The first is my western (or Cowboy) hat. It has begun curling up around the outer rim in the wrong way and will eventually look like the stereotypical crusty miner's hat in the old westerns. Not a look I desire or fancy. I have tried steaming it, but to no avail.
not too keen to be like "dusty chaps" here (courtesy thefedoralounge.com)
does he not look proud of his hat? why?
I have been to some local shops that sell western hats and even a local stampede a couple of years ago and I always get the same answers when I ask about getting it reshaped. Why don't you send it to Biltmore in Guelph. I would, especially as I got the hat from there as a birthday gift from the wife, but Stetson bought them and moved the entire factory to Texas. (Well, not the actual building, just the equipment and remaining stock.) Send it to Stetson. Yeah, and after paying for shipping there and back, I could just buy another hat for the same amount probably. Send it to Smithbilt in Calgary. Yeah, again, shipping a hat is pretty pricey.
at least this guy can pull "the look" off (courtesy, as above)
but the horse is one hell of an accessory
Anyway, back to my tale of woe. I have a friend who is pretty good at reshaping hats, but I do not see him very often. My friends call him the "Mountain Man", I call him Phil. He is quite the outdoorsman though. He used to re-oil my Aussie Outback jacket for me too. Man, I need to do some mending on that. I just remembered, we had a pretty good routine when I would help him stock the woodshed at his dad's cottage. He would fell the trees and cut them up in to splitting size and I would just keep splitting as our the wifes would ferry the wood to and from the the splitting stump. Oh boy, we were fast and efficient!
not sure about these guys (courtesy, like the others)
Back to the hats again. I can probably get Phil to either sort the hat or me out. However, that leaves me with the other felt hat. It is what would have been called a Scoutmaster's hat. Now it would be called an old Scout hat. More correctly, it is called a "Campaign Hat". Yes, just like the Mounties, many State Troopers, US Military Drill Instructors and such.
The big difference with Canadian, and I believe other Commonwealth (or Old Empire, if you will) campaign hats and US ones is the dimpling or indentations. Canadian campaign hats have the indents at the front, back, and sides. American indents are forty-five degrees to that.
these guys are wearing "old empire" style campaign hats (courtesy history.scoutingradio.net)
love the shorts and socks!
The hat itself is actually in good shape. It was given to me by my friend John from Kars. It belonged to his the wife's dad. He was a Scoutmaster back in the day. So the hat has some special meaning to me as I know some of its actual history. Plus, it fits perfectly, like it was meant to be. Unfortunately, it spent a lot of time in a basement and is somewhat ingrained with dust and slightly warped. It needs to be cleaned and reblocked. It also need a new chin cord, I can do that. The worst is that the leather hatband is gone, but I think I can either find one or make a suitable replacement.
i want to look like this guy (courtesy boy scout troop 1532)
lord baden-powel, the founder of scouting
The problem is not figuring out what needs to be done. The problem is finding a proper milliner or hatter. Surprisingly, there are several listed in the Ottawa area, but they all appear to be geared to towards very modern women's hats, many of which are not felt. An old school, man's man, type milliner would know exactly what to do without my needing to explain and would most likely have a suitable hatband in stock.
I know, I know. I need to contact them and find out if they can actually do the work. I am avoiding that as I expect that either they will be unable to do what I want done to the campaign hat or the cost will be prohibitive. It kills me too that I know someone who actually has two, yes two, Scoutmaster decked out and complete campaign hats in very minty condition and he and his kids are no longer involved in the Scouting movement.
style of hat of our southern cousins (courtesy wikipedia)
ever notice, smoky could figure out how to wear pants with a belt, but not a shirt
What I wonder though is why have hatters and well made hats largely died off. There was a craze not so long ago where people were beginning to wear hats again. Pretty ugly hats, sure, but still, hats were on the comeback. The local college even has a course, but ask any tailor or clothier or, if you can find one, a real haberdasher, and ask about getting a hat serviced and they will look at you like you want to eat their lunch.
Well, maybe I am making too much of it. Maybe I am too old school. Maybe I am as anal as so many people think of me. Maybe I should just pick up the bloody phone and find out what this new breed of lady milliners can do.
Ring, ring, ring.....
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