Wolfmanjack
Practically Family
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If it fits, grab it. It appears to be in pristine condition.
Lefty said:Size matters. If it's a 7 1/4 or bigger, it's a good buy. 7 1/8 or smaller and you may or may not get your money back.
ThesFlishThngs said:I reckon you people in the know can tell me if this boater is worth the money; it's on offer at a vintage market and I'm considering going back tomorrow to get it. The dealer said she'd take $25, is that a good deal?
mayserwegener said:"EZY - Flex" Portis Boater with 2 3/4 inch brim.
Brad Bowers said:Here's my latest Boater. I wanted something to wear instead of my really nice '30s Dobbs, so I picked this up for a song. It's a 7 3/8 LO, my exact size, though slightly large, as most Hat Corporation hats seem to be on me. It's slightly large enough that I can't wear it in the wind.
The eBay auction showed that the sweatband was completely loose from the hat, so much so that it didn't end up shipping with the hat! I've not heard back from the seller on that yet.
I only wanted the original sweatband for reference, in case there are any tags on it. I was going to put a new sweatband in, as I've already done.
The hat needed cleaning, but it was mostly caked-on dust. I was afraid it was mold, but that turned out to not be the case. A soft-bristled toothbrush and a little bit of water did the trick, though you have to be careful with the water, as the gelatin used to stiffen the hat is water soluble. I didn't want to try any solvent other than water, because you never know how it might react to the threads that stitched the hat together.
A naphtha bath on the removable hat band did little to alleviate the stains on it, as seems to be the case on many Cavanagh hatbands I've tried to clean. There are a few holes around the band, but I don't think anybody's going to care other than me. So many people get a kick out of seeing me wear my Boater that they'll never notice the flaws.
As for age, the hat is no older than the '50s. There are no labels inside the hat other than the cloth size label glued inside the crown, but that's consistent with my '30s Dobbs. The straw on this Cavanagh is thicker than my Dobbs, and the stitches are not concealed as on the older hat. I've compared the two hats, but I can't tell if this Cavanagh was made in Italy or in Norwalk. I was hoping the sweatband would give a clue, as the later Hat Corp. straws ususally have "Made in Italy" stamped on the sweat.
My '30s Dobbs has a nice reverse taper all the way around the crown, but they were made on five-piece blocks back then to give them that taper. This one has no taper, and so doesn't look as sharp. The construction quality isn't as nice as the '30s Dobbs, either, but that's to be expected, as Boaters weren't necessarily a big seller by the '50s. They did experience a bit of a revival around the time of the '59 Derby Revival, as Hat Corporation of America pushed them in marketing. Perhaps this hat dates from then.
Still, for a cheap, wearable Boater that I don't mind beating around in, it will work just fine.
Brad
Brad Bowers said:Sure thing. Here's how I did it:
Stitch Awl Tutorial
The one big difference is in the basting stitch. I didn't want visible holes through the straw, so I ended up using a whip stitch. Insert the needle through one of the existing stitch holes in the reed tape, with the needle going in at an angle that's almost parallel to the brim. The needle should go through the straw with the needle coming out from under the first braid, so you don't get visible holes. If this sounds confusing, I'll try to post a photo later today.
It's not as tight of a baste as in the tutorial, but it seemed a fair compromise. You just have to be more accurate when you're using the awl, pulling down tight on the leather.
Brad