My Grave Consequence of Buying a Scala Fedora

[Terry "The Hat"]

Most newbys just don't know the difference between fur felt and wool felt when they first start looking for a hat. I've seen nicer brand "wool" hats sell for $100. I'd never pay that for a wool hat but in the beginning it would seem that a $100 wool hat would have to be a top of the line hat (in the beginners eyes). I have one wool hat and it's actually pretty nice. I never wear it anymore, not because it's not a nice looking and comfortable hat but because I have so many nice vintage fur felt hats that I just don't see the need to wear a wool hat anymore. You often see people describe vintage Stetsons or Borsalinos on Ebay as "Wool Felt," whch is a sure sign of someone who knows nothing about hats. Dorfman is the WalMart of hats. Hat's in the Belfry has some nice straws and they even sell a few Stetsons. They seem to be a step up. I've bought most of my hats from loungers or Ebay.

 

[metropd]

It Gets 'Curiouser and Curiouser'.

Am I wrong? I have been told that numerous times by people in the industry.

 

[casechopper]

My understanding is that Winchester makes most of the hat bodies used by custom hat makers and Stratton uniform hats (police hats). They do not produce bodies for hatco however. Hatco makes their own bodies and as Hatco probably makes the most felt hats in the USA so Winchester would not be the biggest felt producer .

 

[metropd]

The information I said is about a year old. Things may have changed since then.

 

[metropd]

My understanding is that Winchester makes most of the hat bodies used by custom hat makers and Stratton uniform hats (police hats). They do not produce bodies for hatco however. Hatco makes their own bodies and as Hatco probably makes the most felt hats in the USA so Winchester would not be the biggest felt producer .

I spoke to a customer service representative about a year ago from Beaver Brand. She said they get their bodies from Winchester. She seemed to imply Hatco does too. If Iam wrong I stand corrected.

I would recommend getting a custom by Black Sheep Hat Works. You can customize just about anything. The felt color, the liner design, ect..

 

[W4ASZ]

Coca Cola may own a chunk of the stock in Pro Equine, Inc. They may own a chunk of Hatco, the industrial kitchen supply people. I have a headache !

It does get curiouser and curiouser.

 

[gtdean48]

Here is the scoop = RHE Hatco has built a business topping off Western wear for dress or work, and doing it with style, to boot. The company makes and markets western hats for men and women under iconic names such as Stetson, Resistol, and Charlie 1 Horse; it makes dress hats under the Dobbs label. In August 2009, the hat manufacturer was acquired by an affiliate of Pro Equine Group, whose expertise lies in other cowboy accoutrements, such as saddles, ropes, and protective legwear for horses. Previous owner Arena Brands had been shedding its stable of products, such as Imperial Headwear and Montana Silversmiths, when Pro Equine picked up the longtime hat makers.

Also, Hatco makes all its own felt bodies at a factory in Longview, TX. They do not sell to outside hatters.
Winchester makes hat bodies for Stratton Hats & sells hat bodies to custom hat makers.

 

[job]

I believe that Stratton owns Winchester.

 

[danofarlington]

Buying more hats because of trial and error is good.

 

[gtdean48]

I believe that Stratton owns Winchester.

For true, they do....

 

[tonyb]

Perhaps my experience in anomalous, but I have acquired a price list for Hatco-made felt hat bodies, and I've even purchased a pair of 100 percent beaver dress weight bodies from them, the bodies from which their Pinnacle grade of dress hat is made, as I understood it. I even had a brief chat with a fellow at the felting plant in Longview, to answer a question or two he had about my piddly order.

For whatever it's worth, the quality of the bodies was plenty fine (arguably the equal of Winchester's all-beaver bodies, but I'd never suggest the Hatco product was superior), but their overall dimensions are markedly smaller than Winchester's bodies, so making the sort of hat my customers typically want, with a tall, relatively straight-sided crown (which uses up a whole lotta body material) with a Hatco dress body would prove difficult if not impossible.

That's been a few years ago now, so I don't know that I could buy Hatco bodies today if I wished to, not that I've looked into it. I still have those Hatco bodies here in the shop. I blocked one, just to see how much brim I'd have left after a visit to a 5 3/4 inch size 7 3/8 No. 35 block. Not much, as it turned out.

I know of no custom hatter who doesn't like working with Winchester's 100 percent beaver bodies, but I'm guessing just about all of us wouldn't mind having other options, if only because we'd like to offer other colors. Problem is, dealing with the other (overseas) body manufacturers is frustrating at best, such that a person usually determines that it just isn't worth the hassle.

 

[Chuck Naill]

I don't think you need to go custom, although that is a viable option. I have a Stetson Open Road that over times has been reduced to a had with nothing inside. I wear this hat year around on the farm in all weather and even let the babies play with it. Without exception, a bit of steam iron touch up restores the hat's shape. I suppose it is fur. It cost me less than $10 a decade ago. There is always one on Ebay it seems if you have a normal sized head.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

My very first Fedora was a wool hat. Not knowing anything about wool hats, it suffered some really weird shape changing after a few years of wearing it. However, since having owned as many hats as I have and getting a bit more confident about cleaning and steaming hats, shaping them and what not, I have been able to "fix" my wool hat so that is looks like it did new. One thing a wool hat has to be treated with is stiffener. If you spray it with stiffener (lots of it) and then shape with steam, and work it like crazy, you can eventually get it back in shape, as long as you have no deep creases in the hat.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

When I saw the title of this thread, I was afraid something truly awful had happened to you.........

 

[Mark B.]

Hello all...I am new to the lounge and new to posting on any kind of forums. Can someone explain what is meant by "+1" and "bump" in these threads?...I have seen it numerous times but haven't been able to figure it out....[huh]

+1

 

[tealseal]

Hello all...I am new to the lounge and new to posting on any kind of forums. Can someone explain what is meant by "+1" and "bump" in these threads?...I have seen it numerous times but haven't been able to figure it out....[huh]

+1 signifies that you agree with something. For example, if you posted "I think the entire world would be better off if everyone had one fur felt hat", I could reply with a "+1" to show that I fully agree with your statement, but have nothing else to add at the moment.
A "bump" is used to bring a thread that hasn't been added to or discussed in a while to the top of the "New Posts" list. If someone finds an older, "dead" post that is of significant interest, they can "bump" it to get it noticed (again).

Hope this helps!
-TS

 

[Mark B.]

Thank you Tealseal....that explains it quite nicely...now it all makes sense!!..:yo:

 

[tealseal]

Welcome aboard :yo:
If you want to be fancy you can always use the :arated: smilie instead of typing +1 lol. Get it by typing arated between two colons.

 

[Mark B.]

Welcome aboard :yo:
If you want to be fancy you can always use the :arated: smilie instead of typing +1 lol. Get it by typing arated between two colons.

Thanks for the welcome......glad to be on board. There are a lot of nice folks here and I am hoping to make some vintage minded friends to share with.

 

[W4ASZ]

For true, they do....

One wonders about the future Stratton dress hats :

http://www.strattonhats.com/


They know where the bodies are hidden !