Reworked Borsalino

[tonyb]

I received this late-model Borsalino as a gift something like five or six years ago. It has resided in its box ever since. It is (was) too short and tapered of crown to suit my tastes, and too wide of brim.

So I took it apart and put the body on a block to make the crown taller and more vertical of profile. This involved turning some of that brim into crown (of course). I also trimmed off a bit of it with a rounding jack. This is the result ...

I replaced the ribbon with this kinda peach-colored stuff, which I came up with by bleaching some bright orange ribbon (don't ask) that came my way.

And I replaced the sweatband, on account of the original one being of the unreeded variety, which I am unable to reinstall even if I had wished to, which I didn't, seeing how it's nowhere near the quality of its replacement.

 

[MAB1]

Looks nice. I would have preferred the wider brim but...

What did it start out as (width wise) and what did you trim it to?

And how much more height did you get?

 

[AlanC]

Very nice. You should put the wind trolley back on.

 

[handlebar bart]

Thats a nice change, Tony.:eusa_clap But how did you get the Byrnie Utz liner?

 

[MattJH]

No matter how many times it's explained here, I just can't picture how you sew in a sweatband. Heh.

 

[Woodfluter]

I think you definitely improved it. Nice look - would be good to see this on a head. I assume the drastic difference in color was due to lighting? Did you ditch the trolley? Statistics, we need statistics!

Anyway, glad to see someone change it to be more suited to their purposes.

- Bill

 

[tonyb]

The liner is original to the hat, handlebar bart, hence the Byrnie Utz (where it was purchased) logo on the liner top.

The actual color is closer to the "after" shot, woodfluter. Yup, the difference is on account of the lighting.

For those keeping score at home ... the brim is something just under 2 1/2 inches. Let's say 2 7/16. Crown, open, is about 5 1/2 inches. As currently shaped, it's about 4 3/8 at the front, 4 5/8 at the rear, and 4 3/4 at the sides. The crown is about half an inch, maybe a little more, taller than it was.

The felt on this hat is considerably thinner than the new dress weight beaver bodies I've turned into finished hats. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there is markedly less material here, which seems worth noting. And the brim needed additional stiffener to hold an upturned contour at the back and sides.

The "before" shot really doesn't leave an accurate impression of just how awful this thing looked upon my head. Seriously, it was almost laughable. A clown costume. Maybe this style works well with other facial and body types, and sitting on its lonesome there, it doesn't seem so bad. But on me, man, what a joke.

Dumbjaw, as to the sweatband ... I find it the most tedious part of the hat-making process. And I've also found it the part I'm likeliest to mess up. The sweatband has to be cut to size. The ferrule has to go on the reed, with the right amount of reed extending out either side of the reed tape. The proper angle has to be cut in the leather, so that the sweatband is enough (but not too much) narrower at the top than at the bottom. The ends have to be joined together, in such a way that there are no gaps or overlaps. And then the whole works has to be sewn into the body, at the right height, so that the reed just barely extends below the band line. I figure that if I do a few dozen more of these, I may actually have the whole process down pat.

 

[MDphoto]

Very nice work. I think it looks much nicer.:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Rick Blaine]

WHAT A NICE CONVERSION!

:eusa_clap Very nice indeed. :eusa_clap

...as to the sweatband ... I find it the most tedious part of the hat-making process. And I've also found it the part I'm likeliest to mess up. The sweatband has to be cut to size. The ferrule has to go on the reed, with the right amount of reed extending out either side of the reed tape. The proper angle has to be cut in the leather, so that the sweatband is enough (but not too much) narrower at the top than at the bottom. The ends have to be joined together, in such a way that there are no gaps or overlaps. And then the whole works has to be sewn into the body, at the right height, so that the reed just barely extends below the band line. I figure that if I do a few dozen more of these, I may actually have the whole process down pat.

Yeah, you've just excised from me the last lingering vestige of an idea I could perform this operation myself. I have about half dozen that need new sweats, but I don't think I have it in me... to reiterate though, incredible job on that one!

 

[tonyb]

Rick, I think you're right -- you would be wiser to send 'em out, unless you really want to learn how to do it yourself, in which case I can only recommend that you find some dirty, smelly, misshapen old beaters to practice on, 'cuz you're almost certain to do a less-than-professional job of it on your first several attempts and I doubt you want to commit such a crime against your more precious old hats.

Believe me, the 20 bucks or so that the real hat shops charge to put in a high-quality sweatband is money well spent.

 

[Stoney]

Great job Tony.. That was a big old brim

I think the hat looks much better. Of course you and I like the same styles so there you go. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

And I agree on your thoughts about sewing in sweatbands. It is my least favorite part of refurbing or making a new hat as well. I've tried using a machine to sew them in but just wasn't satisfied with the quality of the work. I know the pros do it this way , but with me, I can do a better job sewing it in by hand , though it takes a long time to do it to my satisfaction. Fortunately I usually sew them in while watching TV at home, so I have something slightly more exciting than stitch-loop- stitch.. to keep my brain occupied. lol This week its my 50 Drive In Movies video collection. What a hoot.

Like you said , unless you want to learn how to do it or like making your own hats.. send it out for less than $20.00 to get a professional job.

 

[Jerekson]

Tony...these threads of yours are getting seriously annoying.














Each time you make me more and more jealous.
This is amazing. Keep up the fantastic work that you're doing, my friend.

 

[GWD]

Looks Great! Nice Job!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Inspiring stuff. I've never gone to those extremes but any tweaking, shaping, changing out ribbons, etc. helps to make a hat feel more "yours" somehow. You wind up lovin' 'em more than if they showed up perfect to begin with.

Great job, Tony!

 

[Mark G]

Nice job Tony. Now let's see it on.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Tony, Very nice, indeed. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Tango Yankee]

Boy, Tony, it's amazing just how much a small change in dimensions can do! Outstanding results!!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Congrats,
Tom