Thoughts on this budget hat

[Mondas42]

Has anyone any views on this for a budget hat......running out of money:shock: 

http://www.topnotchcostumes.com/hat.html#

Martin

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

I had that very same hat but I highly recommend shopping around. I paid $16.00 for mine back in 2006 and I don't think the prices have changed much. $39.00 is far overpriced for faux materials that looks like leather!

[HIGH5orDIE]

IMHO Elopes is better looking and cheaper... not to mention it's licensed.

Elope.com Jack hat

[RobbW]

To my eye it looks as if that IS the Elope hat in the OP.  Martin, if it is the Elope hat, I think you should be able to find it for a better price.  I picked one up for about $24 (IIRC) from one of those temporary Halloween stores that sprout up every year around this time.  With a little bit of work, you can make it look pretty darn good for a budget hat!  I took a little brown RIT dye and some brown shoe polish to it to make it look more weathered and dirty.  Then I rubbed it all over with some fine-grain sand I had out in the garage to give it a dusty/dirty look.  It turned out pretty decent and was fine for not so many doubloons.

After trick or treating was over, I took a look at some of the pics of me in costume.  Although the hat looked "okay", there was just something off about it's shape that I didn't like.  Being the obsessive, anal type that I am, this simply would not do for me.  So, I actually starting searching around online for someone who custom makes Jack's tri-corn for a reasonable price.  I was just about to pull the trigger on a hat in the $200-$250 range.  Then one night last week I was kind of bored and didn't feel like doing any work around the house.  So, I started messing with my Elope tri-corn.  After researching and studying many photos of Johnny Depp wearing Jack's hat, I proceeded to spend roughly 3-4 hours obsessively shaping and reshaping and then unshaping and then reshaping it again.  I FINALLY got it to a shape that nearly identically mimics what I saw in the screen captures of Jack's hat, and I was actually happy with it.  

In the end, I believe I just saved myself $250 that can be spent on other parts of me costume.  In fact, I will be picking up me new Windlass Pirate Captain Hanger after work tonight!

Robb

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

Just remember the Elope had bowl is pretty tight so when you wear your wig you may suffer from "high tricorn hat" disease on your noggin!

[RobbW]

Just remember the Elope had bowl is pretty tight so when you wear your wig you may suffer from "high tricorn hat" disease on your noggin!

Aye! That was my problem with the Elope hat when I wore it for Halloween, and the main reason I started looking for a custom-made hat. As I stated before, I was able to shape the hat to my liking, but I'm afraid it is still going to be too tight. Anyone have any thoughts on possibly stretching it a bit? I may try heating the band and seeing if I can stretch it over an appropriately-sized bowl. Not sure how well faux leather can be stretched.

[Capn_Jack_Savvy]

It stretches pretty well. I used steam and stretched it out over a hat block and it worked pretty well. Problem is it shrinks back down over time....

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