A customer has asked me to process and tan a racoon he harvested. But instead of mounting it he wants me to make him an authentic "buckskinner" style coon skin hat, complete with frontal coon face with eyes and rear tail.
I have tanned and mounted numerous coons but this is the first request for a hat. If anybody has completed such a project, I would greatly appreciate some tips on how to pattern, cut, shape and sew the skin into a hat or where I could obtain a pattern. I have already measured the customers head and plan to line the inside of the cap with "rug" mounting felt.
Moscow Hide and Fur used to sell hat and MT man clothing patterns, they may still. www.hideandfur.com
It better be BIG coon too, on smaller ones, it taked more than one to make an adult size hat. I line mine in deerskin.
I put step by step in there some years ago and I'm sure Ken hasn't nuked it yet. It explains the traditional and the primitive hats.