The Open Road Guild

[RBH]

WEEGEE... great looking lid, I would say it does !

 

[LEUII]

John and RB,
Thanks for the compliment on the hat. It is a VERY light Silverbelly. The ensemble I wear with it is somewhat unique, and yet common: Khakis and a chambray shirt. It is, as it was for my grandfather, my work hat. I know that some will shudder over that, but it has a legacy to uphold! Plus, I get to wear it almost daily.

 

[jamespowers]

James -- I was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. From the 1920's on, the Equitable Building (named after Equitable Life, an insurance company) has graced the skyline of Des Moines. For many years, it was the tallest building in Des Moines and probably in the entire state-- a whoppsing 19 stories tall, with a little rounded nub on top.

The hat shop was probably located in that building as there were shops and stores on the street level, insurance and medical offices above.

The Equitable Building still stands, now dwarfed on the skyline by a good half-dozen taller buildings. The hat store is, of course, long gone.

http://www.cardcow.com/product.php?productid=23696

If this does not show, you can Google it.

karol

Hey, thanks! That is a great building. No hat shop? Darn, I guess it must have closed in the 60s like all the rest. Are you clsoe enough to check?

Regards,

J

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

Before some steam

After

http://public.fotki.com/formerblueangel/felt_fedoras/dsc05526sm.html

If the pics don't work, start here
http://public.fotki.com/formerblueangel/felt_fedoras/dsc05525sm.html
DR

 

[John in Covina]

That's really starting to shape up! Nice color too! Good luck with that hat and may it bring some good luck to you!

 

[WEEGEE]

I like the hat...and it suits the adventures of life

O.P. RBH

WEEGEE... great looking lid, I would say it does !

Thanks...Open Road Guild...what cars should we drive...ideas?!!!


A friend with a caddy ...dreams of a hat an Open Road/Stratoliner...

thinks that and a caddy rolling down the road is a fine thing.

fine things.

The question....complete the picture as hat extended into life.


WeeGee

 

[John in Covina]

A friend with a caddy ...dreams of a hat an Open Road/Stratoliner...thinks that and a caddy rolling down the road is a fine thing. fine things.WeeGee

*********
ZZ Top has a Song called Nation Wide that comes to mind.

 

[Katt in Hat]

Pray for me. Hat is in Art's hands. He has pronounced it as "Fit for Pigs."

Modified but mostly duplicate post from 03-24-2006:

This will be my 3rd or 5th Open Road Style Lid

Art F. has been granted brief to take any and all measures necessary to transmogrify, transmute and/or permute this poor, mis-shapen, broken backed furry mass into something suitable for an ol' Gaffer/Geezer to wear whilst drinking and drowsing all alone in a darkened room.

It cost only $62.50 with shipping and insurance. It is to be returned by mid Autumn . If I never see it again, it will probably be too soon.
Hat is from '50s most likely per Mr. F.

Art has to visit a moonshiner to obtain shellac remover. Hat has brim stiff as an LP record. Bummer...

Quote:
Originally Posted by jamespowers
Wow! In 1953 the 7X Beaver cost $50 according to Stetson literature so you got it for less than list price but it has quite a bit of potential there. That hat is one class up from the Stetson 100 so you have some decent felt there my friend.
Regards,J

$364.97 in the year 2005 has the same "purchase power" as $50.00 in the year 1953.
Wow!!!

This had been my 100th post. What will become of me now as" Familiar Face" when I pass this milestone? Ah ha, I'm now "One of the Regulars"
Than'Q...







__________________

 

[epic610]

new open road....

i have a new one. the felt is extremely stiff. does this preclude a re-bashing?

 

[Katt in Hat]

Probably not. Is the crown as stiff as the brim?

If not then your task is much, much easier. An expert can give you a more comprehensive answer. Good Luck!

 

[John in Covina]

Stiff stuff!

i have a new one. the felt is extremely stiff. does this preclude a re-bashing?

***********
The discussion on stiff hats, especially the cowboy type, lists the culprit as SHELLAC! Now shellac is kinda like a natural form of varnish, and is disolved by ALCOHOL. Specifically, De-natured Alcohol which is a little pricey. Art had taken a hat, put it into one of those 5 gallon plastic paint buckets popped a hat inside poured in about 3 gallons of denatured alcohol and put the lid on it.
Next day rinsed and had a soft hat, sans shellac, to work with.

Question is how much alcohol do you need to used for a hat. Is there anyway to filter or redistill the alcohol to remove the shellac and resuse the alcohol? Inquiring minds want to know! Pour your self a stiff one and contemplate the problem. Rubbing alcohol is cheaper, would it work too?

 

[tonyb]

Well, epic610, if I had one of those new ones, I'd leave it as is (stiff, with the cattleman's bash) and wear it with boots and jeans and in the rain and snow and get my money's worth out of it. I fear that should you attempt to reshape it you'll be less than satisfied with the results. Chances are it would taper badly. My relatively recent one, purchased new a dozen or so years ago with an open crown and then bashed (by me) fedora style, certainly has tapered quite a bit more than my vintage ones ever have. I'd offer to sell it to you cheap, but really, it's not even worth the postage. Instead, scour the secondhand/antique/vintage/thrift shops and eBay for an old OR or similar hat from another manufacturer. Deals are still out there. Just a day or two ago I saw a clean vintage Stetson 25 OR (that's a good 'un) sell on eBay for all of $40.02. And, as I recall, it was either a 7 1/4 or 7 3/8. Not bad at all.

 

[epic610]

How about....

keeping the cattleman bash . . . and wearing it with the brim snapped down?

anyone out there ever try this?

 

[tonyb]

I saw one shaped that way just this morning, epic610, at my favorite hash house, a joint that retains the look it wore when it opened, back in 1930-something. A man seated at the counter there had an OR (or something quite akin to one) resting on the stool to the right of him. It was an older one, as evidenced by a wind string and, well, its finer-looking felt than what you see in the hats of more recent manufacture. I would have struck up a conversation with him, but he was busy chatting up the woman seated to his left and far be it from me to interrupt such a lovely exchange, especially during the springtime.
Back to his hat, though. Yes, it has the cattleman's bash, although it appeared a bit over-pinched there on the stool. The reason for that became apparent when he (and the gal) got up to leave. He grabbed his hat firmly by the crown bashes (I winced), plopped it on his head and pulled the brim down in front.

 

[GentlemanFarmer]

Cattleman's crease on a OR with a snap brim

Good evening everyone. This is my first foray into the Lounge, though I've been scouting the place out for the last couple of months. I've read the Hats forum front to back, focusing primarily on anything Open Road, doing my homework. I won my first sand-colored OR back in February off eBay. I want to thank all of you for your insight on what to look for.

When it arrived, I picked it up at the Post Office. I opened it up in the parking lot, got it out and immediately turned the front brim down. It actually stayed down without any coaxing. I put it on and I couldn't get that #@!*-eating grin off my face for an hour. It's got the Cattleman's crease (otherwise known as an Alpine or Dress Alpine crease) and being from New Mexico/Texas, it's going to stay that way, but I love the snap brim. The newer cowboy brim styles either make the hat look like the "Flying Nun" or a taco, depending on where you live.

I'm now rehabilitating an older gray Resistol San Antonio and plan on the same look. I'm about to box it up and send it to Mike the Hatter in Cleveland. Anyone heard anything about him? I'll fire up the digital camera and post before and after photos later.

May this old cowboy join up with the Guild??

 

[John in Covina]

A hundred Thousand Welcomes!

Cozy on up and tell us more! Don't forget the pictures!

Sincerely,

 

[WEEGEE]

Cowboys Needed

Welcome GentlemanFarmer

 

[epic610]

from one open road owner...

to another. welcome to the forum

 

[RBH]

WELCOME GentlemanFarmer !!!!!

Welcome to the Guild !!!
this from an ol' Arkansas Farmer !!!!!
You will love the Lounge..
[ I must say '' try the fedora bash though!]

 

[Pilgrim]

Gentleman Farmer, welcome to the lounge, and as one who lives in Colorado and is comfortable in the west, I'll encourage you to keep that crown just as it is. I have a grey Open Road being re-blocked in classic style right now at the Greeley Hatworks.

If you get a hankering for a fedora style Open Road, just cozy up to Ebay and get another. Then you can have the best of both!:eusa_clap