Western, anyone?

[alanfgag]

I really enjoy alan's collection of great hats when he brings them out and his well photographed hats he himself models on his noggin. alan was blessed with perfect head for hats. His carefully selected and vetted collection.... alan to me is fedora lounge's Jay Leno. I adventure to guess alan has one of the best private collection of vintage hats in America.

Kind and generous words, thank you. There are a number of tremendous hat collections that have crossed these pages in the 20 or so years the Fedora Lounge has been open. Unfortunately, many of the content links are no longer functional and many members have drifted in and out or moved away entirely. It would be nice to have an updated collection of important older threads for weekend reading. In the meantime, an occasional bump is always enjoyable way to see some of the gold in them thar hills.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Resistol Pecos in the color “canyon.”

 

[T Jones]

A large Clear Nutria... originally came with a wide brim binding that matched the ribbon. It was shredded to tatters and I decided to remove it.

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Wow. Where do you find these hats?

 

[T Jones]

Anyone ever hear of a 'Raw Hide Felts' hat company? A generous Lounger gave this one to me a few short months back. Other than what's stamped on the sweat there were no manufacturers labels or liner that could have identified it. It could also be a store brand name, I don't know. In any event, it seems to have been pretty good quality in its day. I'm guessing, by the style of the hat, the low crown, the 3.5 brim width, the original crown crease and brim curl, that it was probably a late 50s-early 60s hat....and the way it fit after I stripped it down, that it started out as a size 7. The hat is now a 7 1/4 after blocking it up on my RA. It's a 3X Beaver Western. The hat also has a few moth bites in the back that opened up a little wider after reblocking it, nothing serious though. Here's what I have so far. I had to resort to wet blocking. I'm still deciding what to do with it, whether to keep it Western or to convert it. I have about 3 3/8 brim left, so I can keep it Western if I choose to do so...

Before:

 

[BobHufford]

Anyone ever hear of a 'Raw Hide Felts' hat company? A generous Lounger gave this one to me a few short months back. Other than what's stamped on the sweat there were no manufacturers labels or liner that could have identified it. It could also be a store brand name, I don't know. In any event, it seems to have been pretty good quality in its day. I'm guessing, by the style of the hat, the low crown, the 3.5 brim width, the original crown crease and brim curl, that it was probably a late 50s-early 60s hat....and the way it fit after I stripped it down, that it started out as a size 7. The hat is now a 7 1/4 after blocking it up on my RA. It's a 3X Beaver Western. The hat also has a few moth bites in the back that opened up a little wider after reblocking it, nothing serious though. Here's what I have so far. I had to resort to wet blocking. I'm still deciding what to do with it, whether to keep it Western or to convert it. I have about 3 3/8 brim left, so I can keep it Western if I choose to do so...

Before:

I have a couple Terry. They were a Byer-Rolnick product.

These two did not call out "Resistol" directly, but the debossings were the same as Resistol.

This one (not mine) does mix the Row Hide Felts liner and a Resistol debossing.

Yours is the first I've seen with a sweatband debossing for Raw Hide Felts.

The XXX Beaver / Hand Creased debossing on yours is definitely as "Resistol" thing.

Looking forward to the end result!

 

[T Jones]

I have a couple Terry. They were a Byer-Rolnick product.

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These two did not call out "Resistol" directly, but the debossings were the same as Resistol.

This one (not mine) does mix the Row Hide Felts liner and a Resistol debossing.

Yours is the first I've seen with a sweatband debossing for Raw Hide Felts.

The XXX Beaver / Hand Creased debossing on yours is definitely as "Resistol" thing.

Looking forward to the end result!

Thank you Bob. That explains the good felt quality, being Beyer

I have a couple Terry. They were a Byer-Rolnick product.

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These two did not call out "Resistol" directly, but the debossings were the same as Resistol.

This one (not mine) does mix the Row Hide Felts liner and a Resistol debossing.

Yours is the first I've seen with a sweatband debossing for Raw Hide Felts.

The XXX Beaver / Hand Creased debossing on yours is definitely as "Resistol" thing.

Looking forward to the end result!

Thank you Bob. That answers a lot for me and it explains the nice felt quality, being a Beyer-Rolnick hat. Seeing yours with red liners confirmed my guess that mine originally had a red liner too. What remains of the sweat bow is red. Thanks again Bob. Much appreciated.

 

[alanfgag]

Wow. Where do you find these hats?

Hi Terry… almost all from eBay, a while back.

 

[T Jones]

Hi Terry… almost all from eBay, a while back.

It's a great looking old Western.

 

[T Jones]

Well, I decided to convert my 'Raw Hide Felts, Western. To my eye, the brim width just didn't look proportionate to the crown height. I got 5 1/2 inches for the open crown height, which is just fine for a Fedora. If I could have gotten a little more from the crown I would have kept it Western. So, I trimmed the brim to 2 5/8 inches and I'll cut the original brim binding to fit the new width. I'm also going to try and reuse the original 6 ply ribbon. Here it is in its current state....

 

[StoryPNW]

Well, I decided to convert my 'Raw Hide Felts, Western. To my eye, the brim width just didn't look proportionate to the crown height. I got 5 1/2 inches for the open crown height, which is just fine for a Fedora. If I could have gotten a little more from the crown I would have kept it Western. So, I trimmed the brim to 2 5/8 inches and I'll cut the original brim binding to fit the new width. I'm also going to try and reuse the original 6 ply ribbon. Here it is in its current state....

Your restoration/conversion projects are awesome. Do you sew sweats and brim bindings by hand or do you have a machine?

 

[T Jones]

Your restoration/conversion projects are awesome. Do you sew sweats and brim bindings by hand or do you have a machine?

Thank you buddy! I do all of my sewing by hand. Although some specialized sewing machines specific to those tasks would be nice.

 

[alanfgag]

Seldom seen (two posted here that I know of) high end clear beaver Stetson from before WWII (late 1930s-1940). I purchased this one from Lounge member Zetwal. There is a thread with catalog references from Porter here.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Seldom seen (two posted here that I know of) high end clear beaver Stetson from before WWII (late 1930s-1940). I purchased this one from Lounge member Zetwal. There is a thread with catalog references from Porter here.

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Greatest Western hat and crease on the lounge imho!
Always a treat to see, Alan.
Bowen

 

[alanfgag]

Greatest Western hat and crease on the lounge imho!
Always a treat to see, Alan.
Bowen

Thanks Bowen!

The combination of high grade clear beaver felt and a 6" open crown allows this telescope crease to sing. The hat came to me that way and I never tried to change it.

 

[Scott B.]

Seldom seen (two posted here that I know of) high end clear beaver Stetson from before WWII (late 1930s-1940). I purchased this one from Lounge member Zetwal. There is a thread with catalog references from Porter here.

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Why do you think this particular style/model is so rare now? Its the

Seldom seen (two posted here that I know of) high end clear beaver Stetson from before WWII (late 1930s-1940). I purchased this one from Lounge member Zetwal. There is a thread with catalog references from Porter here.

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Seldom seen (two posted here that I know of) high end clear beaver Stetson from before WWII (late 1930s-1940). I purchased this one from Lounge member Zetwal. There is a thread with catalog references from Porter here.

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Best hat on this site.

 

[alanfgag]

Why do you think this particular style/model is so rare now? Its the best hat on this site.

High end clear beaver hats were expensive and apparently, from the limited number that have appeared on the vintage market, purchased few and far between. There are a couple of other oldies posted on the 5X thread I referenced in the original post but the number is still countable on one hand. After the war, it seems the fur supply and market for $50 clear beaver hats opened up some. These were special occasion hats and examples in good condition seem to show up with some regularity.

 

[BobHufford]

Alan's 5XCB should probably just close down the thread as no one can follow that hat, but let's start it back over with a lowly old western.

G.W. Alexander from a fifth-generation store (Est. 1905) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Not sure on age (no stickers behind the sweat any longer). 1950s or '60s? I think G. W. Alexander was gone by the early 1960s.

The brim binding is just what is stuck to the threads in some spots. Almost a double Arminto (binding top and bottom, but still retaining the raw edge).

The felt is beyond holding a shape. A breeze would change it.

The stampede string is a boot lace.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Bradford (Resistol) Redding:

I know it’s still winter, but the Almonds are in bloom. Here’s to a mild/cooler summer.

 

[Steve1857]

Bradford (Resistol) Redding:

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I know it’s still winter, but the Almonds are in bloom. Here’s to a mild/cooler summer.

Cool Western, Brent. Those blooms really steal the show, though.

 

[dh66]

Alan's 5XCB should probably just close down the thread as no one can follow that hat, but let's start it back over with a lowly old western.

G.W. Alexander from a fifth-generation store (Est. 1905) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Not sure on age (no stickers behind the sweat any longer). 1950s or '60s? I think G. W. Alexander was gone by the early 1960s.

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The brim binding is just what is stuck to the threads in some spots. Almost a double Arminto (binding top and bottom, but still retaining the raw edge).

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The felt is beyond holding a shape. A breeze would change it.

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The stampede string is a boot lace.

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That's a real beauty in its own right, Bob. All that patina lends it plenty of character.