To shellac or not to shellac...?

[jdouglasj]

My Western hatmaker makes a lot of cowboy hats. He makes fedoras too, and they look great, but they are stiffer than what I see at my hat maker here in Chicago.

When I first went to my Chicago hat maker, I noted that his hats were not nearly as soft as what I'm used to seeing in old movies. Those hats looked much more personal, and less like they were stamped out of a machine. But overall his hats are fairly soft.

My western hat maker can make a hat that looks the way I want it to look, but it will still be stiff even if the pinch isn't symmetrical and even if it has the look of a softer hat.

I could say "hey, don't put much shellac in my hat" but what would be the consequences of that? If less shellac means I just have to fiddle with it a bit to get it back into shape, then that's fine. But if less shellac means this hat maker won't be able to achieve the hat I want him to make, then that is a problem.

I guess my question comes down to this: Should I tell my Western hat maker to use very little shellac, or should I just let him make hats the way he's used to making hats?

My Plainview hat from Watson's has finally arrived. The styling is just as we discussed. The crown is lower than Daniel Day Lewis' hat (again, as we discussed in the store), and the granite color is my selection. I specifically told Eric to make the indents asymmetrical, and he did an excellent job matching my expectations there.

The hat IS stiff, and while I was hoping for a soft hat I wasn't really expecting one because none of his dress fedoras in the store are soft. For whatever reason, he just doesn't make a soft hat. The hat looks soft, and I like how it looks very much, but it isn't soft.

 

[VetPsychWars]

It is my firm belief that no vintage had was made so soft it was mushy but rather that they were handled and cleaned so many times there is little to no stiffener left.

I have owned (and still do) Stetson Stratoliners of some vintage and they are not mushy. If you squeeze them, they will change shape, but they also don't lose their shape as time goes on, which I am not a fan of.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

It is my firm belief that no vintage had was made so soft it was mushy but rather that they were handled and cleaned so many times there is little to no stiffener left.

I have owned (and still do) Stetson Stratoliners of some vintage and they are not mushy. If you squeeze them, they will change shape, but they also don't lose their shape as time goes on, which I am not a fan of.

There are the lightweight felts that were made super soft and any touch changes their shape. This is uniform to the hats and not the result of years, cleaning, handling, etc. In the first half of the 20th century there was a range of thickness, weight, materials, and stiffeners. None of the vintage Stratoliners I’ve personally held had lightweight “blow in a crease” type felt.

 

[jdouglasj]

When I watch old movies I can instantly see the difference in softness with a vintage hat. The softness doesn't make the hat feel any better in my opinion, it just looks better. Had I not asked for an asymmetrical pinch (or dents or whatever they are called), I would not be terribly pleased with my Plainview, but as it is, I like it a great deal. The asymmetry gives it that personal look. And it's not just that the pinch is asymmetrical, but there are dents pushing out from within the pinch. It's subtle, but it's makes all the difference and I went over that in detail in the store.

Years ago one of the cheap hat companies tried to make a soft hat, marketing it as "every hat looks different and it's up to you to shape it the way you want." I felt embarrassed wearing it even while standing in a room by myself. It was somewhere between a hat and a towel. I noticed soon after I sent it back they stated they would no longer accept returns of that hat. Point is, there is no way of doing soft on the cheap.

DH -- Since we are the same hat size, you'll have to let me know when you are selling any of your stock.

 

[jdouglasj]

Now another question about stiff hats. What happens when they get wet? I don't worry about getting my soft Optimo wet. Shake it off and it's fine. But I notice that hat dealers sell plastic coverings to go on stop of some cowboy hats so you can wear them in the rain. I've seen cops in my time wearing those coverings. This makes me wonder if a stiff hat can handle the rain and snow as well as a soft hat?

UPDATE: Come to think of it, I have a $200 Stetson Stratoliner that I wore in a heavy wet snow once and it did not come out of that undamaged. But $200 is cheap for a new hat. Watson's hats are almost 5X that price.

 

[jlee562]

It's not good to get any hat soaked through. As someone who wears a modern 10x Resistol Cogburn as a rain hat, I don't think the stiffness makes a significant difference. Over time the brim did start to curl up, but I just ironed it out back flat again. It's also gotten slightly less stiff.

 

[belfastboy]

Now another question about stiff hats. What happens when they get wet? I don't worry about getting my soft Optimo wet. Shake it off and it's fine. But I notice that hat dealers sell plastic coverings to go on stop of some cowboy hats so you can wear them in the rain. I've seen cops in my time wearing those coverings. This makes me wonder if a stiff hat can handle the rain and snow as well as a soft hat?

UPDATE: Come to think of it, I have a $200 Stetson Stratoliner that I wore in a heavy wet snow once and it did not come out of that undamaged. But $200 is cheap for a new hat. Watson's hats are almost 5X that price.

My Akubra Campdrafts are my rain hats....they have been drenched many times and with a bit of care in allowing them to dry and the odd steaming/ironing they stand up well and they are on the lower end of the price scale. I consider them mid scale on the stiffness chart.

 

[VetPsychWars]

My Akubra Campdrafts are my rain hats....they have been drenched many times and with a bit of care in allowing them to dry and the odd steaming/ironing they stand up well and they are on the lower end of the price scale. I consider them mid scale on the stiffness chart.

That's what I use mine for too, for the most part. Not that I would necessarily take a long walk in the rain with one (that's what the txapela is for), but for building to car and back, they work fine for that.

 

[belfastboy]

That's what I use mine for too, for the most part. Not that I would necessarily take a long walk in the rain with one (that's what the txapela is for), but for building to car and back, they work fine for that.

I have been caught out walking in a deluge and my campdraft stood up very well....none the worse for wear.