suitedcboy
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,348
- Location
- Fort Worth Texas or thereabouts
After some work with a hat Sponge I stuck an imitation Great Horned Owl tail feather behind the bow for a good color match. This hat is a light silver gray color which is hard to photograph, especially in front of a window in natural light.
That's such a beautiful hat.
Thank you guys. I love the color. To me it's more what Silverbelly used to be a long time ago.That is one good looking hat!!!
Looks nicely finished. The shovel brim it's a no for me.Got a new one made by Mike Miller. 100% beaver and he did a wider self band and made the band have a Ranger belt like style, narrows down for buckle set. I will likely do a bit more with the brim shape.
Really nice hat, Jack! Nice touch with the Liberty Heads too.After some work with a hat Sponge I stuck an imitation Great Horned Owl tail feather behind the bow for a good color match. This hat is a light silver gray color which is hard to photograph, especially in front of a window in natural light.
Thanks Doc. This Rand & the one I call "Blackie" are my two favorite Westerns. Blackie & I go way back & have a lot of history together.Really nice hat, Jack! Nice touch with the Liberty Heads too.
Looks nice, Jack. I'm sure the history makes you smile every time you reach for it. Like most things that accompany us through our experiences we are often taken back in time when we reach for those things. Great hat.Thanks Doc. This Rand & the one I call "Blackie" are my two favorite Westerns. Blackie & I go way back & have a lot of history together.
Thanks Willebe. It just occurred to me that you would probably like a vintage Stetson Billy Kidd, named after & endorsed by the downhill skier. Like anything vintage you have to watch for them & the earlier hats are better made. Bigger than the early Gun Clubs & better grade than the Stagecoach IMO.Looks nice, Jack. I'm sure the history makes you smile every time you reach for it. Like most things that accompany us through our experiences we are often taken back in time when we reach for those things. Great hat.
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Have two of those. One in brown and one in navy blue.Thanks Willebe. It just occurred to me that you would probably like a vintage Stetson Billy Kidd, named after & endorsed by the downhill skier. Like anything vintage you have to watch for them & the earlier hats are better made. Bigger than the early Gun Clubs & better grade than the Stagecoach IMO.
Those low crown numbers don't work for me . I still like em though .
Thanks, Jack. I will keep an eye for one. Sizing might be a challenge as it seems to be the case on other hats I see.Thanks Willebe. It just occurred to me that you would probably like a vintage Stetson Billy Kidd, named after & endorsed by the downhill skier. Like anything vintage you have to watch for them & the earlier hats are better made. Bigger than the early Gun Clubs & better grade than the Stagecoach IMO.
Wetting the brim makes it more flexible but I think there are better options to remove a bit of the shellac.Just got my little steamer out for fall and successfully reshaped my only vintage western. What would it take to get a leather band on it?/QUOTE]
Buy one and put it? Ebay?
Wetting the brim makes it more flexible but I think there are better options to remove a bit of the shellac.Also, can I do anything to make the brim less stiff? I'm reluctant to bend it too much since it's old and I don't want to pop the sweatband stitches.
For leather hatbands I always search these links. If on a smaller budget you might find something on eBay. I would suggest staying away from anything with cheap heavy conchos.Just got my little steamer out for fall and successfully reshaped my only vintage western. What would it take to get a leather band on it? No hatters I know of near me in DC. The ribbon is stained and tattered.
Also, can I do anything to make the brim less stiff? I'm reluctant to bend it too much since it's old and I don't want to pop the sweatband stitches.
Pix! (pardon the gym clothes)
+1@boze, the only luck I've had softening up a brim is giving it an alcohol bath. The shellac used in hat stiffening is usually mixed with denatured alcohol so washing the brim in alcohol will usually remove some but not all of the stiffener.
After I saw Michael R's suggestion I was going to mention that shellac is soluble in alcohol, but you beat me to it. I don't believe it is soluble in gasoline type solvents. It's also more soluble in alkaline solutions, but that is a touchy issue as protein fibers like wool and hair are not particularly friendly with alkali conditions so one has to be careful. Soaking in denatured alcohol should do the trick I think. Vodka would probably work in a pinch.@boze, the only luck I've had softening up a brim is giving it an alcohol bath. The shellac used in hat stiffening is usually mixed with denatured alcohol so washing the brim in alcohol will usually remove some but not all of the stiffener.