Brims on panama hats

[memphislawyer]

I have a lovely panama hat I just love, a panama bob creation that, well, at $45, lets me get into a panama hat to see what I do and don't like about them and a great deal considering the similar hat locally would be well over $100. I got a bigger brim on it because I wanted to make sure that it would cover my head since the purpose of it is sun protection. However, the brim is flattening out all around and will not hold a shape as well as say a Stetson fur felt fedora. I do have a steamer for clothes and can boil water for steam, but I have read at another forum that panama hats tend to do this. I saw a nice dandy Borsalino locally but the brim is smaller than on my Stetson, whereas the panama hat i have is probably a 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider.

Suggestions? I can post pics if need be.

 

[danofarlington]

I have a lovely panama hat I just love, a panama bob creation that, well, at $45, lets me get into a panama hat to see what I do and don't like about them and a great deal considering the similar hat locally would be well over $100. I got a bigger brim on it because I wanted to make sure that it would cover my head since the purpose of it is sun protection. However, the brim is flattening out all around and will not hold a shape as well as say a Stetson fur felt fedora. I do have a steamer for clothes and can boil water for steam, but I have read at another forum that panama hats tend to do this. I saw a nice dandy Borsalino locally but the brim is smaller than on my Stetson, whereas the panama hat i have is probably a 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider.

Suggestions? I can post pics if need be.

Many Panama brims are floppy. The fix is to get someone to apply a stiffener to the brim. It's easy to apply apparently, but less easy to get out of you decide you don't like it. My local hatman said that wear and handling eventually works it out. Your problem is easily dealt with.

 

[monbla256]

I have a lovely panama hat I just love, a panama bob creation that, well, at $45, lets me get into a panama hat to see what I do and don't like about them and a great deal considering the similar hat locally would be well over $100. I got a bigger brim on it because I wanted to make sure that it would cover my head since the purpose of it is sun protection. However, the brim is flattening out all around and will not hold a shape as well as say a Stetson fur felt fedora. I do have a steamer for clothes and can boil water for steam, but I have read at another forum that panama hats tend to do this. I saw a nice dandy Borsalino locally but the brim is smaller than on my Stetson, whereas the panama hat i have is probably a 1/4 to 1/2 inch wider.

Suggestions? I can post pics if need be.

Photos of just what you are speaking about would be helpful. And steam can be your friend. But the main thing to remember is that Panama's ARE NOT felt and should not be expected to react the same. The cheaper "paper straw" ie. "Shantung" Panamas have a lot of shellac or stiffener so that they can be similar to felts. A GOOD Panama as you got from Bob does as Panama's do. That maleability and such is what gives them their unique look. After a few years of wearing my Montecristi's they have all developed a brim shaping somewhat different than when new but I like that aspect of Panama's. Try some steam, put it on your head and wear it and enjoy it's uniqueness.

 

[dhermann1]

I have a pretty nice PanamaBob. I find that on really muggy days the brim gets a little soft and wobbly. That bothered me, but everybody I talk to about it, just general public, friends, etc., all say they think the look is kinda cool. So I went with it and now it doesn't bother me. When the humidity goes down, it dries out a little and goes back to its original shape.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

The beauty of the Panama is that you can play with it and do just about anything you want with it....

Add to that the fact of what you paid for that hat....... It isn't like you paid hundreds or worse for a Montecristi and would be out all that money if you messed it up....

I have sprayed mine with water and and worked the brim on the corner of my patio table and then let it dry and it was fine....

Steam works fine also, I haven't tried it but I know some here have ironed theirs.

Keep the heat low and use a towel between hat and Iron,,, just use common sense.

I have sprayed with water and worked it in with my fingers and shaped the brim, let it dry and got some of the stiffner out that way....

don't be afraid to experiment with it......... you will learn and enjoy your hat all the more...

So let's look at the worst sceniaro, you screw it up and can't get it where you want it....

Tom n Perris and a lot of other hatters can always bring it back for you..

Assuming that you have torn it or done that type of damage... Again all this is a great reason for getting a few hats from PB to wear and learn before spending larger sums for a better hat....

Oh and PB has those better hats for a great price also.......Just Sayin

 

[memphislawyer]

The pics, as requested

it does not look like the 1st pic anymore. it is more flat all the way around the brim
i have a clothes steamer and the iron, and can boil water on the stove

 

[hatophile]

Looks nice, counsellor.

 

[Sam Craig]

OK
I know this is going to sound crazy and much like sacrilege, but here goes.

I was having a limp brim problem this spring when I got out my older straws and I had one that I was willing to experiment with ... since then I have applied this solution to three different kinds of straws and varying colors and it has worked wonders.

I know it will be hard to believe, but I swear it works.

You lightly ... LIGHTLY ... spritz the brim and then carefully apply Elmer's glue stick.

It's the same, benign, all natural material in that good ol' Elmers glue that we've all used since we were kids. The stick allows you to work it in just where it is needed.

Form the brim in the shape you want and then leave it to dry.

What worked for me was to return the brims to their "up" position and then set the hat on a counter on top on a tea towel overnight.
The next morning the straw will have a texture very similar to new.

I've used this on a Bailey "lite straw" on a good Milan and on a coconut straw and they all did just fine. In fact the process save the Bailey lite straw fedora and it is better than when I bought it!

I have NOT tried this on Panama, however.

Sam

 

[randooch]

Do you apply the glue to the entire brim, or just around the outer perimeter?

 

[Sam Craig]

Randooch,

On the Bailey Lite Straw, I spritzed it to "damp", lightly toweled it so there was no "standing moisture", and then, with it resting on the towel on a countertop, I applied the glue stick to the whole surface of the top of the brim.
On that one, I also applied a light layer to the crown and it worked great there too.

I left the brim in the up position and the next morning the front snapped down light new.

I have repeated the process on that hat and now it is better than when I first bought it.

The great thing about the glue stick is that it dries clear, I have not been able to notice any residual stickiness once it's "cured" and it is water soluble, so if you really don't like it, just spriz the hat again and wide it clean.

I have used it on three different colors from dark coconut to that Bailey, which is very light, and I can tell that it leaves any color behind.

All I know is that it has worked well for me.

Sam

 

[Ordinary Guy]

On a Bailey I used my wife's spray starch....

After working it with water to get the shape I wanted, I put just a very light spray and let it dry. worked fine for me....

Like Sam, I have NOT used this on a Panama but did oK with the Bailey ....

 

[Sam Craig]

I wonder if spray starch ... lightly of course ... would work on a fur felt?

Sam

 

[SurfGent]

I have a Stetson ibbera that the brim wouldn't snap down in the front. I usually keep all my hats in boxs but keeping this one in the box doesn't allow me to have my brim the way I want it. So I rolled it with my hand till it kinda stayed put and then I keep it on the edge of a box over time it trained itself to stay that way

 

[SurfGent]

 

[RJR]

The beauty of the Panama is that you can play with it and do just about anything you want with it....

Add to that the fact of what you paid for that hat....... It isn't like you paid hundreds or worse for a Montecristi and would be out all that money if you messed it up....

I have sprayed mine with water and and worked the brim on the corner of my patio table and then let it dry and it was fine....

Steam works fine also, I haven't tried it but I know some here have ironed theirs.

Keep the heat low and use a towel between hat and Iron,,, just use common sense.

I have sprayed with water and worked it in with my fingers and shaped the brim, let it dry and got some of the stiffner out that way....

don't be afraid to experiment with it......... you will learn and enjoy your hat all the more...

So let's look at the worst sceniaro, you screw it up and can't get it where you want it....

Tom n Perris and a lot of other hatters can always bring it back for you..

Assuming that you have torn it or done that type of damage... Again all this is a great reason for getting a few hats from PB to wear and learn before spending larger sums for a better hat....

Oh and PB has those better hats for a great price also.......Just Sayin

Good advice,imo.

 

[RJR]

Randooch,

On the Bailey Lite Straw, I spritzed it to "damp", lightly toweled it so there was no "standing moisture", and then, with it resting on the towel on a countertop, I applied the glue stick to the whole surface of the top of the brim.
On that one, I also applied a light layer to the crown and it worked great there too.

I left the brim in the up position and the next morning the front snapped down light new.

I have repeated the process on that hat and now it is better than when I first bought it.

The great thing about the glue stick is that it dries clear, I have not been able to notice any residual stickiness once it's "cured" and it is water soluble, so if you really don't like it, just spriz the hat again and wide it clean.

I have used it on three different colors from dark coconut to that Bailey, which is very light, and I can tell that it leaves any color behind.

All I know is that it has worked well for me.

Sam

Interesting.