Hat sizing strips...

[SHARPETOYS]

No need to pay $7.00 for 20 inches when you can buy 50 feet for $6.50.

http://wardrobesupplies.com/store/m2_mjsupp.html

They have alot of other hat supplies as well...

 

[scotrace]

A Home Depot

It's called "weatherstripping." 50' $4.

 

[Aaron Hats]

Or the next time you buy a hat just ask for a strip. We give it to customers as I'm sure most hat stores do.

 

[thefedorastore]

Brilliant! You know I couldn't resist a reply SharpeToys, since you have my price and my 20 inches. Foam isn't as nice as adhesive felt though, which we provide for free with an order when asked, or after the fact. I am sure there are many great ideas to come.

It's kind of like getting laces with new shoes. You could buy the laces, or just get 500 feet of twine for about $5.00. These strips really help from keeping slightly loose hats from being returned. They work much better than the weather stripping which compresses and decays. Just shipped another free hat stretcher today too, for a nice snug Beaver Brand bought previously. [huh] I guess you have to ask. Home Depot is a great place for the foam stuff, cheap.

Loungers can ask for these for free. However, I will continue to graciously retail them for $7.00 for 20 inches to the rest of the world. A fair markup, considering the time to cut and package them, and a total cost of about $2.50.

The VillageHatShop also has three cotton pieces for $17.95, and they're strips stick on the outstide of the sweat and touch your forehead and soak up sweat!

UPDATE: Another pack of free FedoraFelts for a TheFedoraLounge meber from TheFedoraStore went out today

 

[gekisai29]

I purchased duane,s strips with my last order 7 they do seem to work a lot better than the foam

 

[WideBrimm]

Try the Local Fabric Shop

Another choice is to visit the local fabric shop and buy a foot or two of wool felt or synthetic felt. Of course you then have to cut it into strips yourself. $4 or $5 for a couple of feet. Enough for quite a few hats!

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I bought a few sheets of 1/4" craft foam at the Rag Shop or Michaels. I have to cut it myself, but I can get quite a few strips out of one 10" x 14" sheet. If I need it thicker, I can easily double-up. Cheap and glue-free.
NB

 

[Feraud]

I tend to stick dollar bills and movie tickets under the sweatbands of my hats.

 

[besdor]

I have seen everything from toilet paper to newspaper being used to size down a hat. What ever you use , remember to change it every so often as the sweat will go through the leather and accumulate in the paper .
The foam tape works great for us . We use so much of it here because many of our customers have long oval heads and we needto pad up the sides.


Steven

 

[WEEGEE]

head to toe inside and out

I can't see taking a quality hat with a nice sweat and stuffing foam behind to

size. I prefer cork backed with felt.You can get a sheet of both at a craft store and glue them together before cutting into strips.

You can also buy the new combination steamer/ reduction / enlarger and

stain proofer...forget the name but it is made in France.

 

[thefedorastore]

Hey, how about that spray-in closed-cell foam for a conforming fit! A temperpedic hat

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

LMAO

Hey, how about that spray-in closed-cell foam for a conforming fit! A temperpedic hat

lol With a bit of this used then put on your head, who needs a wind trolly? lol

 

[thefedorastore]

You got it bud! I wonder if we could change the labeling and make it a special hat product and charge $20 a can! Thank would spark a few threads. lol

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

How About This?

You got it bud! I wonder if we could change the labeling and make it a special hat product and charge $20 a can! Thank would spark a few threads. lol

You could be the first to market this revolutionary product.

 

[thefedorastore]

You could be the first to market this revolutionary product.

That's beautiful! With a small plastic sleeve inside the sweat, it could work. A "fitting" way to bring an end to this thread?

 

[NewMexExpat]

Groan....

... A fitting way to bring an end to this thread?

Fitting???

You're killin' me.

 

[MKL]

Strips

Hi all,

I just received my sizing strips from Duane. He kindly sent some my way.

Thanks Daune. Very kind and good service.

 

[zetwal]

Drear Friends

I'm new to the vintage hat game and am probably going to have a string of naive questions in the weeks and months to come. So please bear with me. Here's one that I hope someone can help me with today.

1) I recently bought a nice old felt fedora that felt tight when I intially tried it on. I looked behind the sweatband and found small strips of index cards that were dark brown from the age tucked in behind it. Is that a good or bad way to snug up a loose hat? If not, what's the best way to do it? I'm guessing one can buy a foam spacer or something similar to put behind the sweatband. But I don't know that for sure. Nor do I know what such an item would be called or where to find one.

2) And since it's sure to come up for me sooner or later - what's the best way to loosen an old felt hat if it feels a tad tight? Can it be done safely? How?

In both cases, I'm talking about making a small adjustments. I'm not talking about a radical change or trying to make the wrong size hat fit.

Even getting a hair cut, it occures to me, can make a hat feel looser than it does when the hair is full. Any suggestions? Can you put this hypothetical something behind the sweatband and remove it as needed without unwanted consequences to the hat?

Thanks! Eric

 

[gtdean48]

I have used a folded paper towel = no risk of printing running if sweat wets the material = behind the sweat band to snug up a hat. I've also seen foam strips with adhesive on one side to secure to the backside of the sweatband.
For stretching, I have a vintage stretcher & a modern Hat Jack. I wear multiple hats & sweat in them regularly. The leather of the sweatband contracts when it dries, so they all snug up. I pop the Hat Jack in & it also helps get the long oval shape my noggin requires. HTH... gtd

 

[Dewhurst]

Personally, I use felt strips to bring the size of a hat down a bit. Just place them behind the sweatband where you need to snug it up a little. I like FedoraFelts the best, which can be purchased at TheFedoraStore.com.

For getting a hat a little larger if it is too snug, a Hat Jack and some steam usually work OK-ish. If you buy a Hat Jack, it will come with instructions for use.