Damned cork inserts!

[jamespowers]

Well, I probably should have know better but I got a top hat in today and it fit but kind of tight and too high up on my head. I check it out and cleaned it up but it still kind of fit tight. I decided to check under the sweatband to see if there was anything printed there that would tell me size, date or something. Well, you guess it. I found four of these under the sweatband at the back of the hat:

I am beginning to hate these things! I took all four of them out and found that the hat fit perfectly. :cheers1: The underside of the sweatband also said long oval. I am usually a regular 7 5/8 but it fits fine. I suppose in a stiff hat like a top hat I could use the extra room.
Gee, were there that many people in the old days that "made" hats fit like this or do I seem to get all of them?

Regards to all,

J

 

[WWII crusher]

Damn that cork!

I have a Luxenburg Crusher that had what was left of a rotten cork sewn between the leather sweat band and hat, now it fits perfect with it removed. None of my other caps have this, but then the Luxenburg is made exceptionally better than the rest...mhhh?, anybody got a Bancroft Flighter they wanna sell?(LOL).

 

[The Wingnut]

I've got a summer worsted wool Flighter, but I ain't sellin!


JP, save those for me, will you? Need them in my panama. Strips of felt just don't retain their thickness.

 

[jamespowers]

JP, save those for me, will you? Need them in my panama. Strips of felt just don't retain their thickness.

I will save them for you then. Not likely I am going to find a hat too big for me.
Oh, by the way, here is the top hat that they were in:

Regards to all,

J

 

[WWII crusher]

Flighter

You really know how to hurt me! that's exactly what I'm looking for. Betch ya gave the farm for that?

 

[The Wingnut]

Work and goods in trade, actually. Had to resurrect it from a wadded-up ball. I think I did too good of a job, now I can't get the crush back into it.

JP, that's a NICE top hat. Collapsible? It's in great shape.

 

[jamespowers]

JP, that's a NICE top hat. Collapsible? It's in great shape.

Nope. You can't collapse a beaver top hat. It is in pretty good shape considering its age. It has a little wear around the top edges.

Regards to all,

J

 

[WWII crusher]

Working the crush back in

A little secret the young flyboys would do to "speed" up the look was to steam the hat, have had great success with this on out of shape hats myself.

 

[The Wingnut]

Way ahead of you.

When it shoewed up at the shop, it had been stored for what was likely a very long time, probably most of its life, in a smashed position, amkingit essentially unwearable. I took an iron with a good steam burst feature to it and straightened it out pretty well. Problem is, I took any trace of a crush out in the process, and it won't relax all that nicely, even with steam.

Guess I'll just have to break it back in.