What Hat Are You Working On Today?

[RickP]

Another box had the new brim curling tool... separate slots for 3/8" and 1/2" curl. Found it on ETSY and Im guessing it came from somewhere in eastern Europe. Fun little piece of wood! If anyone knows what the label says Im all ears lol

Halfway across the world just so I can torture a Texas Cowboy hat lol

 

[RickP]

AND NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT! Thank god for the new Jiffy Steamer. I was going to roll the brim edge in a pan of boiling water, to get started But soon discovered that I dont have a round pan big enough to roll this big old brim through. Guess Ill have to go digging for a bigger broiler pan that doesnt have any roast residue left inside.. I "Painted" the outer edge with a brush and hot water, and periodically hit it with a bit of steam. It has fought me tooth and nail for every ounce of curl, but after an hour Im starting to make a bit of progress. The bottom edge has the nice rounded roll I was hoping for.... Theres hope! Its just going to take a little work to get the top rolled over just the way I want. I DID discover a valuable tool hanging in the garage... I had about 2 feet of heavy wall silicone tubing that is a perfect fit for working the 1/2" roll with my fingers to get rid of some wavy places. Wish I had enough of it to go all around the brim in one piece, but we have to work with what we have sometimes lol

One hour down... 5 or 6 more to go? The edge of the brim is already substantially more rigid. And the brim doesnt feel so darned big.... I think this is going to work! May not be the best way to do it, but as Sinatra said "I did it MY way!"

 

[RickP]

Day one of the transfomation is at a good stopping point. This has been fun..... fought me every step of the way lol. Lost my daylight for a better pic but can see where it started and where it is now. Finally got most of the wavy edges out of the new curl. Threw the new concho hatband on so its easier to compare "before and during" ( were not to the " after" point yet lol. My gameplan is to work more of a curl-over on top instead of just the edge standing up. Brim feels narrower already. AND NO CUTTING INVOLVED!

The fact that I havent cussed or broken down in tears yet tells me theres hope for a good outcome! Wish me luck!

Company are supposed to start arriving here tomorrow night, so I probably need to finish cleaning the house tomorrow before I try to do anything else on the hat. Give it a chance to rest and dry out

 

[TimmyV]

Day one of the transfomation is at a good stopping point. This has been fun..... fought me every step of the way lol. Lost my daylight for a better pic but can see where it started and where it is now. Finally got most of the wavy edges out of the new curl. Threw the new concho hatband on so its easier to compare "before and during" ( were not to the " after" point yet lol. My gameplan is to work more of a curl-over on top instead of just the edge standing up. Brim feels narrower already. AND NO CUTTING INVOLVED!

The fact that I havent cussed or broken down in tears yet tells me theres hope for a good outcome! Wish me luck!

Company are supposed to start arriving here tomorrow night, so I probably need to finish cleaning the house tomorrow before I try to do anything else on the hat. Give it a chance to rest and dry out

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Curl looks very nice Rick !!
* I "borrowed" one of the wife's 9.5 x 13 x 2 broiling pans to dip the edges in boiling water .

 

[RickP]

Got a last little bit of brim work done in between laundry, cooking and housecleaning for the holiday. Still a ways to go on the brim but I finally coaxed the top of the curl to bend inward... Shape is pretty much what I was hoping for. Its at least good enough to show to friends and family the next couple days. ( they usually seem to only show up just after the ebay box arrives and they dont get to see the finished product till the next holiday) Need to dig around and find my small heating iron from my old r/c aircraft building days. Should be just what I need to iron some minor waves out of the inside of the edge curl. Added a bit of stiffner to the curl, and hoping Ill have time tomorrow to smooth out some uneven spots on the new edges with some sandpaper ... if it looks stiff enough I may try a vibratory sander that Ive used for pouncing... probably get a smother edge with it

Next week I can start on a coin concho hatband... still thinking Morgan Silver Dollars.. Crown is tall enough that they should look great OR.....HOPEFULLY be successful on what appears to be an actual old Navaho concho set on ebay tomorrow... That would look really sharp against the black.

Maybe I need a real life, but I do so enjoy figuring out how to do new things to hats!

 

[rogueclimber]

Got a last little bit of brim work done in between laundry, cooking and housecleaning for the holiday. Still a ways to go on the brim but I finally coaxed the top of the curl to bend inward... Shape is pretty much what I was hoping for. Its at least good enough to show to friends and family the next couple days. ( they usually seem to only show up just after the ebay box arrives and they dont get to see the finished product till the next holiday) Need to dig around and find my small heating iron from my old r/c aircraft building days. Should be just what I need to iron some minor waves out of the inside of the edge curl. Added a bit of stiffner to the curl, and hoping Ill have time tomorrow to smooth out some uneven spots on the new edges with some sandpaper ... if it looks stiff enough I may try a vibratory sander that Ive used for pouncing... probably get a smother edge with it

Next week I can start on a coin concho hatband... still thinking Morgan Silver Dollars.. Crown is tall enough that they should look great OR.....HOPEFULLY be successful on what appears to be an actual old Navaho concho set on ebay tomorrow... That would look really sharp against the black.

Maybe I need a real life, but I do so enjoy figuring out how to do new things to hats!

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That brim is quite the project. Well done!

 

[RickP]

Woo Hoo! got a package in today that replenishes some of my coin concho supply. Walking Liberty Half Dollars (both front and back) Morgan Silver Dollars ( both front and back), and a bunch of Buffalo Nickels ( just the buffalo side). I feel a Coin Concho Hatband project coming on!