Leather Aussi/bush hat.....The making of.

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Toadflax

Native
Mar 26, 2007
1,783
5
64
Oxfordshire
And what leather is it? Looks like chrome tanned from the pics

The kind of leather used really depends on what kind of hat you want i.e. soft & flexible or more firmer & rigid.......I'd say that 1.5mm - 1.8mm chrome tanned is the most suitable. Veg tanned cowhide is definately unsuitable as not only does it have problems should it get damp but it's uncomfortable too.
This particular hat is made from 1.5 veg tanned, plunge dyed goat skin. It's the first time I've used it & it's a pleasure to work with, much like Roo skin. Sometimes you just get lucky with a piece of leather & no two skins are alike.

Already mentioned earlier in the thread!

Geoff :)
 
Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
Where would be the place to go for leather?

I wish there was an easy answer to that. I don't use the main leather suppliers such as Tandy or Leprevo as I don't want to buy half a cow so I generally scout the Bay for smaller pieces which I think would be suitable for the project(s) I have in mind.
 
Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
Just to give you an update of the hat for those following before this thread is lost forever in the dark & dingy bowels of the forum :D

So pretty much finished now....................I added a bit of braid around where the top is sewn onto the crown just to finish it off
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I measured & puntured the holes for the eyelets....
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I also added a 2cm 3 strand plaited hat band made from 1mm veg tanned cowhide which I made some time ago & has been waiting for the right hat:)

So this is what the dude looks like now.....
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Sorry for the crappy pics, took a few indoors but hardly better
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The result isn't what I expected it to be, but then it never is :rolleyes:

A few nitty gritty details;...........reckon it took about 10 hours to make in all, around 35 Euros (£30) leather & thread, to make.
I used polyester button thread throughout & normal use needles. I didn't use any special leather working tools, only the things most folk have in their houses.

Hope you found it helpful & interesting.
 

cbarker777

New Member
Apr 14, 2016
1
0
WV, USA
I know this is an old thread but i am hoping i can get an answer because i really want to make one of these. I am a bit confused. The bottom of the brim looks finished like the top does not like the inside of the hat does how did you do this. is the drim to peices of leather and i missed that?
 

mandi

New Member
Oct 18, 2019
1
0
37
South Africa
Hi there, is there any reason why I can't see the photos in your post? They are there but blurred out so much that I can hardly see the lines, with a "host post share, Photobucket" logo over all of them?
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,353
2,363
Bedfordshire
Hi there Mandi,
Old thread. When it was originally posted the photos were fine. The blurred photos are Photobucket's way of trying to force the people who they originally gave free accounts to, to pay for subscriptions. It isn't just you, it is everyone, in forums all across the internet.

Chris
 

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