Littermates

[tonyb]

More show and tell ...

These two are made from staple (rabbit fur) bodies from the same felter, on the same block and brim flange, using ribbon of the same width and composition (cotton/rayon blend) from the same source. Oh, and they have identical sweatbands, and the liners are the same as well, excepting their colors. I made the bows a little different and turned the brim down in front just a bit on the pecan one. The black one has me thinking that what I need now is a curling shackle and the knowledge and equipment to ribbon-bind brim edges. With that, I could crank out some Homburgs.

 

[Feraud]

That black hat is excellent! :eusa_clap
When are you taking orders?...

 

[tonyb]

Thanks, Feraud. My wife has the same question as you. She has long been supportive of my hat collecting, and she's all for my learning to craft them, but now she'd like us to move to a place with room for a hat shop, seeing how the hats and the ever-growing assortment of hat-making equipment is taking over our living space.

 

[Feraud]

What are the specs on these hats?
They look near perfect to my taste.

 

[tonyb]

Six-inch open crowns, blocked on a No. 52, using all of its height. Brims are 2 1/2 inches, flanged on a 2 5/8s inch No. 210. Ribbons are 1 1/2 inches, which converts to 18 lignes, I think.

As they're bashed, the crowns are about 4 3/4s at the front, nearly 5 full inches at the rear, and about 5 1/4 at the sides.

I'm quite pleased to now (as of today) be in possession of yet another No. 52 block, but this one is a size 7 3/4. I've been wanting to make a hat for a large-headed old friend, a guy who was quite close to my now-deceased brother. And now I can. Indeed, I'd been saving a 7 5/8s cowboy hat for just this purpose. Took it apart this afternoon, gave it a thorough brushing and a bath and stretched it over the block and tied it down. It'll be considerably more urbane than it was (I'm aiming for something similar to the black hat pictured in this thread), but it'll still be a large hat. Its soon-to-be owner is a large guy. I believe it'll look good on him.

 

[Feraud]

Very nice.
Do you have any pics of the sweat and liner?

 

[Stoney]

Nice Job

on both of them Tony. You know I like the same look, as do most of those here on the lounge. No Taper!!! I'm with Feraud, Can you post a photo of the inside as well.

BTW.. I also have a Pecan-Greenish-Tanish one that I'm currenty working on.
How's that for coincidence.

 

[tonyb]

OK then, interior shots ...

On these lids I used sweatbands I consider second rate. They are from one of four suppliers whose wares I sampled before settling on the people who make the lighter colored one shown in the photos. I used these lesser sweatbands because, well, they aren't BAD (every bit as good, and perhaps better, than what you get in most factory-made hats), and they went into staple (as opposed to all-beaver) hat bodies.

The better sweatbands are made of thicker yet still quite supple leather, have more-even stitching securing the reed tape to the leather, and the reed tape itself is nicer than what is used on the others. They cost a little more, but just a little more. It's money well spent.

The liners are cheapos, but they're new and they look OK. They aren't all that well fitted into the bodies. (Without liners in, the sweatbands don't pucker at all.) I'm working with a graphic designer friend to come up with a logo, and a sewing maven friend to machine embroider that logo onto the liner tops. I'm thinking that the sewing gal will also make my liners, but this is all "someday" stuff. There's no urgency to any of it, and if these old pals are true to form, I'll have to practically beg them to take any money from me.

 

[ScionPI2005]

Those are nice! I definitely like the black one.