Stetson Pinnacle Beaver – Cloudy Felt and Hatters Grease?

[Franz-AT]

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

 

[EL-Jimenez74]

I have a Stetson Pinnacle in Mink Brown, almost identical to yours. I do not notice any type of substance, when I touch or rub the fur felt. Like you I also really like this hat, it fits well, and has a solid structure. The only thing I pla on doing is changing out the ribbon on the hat. Good luck

 

[belfastboy]

I have a Stetson Pinnacle in Mink Brown, almost identical to yours. I do not notice any type of substance, when I touch or rub the fur felt. Like you I also really like this hat, it fits well, and has a solid structure. The only thing I pla on doing is changing out the ribbon on the hat. Good luck

I have a Pinnacle from 2015. It is a great felt. I immediately changed out the cheap poly ribbon on the brim binding and the crown. It is shameful that Stetson uses such cheap **** for ribbons when good ribbon would cost them but a dollar more. The issues with your hat indicate that you have an example of Stetson's very poor quality control and your hat should not have left the factory.

 

[Frunobulax]

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 believe Stetson still uses powdered dyes. I have had modern Stetsons that, if you rub the felt, some of the dye will come off on your fingers. It's much more noticeable in the darker colors. That may be what you're feeling on your fingers.

Similarly, the uneven patches may be uneven application of the dye. I know there is a method for trying to fix this, as @belfastboy has detailed some success in his renovations. However, I can't remember exactly what he used (denatured alcohol maybe?). In any event, it would likely require a complete teardown to mitigate.