Could you slowly stretch a felt Stetson a 1/4"?

[Pater Familias]

I measure 22-5/8" which most sources list as a 7-3/8. But when I buy a new 7-3/8 it's just roomy enough to need a little foam insert.

Found a 20-30 year old felt Stetson I like the look of for a good price. But it's a 7-1/8.

Reckon I could safely and slowly stretch it to fit me?

 

[robrinay]

I’m not sure about felt but I’m sure someone on here will. I’ve had good results with straw and cotton Panama’s - I spray them with water and gently pull them onto an upturned Pyrex bowl that’s roughly 7 3/8 - my hat size. I let them dry in situ and when I remove them they fit
Rob

 

[jlee562]

I'm gonna go with 90% chance of "no" on that one.

I've definitely had hats stretch up one size no biggie. But I've definitely also popped a sweatband or two trying to do the same on a different hat. Two sizes is already a dicey kind of proposition to begin with, notwithstanding all the caveats that apply to sweatbands on vintage hats in general. You could probably have the hat rebuilt to your size, but you'd be dropping more money into it.

 

[Frunobulax]

^^^What he said. With some steam and patience, going up one size isn't that much of an...ahem, stretch. Best results if you have a reeded sweatband. Unreeded, all bets are off. Sometimes those puppies will pop stitches if you stare at them too long. Even with some stretching, the hat and sweatband's memory will make it want to settle back to it's original size. I've had best luck letting them sit on blocks or put stretchers in them for several days, slowly working it out with steam. That seems to help give the hat a new memory.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[belfastboy]

A further risk is tapering the crown and/or misshaping the brim. Stretching a hat can cause the front/rear to dip and the sides curl up into wings (I know from sad experience). I have given up attempting a hat stretch unless it is just a hat in my size that has shrunk just a smidge.

 

[Pater Familias]

Thanks for the posts. Kinda confirms my assumptions.

 

[scottyrocks]

I measure 22-5/8" which most sources list as a 7-3/8. But when I buy a new 7-3/8 it's just roomy enough to need a little foam insert.

Found a 20-30 year old felt Stetson I like the look of for a good price. But it's a 7-1/8.

Reckon I could safely and slowly stretch it to fit me?

My head is 23" and I'm a 7 3/8. 22 5/8" would be closer to a 7 1/4.

 

[moontheloon]

A further risk is tapering the crown and/or misshaping the brim. Stretching a hat can cause the front/rear to dip and the sides curl up into wings (I know from sad experience). I have given up attempting a hat stretch unless it is just a hat in my size that has shrunk just a smidge.

great points ...and I’ll add the horrible impression of the sweatband that stamps through the felt from the inside looking particularly horrible on thin ribbon hats

I can spot a stretched hat a mile away

 

[belfastboy]

great points ...and I’ll add the horrible impression of the sweatband that stamps through the felt from the inside looking particularly horrible on thin ribbon hats

I can spot a stretched hat a mile away

Yep, I have one of those!

 

[Art Fawcett]

I measure 22-5/8" which most sources list as a 7-3/8. But when I buy a new 7-3/8 it's just roomy enough to need a little foam insert.

Found a 20-30 year old felt Stetson I like the look of for a good price. But it's a 7-1/8.

Reckon I could safely and slowly stretch it to fit me?

Pater, if your measurement is accurate, you are only 1/8" larger than a 7 1/8 hat. 7 1/8 = 22 1/2". Are you sure you are not a long oval,? if so, a hat too big would feel right but have gaps at your temples.