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Tricorn, Cocked, Colonial, Pirate hat.

johnnycanuck

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,008
Location
Alberta
Interesting conversation. Discussing the practicalities of a hat that went out of style almost 200 years ago.
To add to the debate. The sides were sometimes tied up so they can be untied and let down to shield yourself from the elements. If you look at old British painting you see lower levels of society with hats that only have one, two or no side pinned up. Just a wide brimmed floppy hat. More over how floppy the hat was denoted how rich or poor the person was. Rich would be high end beaver that was stiff and crisp. Floppy wool was for the poor that could not afford the higher quality.
More over, back then, people were more concerned with Body temperature (avoid catching their death of cold) you only need to cover the crown.
As for sun they thought if your head got hot enough exposed to the sun it would boil your bran in you skull and cause you to go mad. So brims were not the main concern.


This page looks cool. Anyone heard of them.
http://www.captjackspiratehats.com/
keep the information and conversation going. This is interesting.

Johnny
 

rogerstg

A-List Customer
Messages
325
Location
Rhode Island
The brim folded offer no protection against the sun and makes the hat accumulate water when raining, making it heavier. I don't see anything positive here.

Clearly, you've never fired a flintlock while wearing a wide brim. Ouch! :eeek::D

The utilitarian versions simply had their brims pinned or laced up so that the wearer could lower the brim for protection from the elements as needed. But for shooting the long guns of the times, you'd want that brim up, or you risk losing your eyesight, at least temporarily.

Roger
 
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Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,074
Location
London, UK
Clearly, you've never fired a flintlock while wearing a wide brim. Ouch! :eeek::D

The utilitarian versions simply had their brims pinned or laced up so that the wearer could lower the brim for protection from the elements as needed. But for shooting the long guns of the times, you'd want that brim up, or you risk losing your eyesight, at least temporarily.

Roger

Ha! Yes, indeed. Also up and out of the way so it didnt interfere with sighting, or, indeed, swinging a sword (or bayonetted rifle).
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,776
Location
Portugal
Joao, here is a friends work that you might like:
A torpedo!

As I stated earlier. To make the wig more visible! That expensive wig was quite the status symbol!
If you want to show the wig, why not a stingy brim or a cap?

Interesting conversation. Discussing the practicalities of a hat that went out of style almost 200 years ago.
It's always nice to get to know old things.

Clearly, you've never fired a flintlock while wearing a wide brim. Ouch! :eeek::D
No. Only fired a carbine and back then I didn't wear a hat.

The utilitarian versions simply had their brims pinned or laced up so that the wearer could lower the brim for protection from the elements as needed. But for shooting the long guns of the times, you'd want that brim up, or you risk losing your eyesight, at least temporarily.
I don't see pirates using long guns. Remember this is about the pirate hat tricorn.
 

rogerstg

A-List Customer
Messages
325
Location
Rhode Island
I don't see pirates using long guns. Remember this is about the pirate hat tricorn.

Oh, I didn't realize pirates had their own section at the local hatter.[huh]
I just assumed they used whatever they had or was common at the time. Besides, the discussion ceased to be about the fantasy movie depiction of pirates and turned to the practical purpose of tricorn headwear.

I thought you'd be thrilled that the basis of a tricorn was a w-i-d-e brim. :cheers1:
 

Fed in a Fedora

Practically Family
Messages
739
Location
Dixie, USA
It is true that the cocked hat existed to show off wigs. There is surely no utility to this hat style at all. It does nothing well. On the other hand, it is better than my light infantry helmets...

Having done Rev War, F&I and 1812 reenacting and period hunting for years, I have fired a lot of blank and live rounds from flintlocks while wearing a wide brimmed hat with little negative effect. It is not as bad as one might think.

Pirates/privateers often used long guns. Read The Pirates Laffite by William C Davis for an interesting and historically accurate discussion of them.

Talk like a pirate day is coming up on the 19th!

Fed
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,776
Location
Portugal
You see Joao, brims aren't necessarily wasted....
How many times do pirates unfold their brim? Would you have the time to unfold it when needed?

As for protection, I suppose it depends on what one needs to protect....:rolleyes:
ah ah lol
But for that... "protection" even a fez do the same work (regarding to the men, the lady needs the biggest brim available ;)
 

Lean'n'mean

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,086
Location
Cloud-cuckoo-land
How many times do pirates unfold their brim?


Quite often but only when there was an ARRRRRRRR in the month. ;)


Would you have the time to unfold it when needed?

Yep, only takes a few seconds, longer though if you had a hook.



But for that... "protection" even a fez do the same work

Maybe for you but for some even a 10 gallon hat ain't enough to cover one's modesty..:D
 

WesternHatWearer

A-List Customer
Messages
366
Location
Georgia
I have learned a few things. I believe I could shape a western hat into a tricorn if i had a hat that I wanted to reshape. Especially a Resistol that has been soaked, so that it is softened a bit.
 

Fed in a Fedora

Practically Family
Messages
739
Location
Dixie, USA
The crown of most modern hats is too high and deep to be correct for the earlier hats. Both of mine are 4 3/4 inches in height and simply domed without any shaping while my lowest modern hat is much higher than that to accommodate modern creasing.

Fed
 

Fed in a Fedora

Practically Family
Messages
739
Location
Dixie, USA
I received this site from a group. I have no particular information on the vendor or his site, but am passing it on because the dimensions of the images that I have seen look correct to me. Might be helpful in your effort to fabricate a good hat.

http://cockedhats.com/
 

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