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[jviss]

And then a miracle happened!

I was wearing the hat around the house for a couple of hours and thought "this doesn't feel right." So, I pulled the homemade paper towel and card stock pad from under the sweat, and put it back on - pulled it down, pulled it side to side - and by God, it fits! Holy Cow! It really is a 7 1/8, and it fits brilliantly. . Can't explain it....

 

[belfastboy]

I always find old newspapers from the 1920s to stick behind the sweatbands.

Now that is waaaay more classy than my Bounty!

 

[Louis Mountbatten]

What are the BEST sizing strips, or otherwise best way to pad out a sweat, or make a fur felt hat a little snugger?

I bought a beautiful, like-new condition Dobbs Fedora on eBay, and it arrived today. It has a 7 1/8 tag on the swweat. Immediately upon putting it on I thought it was bit big. I turned out the sweat and found a very nicely home-made pad. Then, I found the internal data tag (don't know what this tag is called, it's like the manufacturing tag), and it indeed says 7 1/8. The other tag one would expect to find inside the sweat is missing, though remnants of the glue and paper remain.

Initially I thought it was a 7 1/4 that had been padded out, but the internal label confirms 7 1/8.

Do Dobbs run big?

All of that said, what's the BEST way to make it fit? Best sizing strips? Or, shorten the sweat?

Noobie inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks,

jv

I have bought wide flat wicks for oil lamps. They work great.

 

[Blare]

And then a miracle happened!

I was wearing the hat around the house for a couple of hours and thought "this doesn't feel right." So, I pulled the homemade paper towel and card stock pad from under the sweat, and put it back on - pulled it down, pulled it side to side - and by Good, it fits! Holy Cow! It really is a 7 1/8, and it fits brilliantly. . Can't explain it....

Great news.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Yes, and classier than folded up Bounty paper towel!

I only do it for hats made in the 1970s or later.

 

[Bill Hughes]

What are the BEST sizing strips, or otherwise best way to pad out a sweat, or make a fur felt hat a little snugger?

I bought a beautiful, like-new condition Dobbs Fedora on eBay, and it arrived today. It has a 7 1/8 tag on the swweat. Immediately upon putting it on I thought it was bit big. I turned out the sweat and found a very nicely home-made pad. Then, I found the internal data tag (don't know what this tag is called, it's like the manufacturing tag), and it indeed says 7 1/8. The other tag one would expect to find inside the sweat is missing, though remnants of the glue and paper remain.

Initially I thought it was a 7 1/4 that had been padded out, but the internal label confirms 7 1/8.

Do Dobbs run big?

All of that said, what's the BEST way to make it fit? Best sizing strips? Or, shorten the sweat?

Noobie inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks,

jv

I have settled on felt strips I get from our own Scott Dalsbo aka @bond.



You can get them either on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224765860359?hash=item345516da07:g:2SQAAOSwb~RgEJ1n

or at his Etsy shop finevintagefedoras:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/finevintagefedoras?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=582496447

 

[Bill Hughes]

And then a miracle happened!

I was wearing the hat around the house for a couple of hours and thought "this doesn't feel right." So, I pulled the homemade paper towel and card stock pad from under the sweat, and put it back on - pulled it down, pulled it side to side - and by God, it fits! Holy Cow! It really is a 7 1/8, and it fits brilliantly. . Can't explain it....

I also have also had the same experience. I think it is the result of getting the sweatband good and wet then it shrinking while drying. I think…

 

[jviss]

O.K., another question - please advise!

I'm going to a black tie wedding and bringing three hats: a black Homburg to wear with the tux, a gray Fedora to wear with my medium blue sharkskin suit to the wedding ceremony, and a black Fedora to wear with my gold houndstooth silk/wool blazer and black slacks for the pre-party cocktail lounge affair.

I bought a hat travel case on Amazon:



What I would like to know is how and of what to make "stacking rings" to separate the stacked hats.

On what part of the brim should the ring rest?

Any other details will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

jv

 

[Steve1857]

O.K., another question - please advise!

I'm going to a black tie wedding and bringing three hats: a black Homburg to wear with the tux, a gray Fedora to wear with my medium blue sharkskin suit to the wedding ceremony, and a black Fedora to wear with my gold houndstooth silk/wool blazer and black slacks for the pre-party cocktail lounge affair.

I bought a hat travel case on Amazon:

View attachment 394023

What I would like to know is how and of what to make "stacking rings" to separate the stacked hats.

On what part of the brim should the ring rest?

Any other details will be much appreciated.

Thanks,

jv

Foam is probably the best material to use. Place it as in the photo.

 

[jviss]

I have used strips with cork on one side and fabric on the other. They don't really need the tape. The cork has some 'grab' to it and I have not found that they move around at all so skip the tape. Folks in the Lounge have also used foam weatherstipping as well. It works and is cheap.

Being a hobbyist - model airplanes, trains, metalworking, woodworking, etc. - I had some cork sheet in inventory. The thinnest is 1/16", which seems perfect for this application. I also have some 1/4" which is way too thick. The 1/16", cut into strips 1 3/8" wide and about 8" long is perfect for placing under a sweatband to tighten a hat up a bit. I have one in my black Fedora now, and it's a nice, snug fit. It's also a very inexpensive thing, as you can buy these sheets at a craft store or Walmart, and make a lifetime supply of hat sizing strips for yourself and your family and friends.

I cut them using a steel rule on my self-healing cutting mat, using a rotary fabric cutter. Easy-peasy. If you want to get fancy you can put a nice radius on the ends.

 

[jonesy86]

How do you post photos side by side for comparison?

 

[Zombie_61]

How do you post photos side by side for comparison?

Assuming it's only two images, I would combine them into one side-by-side image before uploading them to The Lounge. Even before doing that I'd attempt to make them both the same size just to make it easier to combine them. Regardless, I make sure the final image is no wider than 1,000 pixels so that it fits comfortably within the confines of The Lounge's text (post) boxes. Sometimes it takes a bit of work, but once it's done I rarely have any problems uploading them to the site.

 

[Mighty44]

Hello all—

I received this custom hat which is great except for one curveball—where I’d asked for a 5 1/2 open crown it comes in at 6 1/4. I’ve been working and reworking the bash to try and get it where I want it but since I like a relatively low profile —around 4 1/4 at the pinch—there is a thick double wall of felt at the pinch which makes it very hard to get that nice deep thumbprint pinch on either side. I’ve really given it a lot of steam and a lot of work and you can see below where it stands now. Not terrible—kind of a ship’s prow that does catch some shadow, but not quite what I’d hoped for. Any advice on how to get a deeper pinch? Should I soak it with water? Roll up the inner wall a bit so it crests further back — possibly opening up some room to push in further? Or does it look good enough and I should just relax and enjoy it? I might be a little too deep in the weeds here. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! David

 

[belfastboy]

Hello all—

I received this custom hat which is great except for one curveball—where I’d asked for a 5 1/2 open crown it comes in at 6 1/4. I’ve been working and reworking the bash to try and get it where I want it but since I like a relatively low profile —around 4 1/4 at the pinch—there is a thick double wall of felt at the pinch which makes it very hard to get that nice deep thumbprint pinch on either side. I’ve really given it a lot of steam and a lot of work and you can see below where it stands now. Not terrible—kind of a ship’s prow that does catch some shadow, but not quite what I’d hoped for. Any advice on how to get a deeper pinch? Should I soak it with water? Roll up the inner wall a bit so it crests further back — possibly opening up some room to push in further? Or does it look good enough and I should just relax and enjoy it? I might be a little too deep in the weeds here. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! David

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I think the hat looks good. From the pictures it appears the felt is fairly thick so regardless it may be impossible to get those deep pinches that you can get on the thinner felts vintage hats. I have a beaver felt that I have been playing with....trying to discover how much pouncing is too much pouncing. I have taken a ton off, it has a wonderful soft hand but the felt is still thick enough (without even the deep bash) to prohibit those soft thumbprint pinches.

 

[jviss]

Is there a thread or a forum for posting feedback on the site? I've encountered a few clumsy aspects of this site I'd like to feed back to the web designers/programmers.

Thanks,

jv

 

[jviss]

Hello all—

I received this custom hat which is great except for one curveball—where I’d asked for a 5 1/2 open crown it comes in at 6 1/4. I’ve been working and reworking the bash to try and get it where I want it but since I like a relatively low profile —around 4 1/4 at the pinch—there is a thick double wall of felt at the pinch which makes it very hard to get that nice deep thumbprint pinch on either side. I’ve really given it a lot of steam and a lot of work and you can see below where it stands now. Not terrible—kind of a ship’s prow that does catch some shadow, but not quite what I’d hoped for. Any advice on how to get a deeper pinch? Should I soak it with water? Roll up the inner wall a bit so it crests further back — possibly opening up some room to push in further? Or does it look good enough and I should just relax and enjoy it? I might be a little too deep in the weeds here. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! David

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Since you asked, I don't think it looks very good they way you have it. It recommend you sell it, and get the hat you really want. Life is too short to go around with a hat you're not 100% in to.

I think it looks kind of like a caricature of a hat, than an every day hat. The creases are too deep, etc.

Best,

jv

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Is there a thread or a forum for posting feedback on the site? I've encountered a few clumsy aspects of this site I'd like to feed back to the web designers/programmers.

Thanks,

jv

You can contact any of the bartenders. A lot of the work is done on a volunteer basis so we mostly live with the small issues. This site is not a big moneymaker…it’s more a labor of love so we take what they have provided and are grateful. Not to say they might not appreciate feedback or suggestions. Give it a try.

You can scroll to the bottom of the page and use the Contact Us feature.

 

[Blare]

Hello all—

I received this custom hat which is great except for one curveball—where I’d asked for a 5 1/2 open crown it comes in at 6 1/4. I’ve been working and reworking the bash to try and get it where I want it but since I like a relatively low profile —around 4 1/4 at the pinch—there is a thick double wall of felt at the pinch which makes it very hard to get that nice deep thumbprint pinch on either side. I’ve really given it a lot of steam and a lot of work and you can see below where it stands now. Not terrible—kind of a ship’s prow that does catch some shadow, but not quite what I’d hoped for. Any advice on how to get a deeper pinch? Should I soak it with water? Roll up the inner wall a bit so it crests further back — possibly opening up some room to push in further? Or does it look good enough and I should just relax and enjoy it? I might be a little too deep in the weeds here. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! David

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Looks really nice David.

 

[Mighty44]

Thanks guys—appreciate the input!

I think the hat looks good. From the pictures it appears the felt is fairly thick so regardless it may be impossible to get those deep pinches that you can get on the thinner felts vintage hats. I have a beaver felt that I have been playing with....trying to discover how much pouncing is too much pouncing. I have taken a ton off, it has a wonderful soft hand but the felt is still thick enough (without even the deep bash) to prohibit those soft thumbprint pinches.

Looks really nice David.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Hello all—

I received this custom hat which is great except for one curveball—where I’d asked for a 5 1/2 open crown it comes in at 6 1/4. I’ve been working and reworking the bash to try and get it where I want it but since I like a relatively low profile —around 4 1/4 at the pinch—there is a thick double wall of felt at the pinch which makes it very hard to get that nice deep thumbprint pinch on either side. I’ve really given it a lot of steam and a lot of work and you can see below where it stands now. Not terrible—kind of a ship’s prow that does catch some shadow, but not quite what I’d hoped for. Any advice on how to get a deeper pinch? Should I soak it with water? Roll up the inner wall a bit so it crests further back — possibly opening up some room to push in further? Or does it look good enough and I should just relax and enjoy it? I might be a little too deep in the weeds here. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! David

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Looks good to me. The side dent will be more or less predominant in different light. I would just wear it and let them develop naturally. I find it’s easier to shape a hat after going for a walk in the rain. But that’s just me.
wear it in good health
Johnny