Plastic Hat Shapers really work!

[CRH]

Try a Google search for "hat block wood 7 1/4 no. 52"

It's slim picken's out there.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

What is affordable?

Getting a pristine condition Stetson 100 for $100

What is next to impossible?

Getting a pristine condition Stetson 100 for $100

 

[alanfgag]

Try a Google search for "hat block wood 7 1/4 no. 52"

It's slim picken's out there.

unrefine your search. Most sellers do not know what they have or what it is called. Same with a search for >Stratoliner pin<. A search for >airplane pin< will turn up many more matches at lower prices. At least they did before I posted this.

Getting a pristine condition Stetson 100 for $100 Getting a pristine condition Stetson 100 for $100

Expand your horizons. And kick in another c-note. I guarantee in twelve months you will not miss the hundred.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Expand your horizons. And kick in another c-note. I guarantee in twelve months you will not miss the hundred.

How?

 

[T Jones]

Try an eBay search for >antique hat<. It brings up tools and other cool stuff.

I'll check it out.

I don't cut or otherwise manhandle brims. But that's just me.

I do. When I'm doing conversions. But that's just me and some others who do them too.

 

[CRH]

unrefine your search. Most sellers do not know what they have or what it is called. Same with a search for >Stratoliner pin<. A search for >airplane pin< will turn up many more matches at lower prices. At least they did before I posted this.



Expand your horizons. And kick in another c-note. I guarantee in twelve months you will not miss the hundred.

I prefer to buy from sellers who know what they are doing. I don't have time to peruse the cheap seats, if you know what I mean.

 

[TheDane]

I prefer to buy from sellers who know what they are doing. I don't have time to peruse the cheap seats, if you know what I mean.

Not really. Some of the best buys I've done, were from buyers who didn't know much about hats.

 

[John Galt]

I agree with TheDane. I love uninformed sellers. Crossing threads with TJ's conversion corral posts, I recently bought an antique rounding jack for $4.99 in a BIN from a seller who seemed to have known what it was, but not what it was worth. I understand your point about time spent - there's always a trade off, but I love finding those rare items at great prices...

 

[T Jones]

I agree with TheDane. I love uninformed sellers. Crossing threads with TJ's conversion corral posts, I recently bought an antique rounding jack for $4.99 in a BIN from a seller who seemed to have known what it was, but not what it was worth. I understand your point about time spent - there's always a trade off, but I love finding those rare items at great prices...

I'll give your money back for it!

 

[CRH]

It's all about the hunt. That's for sure.

 

[fedoracentric]

Not really. Some of the best buys I've done, were from buyers who didn't know much about hats.

Actually most of the hats I've bought came from someone that didn't know a dang thing about hats. hardly anyone out there in the wide world does, after all.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

It's like listing a Stagecoach as a wool hat and no one bid on it

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Just made that point myself on another thread here. Some very honest and nice people are selling on eBay. They have a hat with no clue it might just be what we would consider a "holy grail" find....and then you ask some questions to make sure the hat has no moth bits as not always will a picture capture that,...ask them to measure to make sure of the size and all, ask if they have a hat box for the hat, ask as many questions as you can and then be honest and say you have a budget and would like to own the hat, that it is what you have wanted to own and buy for a long time and toss a number at them for what you can afford. Not always but at times they will say yes. That is all it takes.

Now back to the hat shape product. I am sure it works as others have stated. Daniel had one and he was too afraid at the time to even use it. Had a old vintage hat stretcher too, same thing he was afraid of ripping any hats on it, so off it went to someone else. Now today, I would be confident to use either item on a hat. I steam and shape hats all the time, clean them with a sponge and a few times even used a lightly soaped up wash clothe and then sponge and brush. Hats are as a few here stated in the past, made a bit "tuffer" than what we would think.

 

[John Galt]

Indeed, felt is a very tough material. Like other hair, it can last almost indefinitely if it doesn't become moth fodder.

I am reminded of John Donne's line in The Relic about "a bracelet of bright hair about the bone."

http://www.usask.ca/english/prufrock/donne2.htm

 

[Blackthorn]

Indeed, felt is a very tough material. Like other hair, it can last almost indefinitely if it doesn't become moth fodder.

I am reminded of John Donne's line in The Relic about "a bracelet of bright hair about the bone."

http://www.usask.ca/english/prufrock/donne2.htm

Very interesting poem, JG, thanks for sharing.

 

[John Galt]

You are welcome. Donne is a favorite of mine.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Hat Shaper! WOW real nice!

http:/[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/IMAG0575_zpsitdmegxz.jpg.html] [/URL]

 

[LuvMyMan]

http:/[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/IMAG0580_zps1cd2l8bm.jpg.html] [/URL]

http:/[URL=http://s1140.photobucket.com/user/LoveMyHats2/media/IMAG0579_zpsxivte7hi.jpg.html] [/URL]


You can see the top picture, the small dent or dimple was a result of my using steam in a too much use (had a brass tube in a stopper on the steam kettle) and I had those dimples all over the hat. This is a really clean NOS hat, but was attempting to just remove the original "bash" that had been there for the last 65 years or so....and steam was my choice of doing that. However, if you look at the bottom picture, it gives you an idea on how fast and easy to use the hatshaper was. I was able to take the hat to open crown in a few minutes, used a steam iron and all the old original crease and all these dimples are gone.

Now for a word about the hatshaper itself. The surface has a very smooth and shiny texture and the shape, NO taper! As I am learning more and more about hats and doing things, I feel some day I can do more work on the hats here in our home.

The Hatshapers is a wonderful family ran business, extremely nice, very good communication and the price was so very affordable. They got me the hatshaper fairly quickly and it was very well packaged and boxed. If you desire to do some things yourself, I would totally recommend you buy one of these. They work.

Yes, I am putting in a "plug" for the hatshapers, but hey, when we find something worth while on the Lounge, that is part of wanting to share with everyone.

 

[LuvMyMan]

Oh yes...sorry the pictures are flipped over....nothing I can do about it, my photobucket "freezes" up so much and will not allow me to flip a picture over...lol!

 

[tommyK]

I am fairly new to re-blocking hats but some of the advice here doesn't quite jive with my experience. Please don't take offense, I'm just conveying my own trial and error and wondering if others have had similar experiences. I would invite elaboration from any of the pros here.

First, I've had no problem finding wood blocks in my size and I'm a big noggin (7 1/2 to 7 5/8). Never payed more than $60. Brim flanges were tougher to find and I'm still currently looking for a 2 3/4-3 inch

Second, this advice to go down a size in block if you're keeping the sweatband in hasn't worked well for me. I tried this and the smaller size blocks do not fill out the crowns. I bought my size and modified them (narrowed the bottoms on a sander) to not push the band into the felt so much with great results. No ghost ring showing through.

Third, I've found most older fedoras I buy fall into two camps; 51 and 52 style blocks. That is a more rounded top and a flatter top. I avoid tapered crowns generally. Of course there are exceptions, bowlers, top hats and other obvious styles. But I don't buy those. Yes, I realize that Stetson and others had proprietary blocks for almost every model and that changed from time to time and they are all slightly different. But my hats seem to come out looking like they did before neat, clean and just not so rumpled. If I had something exceptionally valuable or critically wounded I would send it to a professional. I don't think I've done any harm and a pro could probably reshape them if I had, I think.

My apologies if I come off like a Luddite.