Floppiest Felt?
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Floppiest Felt?
Hey guys,
does anyone have enough hats to compare, which of the hatmakers here makes the floppiest raiders hat?
I have this one felt hat I got in prague which is wonderfully floppy. I really want a Raiders hat but I want it as floppy as it used to be back in the day.
Are ABs floppy? How about JP's?
Oh and to those of you who've ordered from JP before, do you think he'd ok a request to put less felt stiffener into a hat?
does anyone have enough hats to compare, which of the hatmakers here makes the floppiest raiders hat?
I have this one felt hat I got in prague which is wonderfully floppy. I really want a Raiders hat but I want it as floppy as it used to be back in the day.
Are ABs floppy? How about JP's?
Oh and to those of you who've ordered from JP before, do you think he'd ok a request to put less felt stiffener into a hat?
Last edited by mufflowne on Mon Apr 07, 2008 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I think the floppiness of the felt depends largely on the thinness of the felt...again don't quote me ...but Optimo would be my guess, but there hats are quite pricey from what i hear. Alternatively if you got in contact with a custom hatter im sure they could sort you out with a lighter and thinner hat body.
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Yeah far more floppy theres a couple of scenes in raiders were you can see the wind distorting the brim...compare the start of Raiders when ford gets drenched his HJ doesnt hold its shape...while in temple going through the rapids it still holds its shape...Felt that is thinner and lighter will be floppier than a denser heavier felt...stiffner or no stiffner.
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Stiffener will loosen up, and thick felt will as well, after a time. Steve Delk at Adventurebilt has said in the past that he takes the back end of a hatbrush and gives the entire hat a good beating all over. Other say they sit on the hat for a few moments. Bending and crushing and squeezing the hat with your hands will help a lot. The felt can handle it just fine, and you'll be able to reshape it by dampening it with a little cool water if you go overboard.Honolulu Jones wrote:Thanks. Since I'm in the market for a first hat, can the ABs, Camptowns, Peter Bros etc. hats be loosened up to become more floppy, or are they just more stiff and will stay that way? Can you crush them and re-shape them to make them less stiff without destroying the hat? Thanks.
Remember, stiffener reactes to heat and moisture, so once you steam or iron the hat, that stiffener will wake back up full force. It will be some time before the stiffener doesn't respond to steam, but no, no hat will remain cardboard stiff unless handled with kid gloves.
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at
I have a AB that I wear slomst every day. It is very floppy right now. Much more than when I first got it. The HJ are made by Steve Delk from HJ products.
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Does anyone have one of the Peter Bros. "soft rabbit blend" hats -- are those any floppier than your standard lid?
http://www.petersbros.com/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm
http://www.petersbros.com/INDY_CUSTOM/Default.htm
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The floppiness of felt is due to either zero stiffener, or a very small amount of it added to the felt bodies during manufacture.
Most felt needs 'some" stiffener so the hat will look like a hat. And a hat can just be too floppy, in as much as a falling leaf will change your crease job. The really really floppy hats won't keep the creases looking the way you put them in, and you will spend most of your time re-creasing the hat. So, there is a fine line here.
With that said, hats that seem just a bit too stiff can be worked with the hands to soften up. The shellac welds together with the application of heat and or steam. By kneading the hat with your hands you break this 'weld" and the hat softens up. You won't hurt an AB by doing this, or most other hats.
I have received a few hats back, the early ones I made that were medium stiff when I made them, and the years and wear made the hats really soft and floppy. Much of the shellac was washed out apparently. So if your AB started out a little less soft, rest assured it won't always be that way. Just wear em and they break in really nicely. The key here is to wear em. Fedora
Most felt needs 'some" stiffener so the hat will look like a hat. And a hat can just be too floppy, in as much as a falling leaf will change your crease job. The really really floppy hats won't keep the creases looking the way you put them in, and you will spend most of your time re-creasing the hat. So, there is a fine line here.
With that said, hats that seem just a bit too stiff can be worked with the hands to soften up. The shellac welds together with the application of heat and or steam. By kneading the hat with your hands you break this 'weld" and the hat softens up. You won't hurt an AB by doing this, or most other hats.
I have received a few hats back, the early ones I made that were medium stiff when I made them, and the years and wear made the hats really soft and floppy. Much of the shellac was washed out apparently. So if your AB started out a little less soft, rest assured it won't always be that way. Just wear em and they break in really nicely. The key here is to wear em. Fedora
Fedora, thanks for your input, it's always great to get your opinion on the matter.
My tonak feels pretty #### floppy. I've steamed some shape into it and I'm guessing I woke some of the stiffener where it counts, because it gets crushed and I can pop it right back where I want it to be.
BUT, the Tonak also has a cotton sweatband. That would probably also make a huge difference, wouldn't it?
My tonak feels pretty #### floppy. I've steamed some shape into it and I'm guessing I woke some of the stiffener where it counts, because it gets crushed and I can pop it right back where I want it to be.
BUT, the Tonak also has a cotton sweatband. That would probably also make a huge difference, wouldn't it?
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