Club Obi Wan

: iS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE THICKNESS OF 100% BEAVER FELTS
FORM ONE VENDOR TO ANOTHER? IF THERE IS, HOW IS THE THICKNESS RATED?

APPRECIATE THE FEED BACK.

Have a Great Day!!!

IndianaWill

Shhhh...!

Thinner felts are probably floppier than thick felts, but with stiffener, either can be stiff. I'm sure that it's not a vendor who chooses whether or not their felt is thin, I'm sure it's whatever they can get. If it's too thin, or too thick for the vendor, they probably won't use it.

In Christ,
Shane

First of all, when you type in all caps, it "sounds" like you're yelling. Shhhh!!!! You'll wake the birdies! As for a comparison between beaver felts, I have two AdventureBilts and each one is a bit different. Since Steve hand pounces each hat, the thickness may naturally vary a bit. Also, keep in mind that Steve will pounce your hat as thin or thick as you like, so if you want your beaver fedora a certain thinness, just specify!

bink

Does the thinness or thickness of the Beaver felt affect the "durability" of the Beaver felt by any chance...?

Kindest Regards,
Captain D

There ARE differences from one vendor to another, but that's not all there is to it:

For example a raw body for cowboy hats will both be thicker AND contain more stiffner, then an average dress body. It contains more fur, so it'll be heavier as well. The thickness of the felt has nothing to do with the floppyness, as that is due to the shellac / stiffner. You can make a thin hat stiff as a cardboard, but I also have a truly thick hat, that is soft as butter. Of course density adds a little to the "body" of the body, but even the densest felt can be cloud soft.

A good felt supplier will leave the choice to the hatter, if he wants the felt thick, thin or medium and stiff or soft.

Now, if you have a rather thick body, but you wand a thin hat, it can be pulled thinner (to a certain degree). Pouncing it thin is only possible to a certain degree as well, as you'll come to the point, where you hit the core of the felt and then you can trash the entire body. So getting a body to a desired thickness is a mix of the right body from the get go, how much you pull it and how much you pounce it.

The thickness of the body alone doesn't do THAT much to the durability of the hat. If you for instance take a real thick cowboy body and load it with stiffner and then make a Raiders Fedora from it, with a tight front pinch, it will crack real soon. Same with a thin but stiffner loaded felt.

Regards,

Marc