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Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

splintercellsz

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,142
Location
Somewhere in Time
It makes me think that it was "deodorized" when it was packed, and that then wore off.
Hadn't heard about the newspaper. May try that.

If I remember correctly, fill the bag up with newspaper, put the hat in, and cover the hat in more newspaper, and tie off the bag. Let it sit for a few days to weeks, then check the hat for smells.
 
Messages
10,524
Location
DnD Ranch, Cherokee County, GA
It makes me think that it was "deodorized" when it was packed, and that then wore off.
Hadn't heard about the newspaper. May try that.

I got HEAVY pipe smoker smell out of a vintage Stetson using the crumpled newspaper trick. The paper seems to wick the odors out. Next step afterwards is to get some talcum powder & coat the hat with it. Gently work the powder into the felt then brush it off. The talc will absorb dirt & other soiling in the fibers & removes it when brushed out. HTH
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
I got HEAVY pipe smoker smell out of a vintage Stetson using the crumpled newspaper trick. The paper seems to wick the odors out. Next step afterwards is to get some talcum powder & coat the hat with it. Gently work the powder into the felt then brush it off. The talc will absorb dirt & other soiling in the fibers & removes it when brushed out. HTH


Ooh, thanks for this tip about the talcum powder. I have a ton of felt cloches and wool hats I want cleaned but just haven't put in the effort to get it done. Just out of curiosity, when men take their hats to be cleaned, what method does the hat shop use?
 

casechopper

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,783
Location
Northern NJ
A simple hat cleaning would be to dunk and rinse out the hat with dry cleaning chemicals. A more complete cleaning would involve a reblocking after cleaning. Some hatters (I believe tonyb here on the forum is one) actually prefer to clean with water and then reblock rather than dry cleaning.
 

jrbobbyh

New in Town
Messages
35
Location
Georgetown, TX
Thank you
OK. I have placed it in a bag with the newspaper, and will wait...

Has anyone here ever used the product Nok-Out on a hat? It promises to address the mold-related issue, which is what this smells like.
 

scooter

Practically Family
Messages
905
Location
Arizona
My work hat was filthy, and I just put water and Woolite in the sink, and it was cleaner when it came out of that dunking then after a professional cleaner (who shall not be named publicly) was done with it. Just reshaped it with my fingers and let it dry on the counter. Looks just as good as before.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
A simple hat cleaning would be to dunk and rinse out the hat with dry cleaning chemicals. A more complete cleaning would involve a reblocking after cleaning. Some hatters (I believe tonyb here on the forum is one) actually prefer to clean with water and then reblock rather than dry cleaning.

Thank you.

My work hat was filthy, and I just put water and Woolite in the sink, and it was cleaner when it came out of that dunking then after a professional cleaner (who shall not be named publicly) was done with it. Just reshaped it with my fingers and let it dry on the counter. Looks just as good as before.

What material is your work hat made of?
 

fashion frank

One Too Many
Messages
1,173
Location
Woonsocket Rhode Island
This one just came in today I got it last week for $30.00 w/S&H included .

I have a lot of summer straws but I just could not pass on this one .

All the Best ,Fashion Frank

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scooter

Practically Family
Messages
905
Location
Arizona
my work hat is an old stetson sovereign, in short, fur felt. my experience with fur felt has been, don't burn them, don't cut them, and they're pretty difficult to damage. make sure and revitalize the sweatband after wetting it.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
my work hat is an old stetson sovereign, in short, fur felt. my experience with fur felt has been, don't burn them, don't cut them, and they're pretty difficult to damage. make sure and revitalize the sweatband after wetting it.

Thank you so much for this information. I have a TON of hats that I want to clean and it would be cost prohibitive for me to send them out to be cleaned, since the prices I see here seem to be 40-50 per hat, no sirree! I'm thinking these hats are either wool or fur felt. I like talc powder to clean a hat but I would want to do that AFTER I ran the hat through some soap and water to give it a deeper cleaning and use the talcum powder method as maintenance. Was the water that you used cold, warm or hot? It seems like it would be a good idea to dry it while it's on the head of a mannequin to prevent shrinkage. Or does fur felt not shrink like wool?
 

singlechange

One of the Regulars
Messages
152
Location
Washington D.C.
Ditto on the nice hat comment earlier Frank....especially good to see a wider brim straw hat like yours too. Is that a 3 1/2 inch brim or larger and is the ribbon brown? I have one in the works with almost a 3 3/4 inch brim I'm curious to see how it fits on me. A styling note for you: the suit, shirt and necktie works well for you but perhaps you might give a smaller knot like a simple four in hand next time to go with the smaller size collar of the white shirt. Cheers.
 

scooter

Practically Family
Messages
905
Location
Arizona
I think it worth while to dry the hat on an appropriately size hat shaper, but be wary, as anything too tight will leave a ridge in the felt. I didn't experience the fur felt shrinking, but it WILL stretch a bit when wet, so you can inadvertently leave a ridge where the sweatband imprints the fur. Keep in mind as well, I had nothing invests to speak of in this hat, so I could afford to experiment.
 

CaramelSmoothie

Practically Family
Messages
892
Location
With my Hats
I think it worth while to dry the hat on an appropriately size hat shaper, but be wary, as anything too tight will leave a ridge in the felt. I didn't experience the fur felt shrinking, but it WILL stretch a bit when wet, so you can inadvertently leave a ridge where the sweatband imprints the fur. Keep in mind as well, I had nothing invests to speak of in this hat, so I could afford to experiment.

Thanks again Scooter. I plan to experiment on a couple of hats that I can afford to lose. Again, what temperature water did you use when you washed your fur felt hat? Cold, warm or hot?
 

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