Steaming and Pressing and Shaping

[Rick Skinner]

Is this the place for the Capeline hats? http://www.hatsupply.com

[Rick Skinner]

Are these the hats, Capt. Bo? http://www.hatsupply.com/woolfelts.htm

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Are these the hats, Capt. Bo? http://www.hatsupply.com/woolfelts.htm

AYE! Thanx fer the link sir! I will post some pics/comments when they arrive.

Bo

[Lady Alyx]

Lady Barbosa, I purchased mine from Mountain TopTrading due to it was the cheapest for trying it all out for the first time.

Mount Top Trade webby

And I believe I also found Capeline for the hat blanks for the hats that require a large brim, such as Barbosas. I was considering also purchasing one due to my b/f liked Mercurio Cavaldi's hat in "The Brothers Grimm".

[LadyBarbossa]

Awesome. Thank ye.

Aye, Bo. Do let me know about yo'r hats when ye get them. I previously looked into them on red hats that would match my new crimson outfit. Completely forgot that they might have something.

Thank ye, Alyx. I'll keep them in mind, too.

~Lady B

[Kenneth]

Those capelines from hat supply have to be blocked and sized..

[LadyBarbossa]

Those capelines from hat supply have to be blocked and sized..

How ever do you mean, mr Kenneth?

~Lady B

[Kenneth]

I mean when you get the capeline, it will be a flat piece of felt....like a pancake..... You'll have to use a hat block and block the hat where your head will go...and size it as well.

As long as you own a hat block in your size it will be easy. If you don't have the hat blocking equipment, you'll have to be creative....but you'll still have to make it fit your head no matter what your using to block it.......thats the hard part.. Jas Town buys their capelines from Hatsupply and then blocks and sizes them....the wool felt blanks you see on the JT site for $20, that's them!!

[LadyBarbossa]

Oh.

Ok... Thank ye. I was about to make that mistake and purchase from Hat Supply. Alas, I haven't anything to block with. So, blocking at the moment is out of the question. For now at least.

So... ye'd recommend Townsend or one of those out there?

Again, Need to make sure that the brim is flat and wide.

I was looking at the fur felts as they stated they were larger (just slightly).

The desired result in which you see the general shape and width of the desired hat:

You really think a 4" or 5" brim will work? Again, MUST be flat.

~Lady B

[Kenneth]

When you order a JT blank, call em and request a wider brim be sent to you, they will be very helpful.. The last blanks I ordered had very wide brims and I never trim. You can stretch the brim as well by soaking JUST half of the brim in warm soapy water and then tugging on it. Be careful not to thin the felt too much and don't stretch the crown. Once the brims stretched, rinse the soapy water away from the crown. The felt will wick so keep the water 2 or 3 inches away from the crown.. Once you shape your hat, spray it down with regular armour all blow drying in between coats...Your hat will be so stiff it will feel like it's gonna break off. This is how I do my hats.

[Rick Skinner]

The last hat blanks I got from JT had brims just over 5". I tried to make a Barbossa sytle hat with one of the blanks, but the brim was not wide enough. I ended up just making another tricorn (see pics posted earlier). However, next time I'll try using Kenneth's brim stretching procedure. Thanks for the advice.

[LadyBarbossa]

Aye. The hat I've been wearing lost it's shape and form and shrunk. I tried to stretch it but it didn't work.

I'll have to call hat supply later, and Townsend.

Thanks, guys. But keep the info coming.

~Lady B

[Kenneth]

This is a Jas blank with a 6 inch brim. I wear this one in the rain and it never loses it's shape!!

[LadyBarbossa]

That's a wool felt? Coolies! 6" says ye? Flat brim? Not turned down or up at all from the blocking?

Thank ye, kenneth.

I've always liked Townsend for their stuff. Especially the Linen thread.

Shall call them tomorrow.

~Lady B

[Lady Alyx]

WOW, good point just realized as well that that company just sells the basic felt...not blocked. Check out this website, I don't know if they sell blanks but I loved looking at this page that had all the tricorns...

DirtyBilly'sHats

I also just noticed they sell buckle shoes many peeps have been looking for those, don't know if they are the same that they want for pirating.

[pyrateleather]

Hey Lady Barbossa,

Sounds like you want to make your own Barbossa hat but if you want to save yourself the trouble we make a pretty close replica. 6"+ brim, it is flat with just the slightest curve towards the front, not a dramatic curve like some of the other Barbossa hats out there. We use the same pictures you've posted to get all the right nicks & cuts (though if you watch closely you can see from the movies, Barbossa has a few different hats with different placement of nicks, cuts & slashes). I won't say ours is 100% exact but it's close. Here are a couple of shots of folks wearing our Barbossa inspired hat:

IronBess:

And another you'll see at PyrateCon:

PM me if it's something you might be interested in.

[LadyBarbossa]

Hey Lady Barbossa,

Sounds like you want to make your own Barbossa hat but if you want to save yourself the trouble we make a pretty close replica. 6"+ brim, it is flat with just the slightest curve towards the front, not a dramatic curve like some of the other Barbossa hats out there. We use the same pictures you've posted to get all the right nicks & cuts (though if you watch closely you can see from the movies, Barbossa has a few different hats with different placement of nicks, cuts & slashes). I won't say ours is 100% exact but it's close. Here are a couple of shots of folks wearing our Barbossa inspired hat:

IronBess:

And another you'll see at PyrateCon:

PM me if it's something you might be interested in.

Hahaha.... Greg! He's so thrilled that he's become a model for the hats. LOL...

Aye, I've not seen yo'r hats with m' own eyes, but Greg has indeed vouched that yo'r Barbossa hats are the best.

I've feathers already, just been lookin' 'round for the right sized hat. And most sites sport the brim too small by an inch or two.

I'll PM ya...

~Lady B

[Rick Skinner]

Aye. The hat I've been wearing lost it's shape and form and shrunk. I tried to stretch it but it didn't work.

I'll have to call hat supply later, and Townsend.

Thanks, guys. But keep the info coming.

~Lady B

Did you ever order your wide brim hat Lady B? If so, where did you order it from? Townsend or Hat Supply?

[blackbeard_nc]

One trick I learned for reshaping a hat is to make your own hat block. If you line the inside of your hat with plastic and fill with plaster it will make a decent hat block to reshape your hat on. It's a lot cheaper than the hat blocks you find on ebay or at a hat supply store. For stiffening the hat I have found that using a solution of 1 part water, 2 part elmers glue all works well, but you have to waterproof the hat or the stiffness will wear out. Sno seal works okay, but my personal mix is a concoction of beeswax, leather lotion and acrylic medium.

[Dutchman]

*bump* lots of good stuff connected with this thread. bumped so i'll remember to post a project picture tomorrow or next day!

[Stynky Tudor]

Is it just me or is Iron Bess a Hottie?

[Dutchman]

and back to our regularly scheduled topic.......................

I purchased a fur/felt mix hat blank from scarlet scarab at Beaufort this year intending to finally make my proper sailors flat topper when I crew on board Meka II. After lots of guidance and energy from Stynky Tudor himself, below is the finished product. The hat was able to be shaped with a mold as Patrick Hand describes and we spent lots of time pressing with steam and an iron. The hat was then placed in a hat press to keep the rim flat and has been stiffened with a mix of half denatured alcohol and clear shelaq. I have the inner lining and a chin strap to go, but I'm happy with what has turned out so far!

[Jas. Hook]

Dutch -

No paint like Dutch's???

Jas. Hook

[Stynky Tudor]

Aye, Well done Mister Dutchman!

. . . and thanks for the credit.

[Dutchman]

i'm afraid to paint it............................ I don't want to ruin it.