Good source for buying hatbands? Where?

[bluesmandan]

Hi, fellas. I'm occasionally in the market for a new hatband. Where can I find them?

I'm wanting one right now for a Borsalino I just bought (it's very dressy and I'm wanting to make it a little more casual looking). In the past I had a local leather worker (ran a saddle shop) who would make custom bands for me. But I've moved and haven't made those connections here yet, and I'd kind of like to try other materials like cloth and feathers, too, instead of just leather. I like to get bands that fit snugly enough that I can just slip them on and off the hat (no glue or stitching necessary) to use different bands on the same hat for different looks...

Do you know of good sources for buying a variety of hatbands? Any good online sources? Catalogs?

 

[RJR]

Check eBay for leather and horsehair plus other misc. bands.

 

[gtdean48]

http://outwestsaddlery.com/hat-bands
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Mens-Accessories-/4250/m.html?item=121006847857&_ssn=captnmoondancer

 

[H Weinstein]

I ordered this beautiful tri-color "Longmire" style horsehair band from http://knot-a-tail.com/ -- comes in several color combos. I got the one without tassels. Looks great, easy to adjust for size and move from one hat to another, if you like.

Knot-a-Tail also sells on eBay -- http://stores.ebay.com/knotatail?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

 

[Rick Blaine]

$5 each

 

[barrowjh]

Buckaroo Hatters (Mike Moore's shop) has a ton of western bands, and I have purchased a horsehair just like the one shown by H. WeinStein from Buckaroo, also check Meyer the Hatter and Shushan's, both out of New Orleans, for pugarees.

 

[bluesmandan]

$5 each

THAT'S what I'm talkin 'bout! I ordered 4. With the shipping it came out to $30. I ordered 2 beaded ones (one red, one black&white), a multicolored feather one, and one with braided leather/hair and thicker beads. I figure I'll get a lot of mileage out of those, if they're of decent quality. Thanks for the post!

 

[tonyb]

Well, there ya go. Good deal, for sure.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Hi, fellas. I'm occasionally in the market for a new hatband. Where can I find them?

I'm wanting one right now for a Borsalino I just bought (it's very dressy and I'm wanting to make it a little more casual looking). In the past I had a local leather worker (ran a saddle shop) who would make custom bands for me. But I've moved and haven't made those connections here yet, and I'd kind of like to try other materials like cloth and feathers, too, instead of just leather. I like to get bands that fit snugly enough that I can just slip them on and off the hat (no glue or stitching necessary) to use different bands on the same hat for different looks...

Do you know of good sources for buying a variety of hatbands? Any good online sources? Catalogs?

I would suggest visiting your local hat shop (if available in your area) and asking if they have any older hat bands that have been left behind. I know that a local western store near me has a box labelled "old hat bands." I poked around through it and was told that all of the bands were $5, except the band that came from an Stetson El Diamante and it would be $50.

All the best in your search.

 

[bluesmandan]

Here's my Borsalino Bari with one of the new hatbands. 'Scuse my hat... it's a little dirty from working outside, sawdust and stuff...

 

[Rick Blaine]

THAT'S what I'm talkin 'bout! I ordered 4. With the shipping it came out to $30. I ordered 2 beaded ones (one red, one black&white), a multicolored feather one, and one with braided leather/hair and thicker beads. I figure I'll get a lot of mileage out of those, if they're of decent quality. Thanks for the post!

:thumb:

 

[parispal]

I ordered this beautiful tri-color "Longmire" style horsehair band from http://knot-a-tail.com/ -- comes in several color combos. I got the one without tassels. Looks great, easy to adjust for size and move from one hat to another, if you like.

Knot-a-Tail also sells on eBay -- http://stores.ebay.com/knotatail?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

funny they are $2 cheaper on eBay than on their regular webstore. I just ordered one, so my three hats have a Longmire hatband

(Yes I know they should placed upside down on the table)

 

[bluesmandan]

Here's a new hatband from an odd source - the women's belt rack at a local thrift shop. They've got some awfully skinny leather belts that a man would never wear (on his waist) but they make a great hatband. Only cost 50 cents.

 

[lbgradwell]

Here's a new hatband from an odd source - the women's belt rack at a local thrift shop. They've got some awfully skinny leather belts that a man would never wear (on his waist) but they make a great hatband. Only cost 50 cents.

Hey, that's a great idea! I'm going to check out my local shops...

Hard to believe a belt - even a woman's belt - wouldn't be FAR too large for a hatband!

 

[bluesmandan]

Well, it will be too big at first. You'll need to drill a new hole for the buckle prong, and take a pair of scissors to trim the excess. To mark the new hole for the prong, you'll need to...

(1) put the belt on the hat through the buckle without engaging the prong and pull it rather snug - not enough to deform the hat, but quite snug - and then while it is pulled tight
(2) mark in the center of the belt right next to the buckle frame, where the prong would end up resting. [I would say you should err on the side of a little too short rather than too long... you can always make the hole a little longer to give a few extra millimeters should it be too tight, but you can't remove the hole you've already placed there (not without significant effort... maybe leather shavings mixed with super glue and pressed back into the hole would work)]
(3) remove the belt and find a drill bit the size of the buckle prong, and drill a hole where you marked it.
(4) Take a pair of scissors and trim the excess to your liking. I did mine so that the excess was about the same length as the part between the loop and the buckle, so it looked symmetrical I guess.
(5) You can sand where the scissors cut to make it appear smooth rather than jagged, and then take shoe polish that matches the leather and rub it in good, especially where the scissors and sanding happened, because those parts will not be colored at all, but will accept the color of the polish readily.
(6) Wipe all of the polish off so you don't get any on your hat when you put it on.
(7) With the belt already in the buckle and prong, push the new hatband down onto your hat... it should be very snug, and not require any stitching to hold it in place.

The plus side of this extra DIY effort: Since you're trimming off the excess, which will probably be all of the part where the original holes in the belt were, and therefore all of the wear and tear, you can buy rather old and worn belts and they will still look quite new when you put them on your hat. And super cheap.