Good show!!

Posted by Michaelson from em12-686.utsi.edu on July 29, 1999 at 10:06:58:

In Reply to: To Michaelson - My quest for the perfect fedora... posted by Adios Satipo on July 29, 1999 at 10:00:39:

: Based on Michaelson's post regarding reshaping the taper of his Stetson hats, I took it to myself to see just how much I could push my Stetson Nostalgia. It actually has very good measurements - 5 1/4 crown in the front with the center dent, 3 inch brim in front, 2 7/8 on the sides - but because of my big head - 7 5/8 - the proportions didn't match the 7 1/4 Herbert Johnson hat.

: I downloaded every picture I could find of the Herbert Johnson hat, sat down with my Nostalgia and a cup of hot water, a sponge and a towel, put LC in the VCR, and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't trash my hat! By the time Henry had been shot, the tips of my fingers were stained a mink color, and I had a dead-ringer for the HJ hat! Mind, I still need the Petersham ribbon, but other then that the proportions are perfect. The fur felt held up to some serious stretching, but came through just fine.

: Specifically, I soaked the felt with hot water from a sponge. I then gradually stretched the felt carefully with my fingers in various ways, mindful of not wanting to tear it. After one session, I would brush the felt smooth with a towel, and let the felt rest for a few minutes before starting the process again.

: Over a couple of hours I was able to add slightly more then 1/4 inch to the height of the crown. Using a small plate as a form, the crown has more parallel sides and less of a curve at the top. The brim was a bit more difficult, as I wanted to retain the snap. I was able, however, to put an additional 1/8 inch to the front and sides. These measurements were taken in the morning, after the felt had time to dry. When wet, they were roughly 1/8 inch more.

: It never would have occurred to me to try this had it not been for Michaelson's post. Thanks for the inspiration!

: Just thought I'd share...

Fantastic job! I'm always happy when a plan comes together. The really neat thing when you do this kind of work is that now, no matter what happens to your fedora, YOU know how to fix it back to the original shape because YOU were the creator. Good work! Regards. Michaelson

Follow Ups:

Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

: : Based on Michaelson's post regarding reshaping the taper of his Stetson hats, I took it to myself to see just how much I could push my Stetson Nostalgia.  It actually has very good measurements - 5 1/4 crown in the front with the center dent, 3 inch brim in front, 2 7/8 on the sides - but because of my big head - 7 5/8 - the proportions didn't match the 7 1/4 Herbert Johnson hat.

: : I downloaded every picture I could find of the Herbert Johnson hat, sat down with my Nostalgia and a cup of hot water, a sponge and a towel, put LC in the VCR, and crossed my fingers that I wouldn't trash my hat!  By the time Henry had been shot, the tips of my fingers were stained a mink color, and I had a dead-ringer for the HJ hat!  Mind, I still need the Petersham ribbon, but other then that the proportions are perfect.  The fur felt held up to some serious stretching, but came through just fine.

: : Specifically, I soaked the felt with hot water from a sponge.  I then gradually stretched the felt carefully with my fingers in various ways, mindful of not wanting to tear it. After one session, I would brush the felt smooth with a towel, and let the felt rest for a few minutes before starting the process again.

: : Over a couple of hours I was able to add slightly more then 1/4 inch to the height of the crown.  Using a small plate as a form, the crown has more parallel sides and less of a curve at the top.  The brim was a bit more difficult, as I wanted to retain the snap.  I was able, however, to put an additional 1/8 inch to the front and sides.  These measurements were taken in the morning, after the felt had time to dry.  When wet, they were roughly 1/8 inch more.

: : It never would have occurred to me to try this had it not been for Michaelson's post.  Thanks for the inspiration!

: : Just thought I'd share...

: Fantastic job! I'm always happy when a plan comes together. The really neat thing when you do this kind of work is that now, no matter what happens to your fedora, YOU know how to fix it back to the original shape because YOU were the creator. Good work! Regards. Michaelson

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]