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Optimo Cowboy Conversion

Mark G

A-List Customer
Messages
342
Location
Camel, California
Stunning, great job.

I have an Old ten X Stetson that will get the same treatment (only OR) and it's good to know where I can send it.

Thanks
 

Rick Blaine

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,958
Location
Saskatoon, SK CANADA
jimmy the lid said:
Rick -- do you mind sharing the specs on that lid? Width of brim? Height of crown? Width of ribbon?

Cheers,
JtL


...sorry f/ my delay. The specs are as follows;

Brim 2.75"
Ribbon 1.5"
Crown: rear- 4"
front 4.75"
open- 6"
Optimo once had a lrg. thumbnail of the real hat in question. It seems to no longer be on the new updated web site, though.

Orgetorix said:
Looks fantastic, Rick! How stiff is the felt? Most cowboy hats I

see are stiff as a board--was this one that way before you sent it?

No this one was quite soft & supple, real dress weight felt, in my estimation.
 

Bruneau

Suspended
Messages
17
Location
3 miles past nowhere
Great idea. It gave me ideas. :D I have an interchangeable ribbon from my Panama Bob Cuenca that worked great for an occasional new look on my O.R.

and no... I didn't remove the sacred thin Ribbon. ;)

Bruneau
 

indylion

New in Town
Messages
22
Location
Naptown
Your hat looks great. A few years I ran into a few guys that work for Steve Harvey. They were wearing straw cowboy hats that were reblocked with the teardrop block.
 

jimmy the lid

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,647
Location
USA
Rick Blaine said:
Optimo once had a lrg. thumbnail of the real hat in question. It seems to no longer be on the new updated web site, though.

Rick -- thanks for posting the specs. Here is the original thumbnail of the Optimo Mitchum...

MitchumFedora-1.jpg


Your new conversion nails it, and is just beautiful. Congrats!

Cheers,
JtL
 

Midwest Boater

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Michigan
my optimo conversion

i bid on a C.B. thinking it was an O.R. and i was so happy when i won it off ebay for just $22.00 U.S.
thankfully folks on the fedora lounge set me straight. so i figured why not convert it my self.
first lets look at it the way i got it in the mail.
23ij6nb.jpg

35lxb8n.jpg

ndmph0.jpg

1rc612.jpg
 

Midwest Boater

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Michigan
disaster strikes

changing the crease from open range to a teardrop wasn't so hard thanks to JTL's workshop but while i was working on the brim i got the leather hat band soaked and it turned into a cracked-up mess, but i was still proud of what i had going so far and wore it while i B.B.Q ed at my mother in laws 80th birthday.
the smoke and fingerprints that resulted made the poor hat a mess and while trying to brush it clean the glued on ribbon fell most of the way off.
 

Midwest Boater

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Michigan
enter optimo

so i sent the poor thing off to chi-town after reading this thread.here is how it came back.
347ic6v.jpg

mc65on.jpg

2lut9o5.jpg

brim:2 7/8" down from 3" but sort of Amish looking
turned up all the way around.
ribbon: 1 1/2" up from the thin ribbon maybe 1/4 that came with it
and the color seems to be sort of a cream instead of the snow white it was.
 

Midwest Boater

One of the Regulars
Messages
196
Location
Michigan
my touches

all i did was turn the brim down in the front and tighten up the pinch in the crease.
8x4dv7.jpg

npffux.jpg

qnjp50.jpg
2emcr3b.jpg

sorry the head shots failed but i hope that folks can tell if the hat suits me and if they like the job Optimo did on the lid itself. thanks for any input.
 
Messages
10,941
Location
My mother's basement
I like it a lot, Boater. It has an elegant simplicity -- dark, moderate width ribbon on a light body, raw edge. Nice balance to the dimensions. What makes it all the better is that you'll never see another exactly like it, and that it's likely a higher quality hat than you would have gotten in a new hat for a comparable cost.
 

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