Brim Cutter on Dimensional Cut Brim

kobol · Post by **kobol** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 12:35 pm

I'm not considering this at the moment. But I was curious that if one uses a brim cutter (in a hat shop) on a dimensional cut brim will it follow the dimensional cut or will it make it perfectly round again necessitating a new dimensional cut to be made?

Any experience/knowledge or thoughts on this?

ob1al · Post by **ob1al** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 1:30 pm

Not sure I understand the question exactly, but IIRC Swales cut the original brim freehand.

kobol · Post by **kobol** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 1:54 pm

I hope this makes sense.
I know one can cut or sand the brim by hand, but I was curious about the below?

Basically I was wondering, that if you took something like an Akubra, JPD, etc. that already had a dimensional cut brim but for some reason a person felt the brim was too wide. Would putting it on a brim cutter (western shop) removing say an 1/8th inch, would the hat come out perfectly round or would the brim cutter just follow the existing brim shape keeping it still dimensional but an 1/8th of an inch smaller.

ob1al · Post by **ob1al** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:09 pm

Ah, I see.

I'm afraid I don't have any experience of those machines, perhaps someone with professional brim cutting experience can answer that.

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 2:16 pm

Well......if you just take off an 1/8 of an inch it should stay the same shape. It should follow the line of the brim. You would have to take more off the front and back to make it round.

Band Director Jones · Post by **Band Director Jones** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:25 pm

The only brim cutter that I have seen will make the brim the same width all the way around. It will take off the dimensional cut. The way this one works is by having one part of the cutter rest at the base of the crown. There is an adjustable blade at the other end (towards the edge of the brim) where you can adjust it to the brim width you want. To cut the brim, you press firmly on the blade end of the cutter and move it around the brim of the hat, keeping the part that is up against the base of the crown against the base of the crown. Because the distance from the blade end to the crown end remains constant, the brim width is the same all the way around. Thus, you would loose your dimensional cut. This is the only type of brim cutter that I have seen at hat shops, but there may be others.

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:30 pm

Yes but if it follows the brim it will still be a dimensional cut. If it is lets say 2 1/2 on the sides and 3 " front and back If you take an 1/4 inch off(That was eaiser

) It would be 2 1/4 on the sides and 2 3/4 front and back ,still dimensional.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:20 pm

Ripper, here's a typical brim cutter:

If the brim cutter is resting against and rotating around the crown, you will, indeed, lose the dimentional cut. If your brim is, say 3 inches front and back and 2 3/4" on the sides, when you set the brim cutter to, say 2 1/2 inches and cut the brim, it will be a consistent cut from the crown to the end of the brim all the way around the hat. The only way I've ever done the dimensional cut is by hand and then sanding down the imperfections after.

Now, if there was a brim cutter which rested on the edge of the brim, then, yes, you would retain the dimensional brim. I've never seen such a brim cutter. However, the typical brim cutter is used while the hat is still on the block, giving you much stability to ensure a clean and consistent cut. A cutter resting on the brim end would be unstable and you'd have a much greater chance of messing up the cut. You're better off doing the dimensional cut by hand. I've done it by chalking the cut area and working slowly on the outside of the line. And make sure to use sharp fabric scissors.

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:27 pm

Somebody here did rig up a floating brim cutter, which rode along the original outside edge of the brim. Theirs was simpler, though - a little piece of wood with nails hammered into it for a guide and an exacto knife blade set in about 1/8" or so.

If you used something like THAT little tool, it would uniformly take off what you wanted all the way around and keep the dimensional cut.

But Bink's right, if the typical brim-cutter machine looks like his pic, then the dim cut would be gone.

J

EDIT: Just tried, couldn't find it. VP???

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:31 pm

Somebody here did rig up a floating brim cutter, which rode along the original outside edge of the brim.

Thats the one I am thinking of. I didnt know there was one like the one you posted a pic of Bink. I thought it was Steve or maybe Jimmy who had the floating one.

Edit: Ha! I was searching for it as well Jerry.

kobol · Post by **kobol** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:33 pm

Thanks for the info. I'm not planning on any brim cutting. This was more of curiosity question and one I don't recall ever reading about. The pic of the brim cutter helps a lot.

Thanks.

Ripper · Post by **Ripper** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 4:34 pm

..............You mean all that for nothing ?? I feel so used.

Band Director Jones · Post by **Band Director Jones** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 6:21 pm

Thanks Bink! That is what I was trying to describe. I didn't think about finding picture

I think that it wa JP Design that was trying to (or did) develop a "floating brim cutter" for making dimensional cuts, but don't hold me to that.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:09 pm

I believe Fedora does his dimensional cut by hand. He used to, anyway.

Post by **Dalexs** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 6:04 pm

And I'd like to remind folks that there is a tutorial for making the dimensional cut to a brim on the main site:
http://www.indygear.com/gear/akubra.shtml

Almost all hats available at the time did not come with a dimensional cut until we (Indygear) got involved.

And I think iof we look hard enough, a link will be found regarding a device to do the cut.
I want to say Pyroxene came across somebody in TX who was doing them with some kind of tool.

Dalexs

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:04 am

Usually the term for what is considered a brim cutter here is actualla a rounding jack. You can see a rounding jack in the picture Bink posted. A brim cutter is a little device that glides along the edge of the brim, removing a certain amount with a razor blade (usually round about 1/8").

Regards,

Marc

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:17 am

Oops! Got my hat tools mixed up! Thanks for the clarification, Marc. I should go reread my 1919 Scientific Hat Making book again!

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 2:42 pm

Marc wrote:A brim cutter is a little device that glides along the edge of the brim, removing a certain amount with a razor blade (usually round about 1/8").

See, THAT'S the one I was thinking of. Can't find a pic of one at the moment, though...

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:01 pm

Here was the original thread from WAY back.

viewtopic.php?t=8858&highlight=brim+cutter

There was a picture of it, if I recall correctly, when it was listed in the classifieds section, but that thread's been long cleaned out since then.

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:59 pm

Yep, that was it, thanks Bink! That's been driving me nuts...

So it was Jimmy at JPDesign, okeydoke...bet he might have another around somewhere, then, for picture's sake...

Indiana Jess · Post by **Indiana Jess** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 4:29 pm

Yeah sure Jerry. Blame that on your mental condition.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:46 pm

B and L Products sells those little brim trimmers. I think they still sell two models. One takes off 1/8 inch and the other takes off 1/4.

I have one of the 1/8 inch variety, but it actually takes off 3/16!! I seldom use it, but they are handy to have. Gotta iron the brim out flat first though.

I use a rounding jack to cut the brim to say, 2 7/8 and then scribe off the hat with chalk and do mine by hand, the way Swales did. Cut it a little larger than what you want the final width to be and sand off the rest. Fedora

Indiana Jerry · Post by **Indiana Jerry** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:40 am

Thanks, Fedora...appreciate the info. Maybe this time we won't lose it.

(Jess, now stop it, you know that I *lost it* a long time ago, so that excuse is fair game for me.

)

kobol · Post by **kobol** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:53 am

Thank you all for the great information. With all this input I learned a lot more than I expected. Now if I decide to trim one of my brims down, I have some more information to reference.

Thanks.

Farnham54 · Post by **Farnham54** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:04 pm

For all my brim-cutting needs, I resort to a ruler, a piece of chalk, and a few shots of Whisky (more as per required depending on the cost/value of the hat) to steady the hand.

No one's say anything BAD about my brim cut...guys? guys? why'd you all go quiet?

Cheers
Craig