Club Obi Wan

My Akubra Fed IV is not what it was. Over time it has gone from this:



.. to an appearance similar to that of the ToD airplane scene combined with a front view from the "Fedora FAQs and Links" page:



(mine fell between the pre-blocked HJ and the Fed. Regular adjacent to it a month ago, but now looks like the pre-blocked HJ)

Are there any places in the NY/NJ/CT area where I can have it re-blocked and re-bashed so it resembles a raiders style once again? If I had the time, I would just ship it out to a place like Peters Bros [where I got my first hat], but time is of the essence as I am on the persnickety side about having my hat away from me.

Please help me out, and thanks for any information you can give me.

There's probably some in NYC, you could do an internet search.

However, since your willing to as far and wide as NJ and CT, why not PA? There's a shop in Philladelphia called South Street Hats that can do reblocking. The owner's name is Oscar and he a good guy. He's been in hats a long time.
http://www.southstreethats.com/

Isn't John Penman in the NY area?

Nope. He's originally FROM there, but is now on the West Coast.

Regards !Michaelson

Well, I have this vintage block Ive been itching to try if you wanna take a chance. How wrong could it go?

Maybe I should finally get around to doing my cowboy conversion.

In NYC: J.J. Hat Center on 5th Avenue: http://www.jjhatcenter.com/index.php

In CT: DelMonico Hatters in downtown New Haven: http://www.delmonicohatter.com/

I can't help you in NJ, and really, who wants to go there?

I second Cowboy's mention of Delmonico's in New Haven, CT. My girlfriend sent out my Fed for a clean and re-block for as a holiday gift and they did a terrific job!

Good luck!
David

David wrote:I second Cowboy's mention of Delmonico's in New Haven, CT. My girlfriend sent out my Fed for a clean and re-block for as a holiday gift and they did a terrific job!

Good luck!
David

That looks promising. Testimony from experience, and it being actually relatively close to me [hour-and-a-half by Metro-North].

I'll check 'em out.

cowboy827 wrote:In NYC: J.J. Hat Center on 5th Avenue: http://www.jjhatcenter.com/index.php

In CT: DelMonico Hatters in downtown New Haven: http://www.delmonicohatter.com/

I can't help you in NJ, and really, who wants to go there?

Have a heart! Some of us live there!

On topic, I've never had my hats reblocked, but I use a hat cleaner not too far from me. Vineland Hat Cleaners in Vineland, NJ. Did a great job on my Federation III. Even did a little re-shaping on the brim.

Marty

Big question: How much will it cost to reblock/rebash/clean my hat/re-sew in the lining, etc, and is it worth it time/effort/money wise to have them try to get something like this [actual hat]:



back to what it was originally, or should I just get a new one?

Travelsonic wrote:Big question: How much will it cost to reblock/rebash/clean my hat/re-sew in the lining, etc, and is it worth it time/effort/money wise to have them try to get something like this [actual hat]:



back to what it was originally, or should I just get a new one?

You should really ask individual hatters about their fees, describing exactly what you need done. Your average reblock runs $35 to $45 in most cases. Beyond that, not sure.

I am not sure how much the cost was either as it was a gift for the holiday. I would feel uncomfortable asking the girlfriend. My guess is that the estimate above is close, definitely under $100.

Sincerely,
David

Travelsonic:

Why not save yourself some time by emailing your pictures of the hat to the hatters and asking for an estimate?

The Librarian wrote:

cowboy827 wrote:In NYC: J.J. Hat Center on 5th Avenue: http://www.jjhatcenter.com/index.php



I can't help you in NJ, and really, who wants to go there?

Have a heart! Some of us live there!

Least we forget, NJ is also the home of the famous Camptown Hat co. too!

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:

The Librarian wrote:

cowboy827 wrote:In NYC: J.J. Hat Center on 5th Avenue: http://www.jjhatcenter.com/index.php



I can't help you in NJ, and really, who wants to go there?

Have a heart! Some of us live there!

Least we forget, NJ is also the home of the famous Camptown Hat co. too!

Regards! Michaelson

Just saw this thread. Thanks for the nod sir. Drop me a PM and let me see what I can do for you on reblocking.

Cheers,

JJ