Hi everyone,
I recently bought a Stetson Pinnacle Beaver in Caribou. Not quite an easy purchase, as I live in Austria and US-made Stetsons have to be imported directly. Stetson Europe has its own line of hats, made in Europe, which is quite different from the American models.
Anyway, the hat has finally arrived, and I really love it! The felt is wonderfully soft and velvety, the hat is comfortable to wear, and I'm very happy with my purchase.
However, there are a couple of things I'm curious about.
First, the felt has some slightly cloudy, uneven patches. They're difficult to capture in photos, but quite noticeable in certain lighting conditions. They don't seem to be dirt, and gentle brushing doesn't remove them. They also don't appear to be caused by the direction of the felt's nap.
Is this simply a natural characteristic of beaver felt, or perhaps something related to the finishing process? Has anyone noticed something similar on their hats?
The second thing is even more interesting to me. When I touch the wonderfully velvety felt, it leaves a rather unusual feeling on my fingers – almost as if there were a very fine, wax-like substance on them. Not greasy or sticky at all, just a smooth, slightly coated feeling, with a faint but rather pleasant waxy smell. The hat itself has the same smell.
Has anyone experienced this before? Any idea what might cause it?
I noticed that Village Hat Shop mentions the following in their description of the Pinnacle:
"The fur is then sanded and treated several times with special hatters grease."
Could this be what I'm noticing? Does anyone know what this "hatters grease" actually consists of, or how it affects the feel and appearance of the felt?
I'm not really concerned about any of this – I think it's a wonderful hat, and I'm looking forward to wearing it for many years. I'm simply curious about the material and the traditional finishing techniques.
I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Best regards from Austria,
Franz
I recently bought a Stetson Pinnacle Beaver in Caribou. Not quite an easy purchase, as I live in Austria and US-made Stetsons have to be imported directly. Stetson Europe has its own line of hats, made in Europe, which is quite different from the American models.
Anyway, the hat has finally arrived, and I really love it! The felt is wonderfully soft and velvety, the hat is comfortable to wear, and I'm very happy with my purchase.
However, there are a couple of things I'm curious about.
First, the felt has some slightly cloudy, uneven patches. They're difficult to capture in photos, but quite noticeable in certain lighting conditions. They don't seem to be dirt, and gentle brushing doesn't remove them. They also don't appear to be caused by the direction of the felt's nap.
Is this simply a natural characteristic of beaver felt, or perhaps something related to the finishing process? Has anyone noticed something similar on their hats?
The second thing is even more interesting to me. When I touch the wonderfully velvety felt, it leaves a rather unusual feeling on my fingers – almost as if there were a very fine, wax-like substance on them. Not greasy or sticky at all, just a smooth, slightly coated feeling, with a faint but rather pleasant waxy smell. The hat itself has the same smell.
Has anyone experienced this before? Any idea what might cause it?
I noticed that Village Hat Shop mentions the following in their description of the Pinnacle:
"The fur is then sanded and treated several times with special hatters grease."
Could this be what I'm noticing? Does anyone know what this "hatters grease" actually consists of, or how it affects the feel and appearance of the felt?
I'm not really concerned about any of this – I think it's a wonderful hat, and I'm looking forward to wearing it for many years. I'm simply curious about the material and the traditional finishing techniques.
I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Best regards from Austria,
Franz
