is put on whether the ribbon is on the left or the right.

Your idea of a puggaree is a good one, I think. Looks great on either side and is quite chic.

I have seen women's hats online, though, with the ribbon on the right.

The reason men's bows and adornments (feathers and such) are on the left side of the hat is archaic, going back to the days of old when swords were the primary means of self defense. Most men were right handed and didn't want to run the risk of the sword getting caught up in the plumage. Of course, modern men don't have that concern, but the style remains intact. As for me, the closest I come to swordplay these days is employing my once rapier like wit which has dulled with age to more of a butter knife like wit. Now if someone out there could help me make sense of the female/male, left/right button placement thing...

 

[Redfokker]

One of mine:

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Ooooh! I like this one!

 

[mayserwegener]

Antica Casa/Old Factory Borsalino was known for making very high quality thin pliable Soft Felt hats. Antica Casa/Old Factor Borsalino also made very high quality stiffer less pliable Soft Felt Hats. They also made very high quality Stiff Felt Hats. Pliability is a characteristic and not always quality related.

 

[itsallgood]

And here's some email spam I got from Urban Outfitters the other day

Thanks for the suggestion! That put me in a direction. I did a search on "specialty retailers that target millennials" and came up with a list of: American Apparel, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Aeropostale. I can confirm I have never set foot in any one of these stores! But I did browse the websites for hats, and they certainly are "fashion forward"! It's amazing what they can do with wool, paper and polyester, however, nothing I can see myself pulling the trigger for. And what they list $$$ for these things makes a bespoke masterpiece look cheap! So, that's nuts to me, unlikely it would last one season. But, the exercise did give me an idea. I think it's going to be an Akubra Banjo Paterson, but I'll remove the leather band and replace it with some kind of wide silk ribbon. I think that should soften the appearance considerably.

 

[Frunobulax]

The reason men's bows and adornments (feathers and such) are on the left side of the hat is archaic, going back to the days of old when swords were the primary means of self defense. Most men were right handed and didn't want to run the risk of the sword getting caught up in the plumage. Of course, modern men don't have that concern, but the style remains intact. As for me, the closest I come to swordplay these days is employing my once rapier like wit which has dulled with age to more of a butter knife like wit. Now if someone out there could help me make sense of the female/male, left/right button placement thing...

Women's buttons are on the other side to facilitate being dressed by an attendant.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

As always when we talk about Borsalino we seek absolute perfection, for better or for worse.
First we begin to say that the model that Anthony manages is typical for the American market.
He chose it among others who did not respond to his expectations, with what criterion the choice was made I do not know, but it is fascinating to see the creation of the crease even if misleading.
Each Borsalino has its own personality and does not depend absolutely on the date on which it was made.
There are some old Borsalino that are quite rigid and not very malleable, but the folding is not a quality factor. Other modern ones that are very malleable, enough to keep their shape a little. See for example the hat for the European market "Icaro". I
have many Borsalino and each has a different characteristic, this was the great appeal of the "Antica Casa" in Alessandria, but I often wonder what we are talking about and why

 

[Paravians]

Yes but to avoid disappointment, I wouldn't show that Borsalino creasing video to someone who is waiting for a Campdraft. There is no way you can do that to a dry CD (or even wet for that matter). I've been creasing mine endlessly in search of the 'organic crease' that Anthony easily obtains with his 'special' Alessandria in the video, it's impossible. All I get is a nice, yet stiff, factory-creasing look.

 

[humanshoes]

Women's buttons are on the other side to facilitate being dressed by an attendant.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Thanks Fruno. That actually makes sense if you're a rich woman with attendants. By the same token, I suppose, it makes it easier for one with amorous intent to aid in the removal of said garment. Otherwise, it seems to be another of those outdated fashion functions that persist beyond all present day practicality.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Jack, that looks great. How do you form the rounded dome in the middle of the crown? I watched a hatter use a small block to do this once and I thought maybe a small ball of sorts might work???

Tuk, I don't have an easy pic to get to on file but I have one of those heated adjustable hat stretcher/shapers like others here have. Most of the time I use it in closed position instead of open to size. When closed it makes a nice rounded dome on top & I just pull the hat down enough to get the dome shape I want. By the way, I never use the heater; don't even know if it works because the unit has an old cloth electrical cord which I have never replaced.

Some guys have used the bottom of a small mixing bowl to make a dome. I use a hard rubber hand ball / racket ball to work out dents & old crease lines.

 

[Antinomy]

Can anybody help me to find some techniques for distressing hats?

 

[Frunobulax]

Can anybody help me to find some techniques for distressing hats?

Wear it in rough conditions for several years?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Tukwila]

I spend so much time and worry about keeping my hats looking nice, it seems the very antithesis - to me, at least - to even think of distressing a hat. I am useless for this venture.

 

[Antinomy]

Wear it in rough conditions for several years?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

thank you)) but i'm interested in artificial techniques of distressing

 

[Antinomy]

I spend so much time and worry about keeping my hats looking nice, it seems the very antithesis - to me, at least - to even think of distressing a hat. I am useless for this venture.

to each his own))

 

[M Hatman]

Can anybody help me to find some techniques for distressing hats?

Oh.....ah.......oh........hmmmmmmmmmm..............I am having a hard time on this one.......with as much as many of us spend on our hats here, we spend most of our time carressing, smoothing and soothing our fur freinds...........we none of us, would think about harming them.
Perhaps you should buy an old worn hat that has been distressed by years of use........"all ready to go" as they say...............they are cheaper too!!
But the thought of ................ahem........."distressing" our beauties..... is quite foreign to most of us here.
M

 

[belfastboy]

[QUOTEI use "Tukwila, post: 2396249, member: 42282"]Jack, that looks great. How do you form the rounded dome in the middle of the crown? I watched a hatter use a small block to do this once and I thought maybe a small ball of sorts might work???[/QUOTE]
Yes...i use a baseball or softball....works well.