hat brushing

[anglophile]

Alan Flusser writes that you should brush a felt hat in the direction of the nap. How do you tell what direction this is?

 

[duggap]

I believe it is always counter clock wise.

 

[daizawaguy]

Counterclockwise from top, (same direction at bottom of brim)..more obvious on longer haired or satins...

 

[Lefty]

See the Felt Hat Basics sticky thread.

 

[Torpedo]

See the Felt Hat Basics sticky thread.

But I understand you have to do it clockwise on the underside of the brim? If I am not wrong, you have to do it anticlockwise on top because all hats are made by turning the body in the same direction, and so have the same direction on nape; so, anti-clockwise is true for brushing all of them on the "top side"... then, if you put the hat upside down, does not the direction of nape become reversed, requiring a reversal of the brushing motion too?

Am I mistaken?

 

[Lefty]

The only answer we have so far is in the sticky thread. Perhaps one of our hatters will chime in with an update.

Did a little Googling, and the only sources that I have found on the Web that explicitly mention which direction to brush the underside of the brim say to brush it clockwise (with the upper side brush counterclockwise):

http://www.hatshapers.com/Hat_Care.htm

http://hawkeyetack.com/cowboy-hats.html

http://www.rodeopageants.com/FashionFacts/hatcare.htm

This source says that for American made felt, you need to brush it clockwise on top!?:

http://www.brynels.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=22

There are enough shiny fur strands in felt that if you get the light right you can see the nap and tell if the strands are being brushed into parallel or are roughening up. It just takes a certain amount of violent brushing, so I hate to do it.

 

[daizawaguy]

Place your hat in front of you top up. Brush anti clockwise on the top. Keep it top up, place the brush upside down, brush anti clockwise. If you turn your hat upside down to brush the bottom, brush clockwise.

Or to make it simple, the fur always goes in one direction, whether you look from the top, or bottom....that makes sence right!!? And that direction is against the clock looking from the top...flip the hat around, and its the other way round.

Technically, there is a circle at the top, clearly seen in long hairs, and so brush in a counter clockwise circular motion at the top...and to make it less confusing on the inside, they placed linings on the inside, to stop us wanting to brush the inside and get confused!!lol lol lol

 

[johnnyphi]

Example: Adam Premier

This is a very furry hat. It's easy to see the counter-clockwise direction described in the responses above. Check out the swirl in the center crease.

 

[pplepic]

Brushing hats

:eusa_doh: I read someplace that we should always brush our hats in a counter-clockwise direction, but what bothers me is that when there are feathers they are on the left side, so if we brush counter-clockwise, then we have to be very careful not to ruffle the feathers. I do enough fealther-ruffling around here already!). Any comments and/or suggestions?

 

[tonyb]

:eusa_doh: I read someplace that we should always brush our hats in a counter-clockwise direction, but what bothers me is that when there are feathers they are on the left side, so if we brush counter-clockwise, then we have to be very careful not to ruffle the feathers. I do enough fealther-ruffling around here already!). Any comments and/or suggestions?

Uh, lose the feather? Or remove it while brushing?

Some hats do indeed look good with feathers, so if my initial response would seem to suggest otherwise, well, that's not my intent.

Is the feather on the hat in question (is there a particular hat we're concerned with here?) not easily removable?

And ...

I'm not certain I understand why brushing counter-clockwise would disturb a feather more than the opposite direction would.

 

[pplepic]

The feathered hat I'm familiar with all slant somewhat toward the rear, so brushing counter-clockwise would (and does) ruffle them. I know I can remove them and/or be careful, etc., but I just wondered why the bow and the ribbon aren't on the right side in the first place so the hat may be properly brushed without worrying about messing up the feathers. Actually, because the feathers are the way they are, I always (until recently) assumed you were supposed to brudh in a clockwise direction. And to be honest, call me dumb, but I really don't notice much if any difference in which way I brush. I haven't tried to remove a ribbon because I assumed they were held in place with a drop of glue or something to keep them from flying off into the atmosphere. It's no big deal; I was just curious.

 

[troy]

When I learned to brush counterclockwise I ran into the same issue of brushing against the feather. I don't brush my hats all that often (only when I think they need it), and I take the feather out when I do. However, I have a Stetson Gun Club Pork Pie circa '50s with the smallest bit of a feather left, that I am concerned will disintegrate if I try to remove it. With this hat I try to be extra careful around the old sad feather, and actually skip over that bit.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

The feathered hat I'm familiar with all slant somewhat toward the rear, so brushing counter-clockwise would (and does) ruffle them.

[huh]

That doesn't make sense. When I brush counter-clockwise, with my feathers having the rearward slant, the brushing goes WITH the lean of the feather and smoothes it rather than ruffling it. Only clockwise brushing would do what you've described.

'Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

[huh]

That doesn't make sense. When I brush counter-clockwise, with my feathers having the rearward slant, the brushing goes WITH the lean of the feather and smoothes it rather than ruffling it. Only clockwise brushing would do what you've described.

'Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty.

You know, I'm thinkin' the same thing. Unless "counter clockwise" just refers to the clock on the counter.

 

[carldelo]

I have the same impression - if you look down at the crown of the hat from above, then counterclockwise brushing is 'with the grain' of the feather, if I left them in, which I don't. (For you other nerdy engineers, that's rotation in the positive direction using the right hand rule.)

Something I've not been clear on - when you brush the underside of the brim, is the direction of brushing meant to be CW or CCW while looking at the underside of the brim?

 

[Not-Bogart13]

Something I've not been clear on - when you brush the underside of the brim, is the direction of brushing meant to be CW or CCW while looking at the underside of the brim?

Clockwise for the underside should be right. I mean correct.

 

[Woodfluter]

I agree with the latest posts. I think this relates to the way the felt cones are spun prior to blocking. Counter-clockwise when seen from atop the crown, and that should not disturb the lay of any feathery appendages stuck into the hatband. Flip the hat over to do the underside of the brim, and the same direction becomes clockwise.

If you find yourself confused, just hold the hat over a clock face...non-digital of course!

- Bill

 

[TopGumby]

What if it's an Akubra?

Coming from that side of the Equator, shouldn't the directions be reversed?

 

[Woodfluter]

What if it's an Akubra?

Coming from that side of the Equator, shouldn't the directions be reversed?

Oh my gosh, I forgot about the Coriolis effect! That changes everything! :eusa_doh:

 

[daizawaguy]

This counter clockwise debate is always confusing, until I saw the hairs of a long haired beaver...look closely...you cannot but brush against the lie of the felt...