I think my hat is dying! Anyone know hat CPR?

[markapsolon]

I did something a little stupid the other day. I wore my hat in the rain and did not really put it up to dry properly. I noticed the brim was not flipping like it used too. I read the posts about steaming the brim a little and I did it try steaming. The flip brim did come back a little but not like it was in the beginning. Should I take it to a hatter? I found one here in town that says he can bring the brim back from the brim of non-floppyness. Any suggestions on this would really help me out.

Can you put anything on your fur felt hat to "waterproof" it?

 

[tonyb]

What kinda hat you got there, Mark?

 

[Corky]

A thought...

You could try using hat stiffener. Some people here might also suggest spray starch, but that doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

 

[Qirrel]

What did you do when steaming? Did you just hold the hat under the steam?

 

[johnnycanuck]

If I wanted to water proof a hat I would use scotchgard. You should be able to pick it up at any Wal-Mart in the Cleaning supplies section (mops brooms and such).

With that being said, I feel a hat should protect me form the elements not me protecting it. I would start looking at upgrading to a sturdier hat.

Johnny

 

[Joeyeah_right]

I did something a little stupid the other day. I wore my hat in the rain and did not really put it up to dry properly. I noticed the brim was not flipping like it used too. I read the posts about steaming the brim a little and I did it try steaming. The flip brim did come back a little but not like it was in the beginning. Should I take it to a hatter? I found one here in town that says he can bring the brim back from the brim of non-floppyness. Any suggestions on this would really help me out.

Can you put anything on your fur felt hat to "waterproof" it?

I would probably take that hat to a hatter to fix / re-block and then use the scotchguard to waterproof it after it has been fixed. That way it will last longer in the next rainstorm, and not need re-blocking again for a while

 

[Woodfluter]

To expand a bit on TonyB's question:

Is this a wool felt or fur felt hat?
What make? How much did it cost?
Does it have a "snap-brim" or a flatter brim?
What shape did you want the brim to be?
Was the crown affected by drying?

If we know more we might be able to help you somewhat. Really, a hat ought to protect you and there shouldn't be worries about getting it wet. I just hang any of mine on a hook on the back of a door and never had any problems.

If you need to reshape, I'm an advocate of steam but please understand, it ain't like steaming vegetables! It's the moisture, not the heat that does most of the job. It's water molecules rather than water in the liquid state, so it penetrates deep & very fast. Not too close to the kettle spout. Something like 10-15 seconds maybe for any area, then shape and repeat. That won't cause shrinkage or damage in any decent hat - none I've encountered.

I've used Scotchguard for waterproofing with no harm. Don't overdo it. OTOH, if you really want to stiffen a brim, you can apply it repeatedly and it seems to work a lot like a stiffener.

- Bill

 

[jwalls]

Before applying stiffener get a spray bottle and some 91% alcohol (available at Walmart) and spray the hat with it. When it dries you will see how much stiffener is still in the hat.

 

[markapsolon]

What kinda hat you got there, Mark?

It was a Dobbs Dayton

 

[markapsolon]

To expand a bit on TonyB's question:

Is this a wool felt or fur felt hat?
What make? How much did it cost?
Does it have a "snap-brim" or a flatter brim?
What shape did you want the brim to be?
Was the crown affected by drying?

If we know more we might be able to help you somewhat. Really, a hat ought to protect you and there shouldn't be worries about getting it wet. I just hang any of mine on a hook on the back of a door and never had any problems.

If you need to reshape, I'm an advocate of steam but please understand, it ain't like steaming vegetables! It's the moisture, not the heat that does most of the job. It's water molecules rather than water in the liquid state, so it penetrates deep & very fast. Not too close to the kettle spout. Something like 10-15 seconds maybe for any area, then shape and repeat. That won't cause shrinkage or damage in any decent hat - none I've encountered.

I've used Scotchguard for waterproofing with no harm. Don't overdo it. OTOH, if you really want to stiffen a brim, you can apply it repeatedly and it seems to work a lot like a stiffener.

- Bill

Hi Bill,

Let me answer you questions below:
1. Fur Felt
2. Dobbs Dayton around $135
3. Snappy
4. The brim was nice and firm with a good snap before the rain. Now it semi snappys compared to what it started out.
5. The crown was ok. It seemed to only effect the brim.

I think the problem was I just threw the hat back in the box without thinking. I was in a big hurry after I got in and I did not think about it until the next day.


I took the hat today to a local hatter. The only one here in Birmingham, Bon Ton Hatters. The shop has been in business since 1906 but has moved from mostly hat repairs to shoe repairs. The gentlemen I talked with looked at the hat and said he could repair the brim. I am going to pick it up on monday and I will let you know if the shop owner lived up to his pledge. The shop had a great look to it. One wall full of hats, blocks, etc and the other side with shoe repair equipment. Great atmosphere! He seemed happy to see a younger looking guy with a fur fedora for repair.

 

[tonyb]

Sounds like he's gonna flange the brim. A straightforward operation, if you have the right equipment.

It's fortunate you have that shop right there in town. Should I get down that way, I'd certainly check it out.

 

[KevKaos59]

Before applying stiffener get a spray bottle and some 91% alcohol (available at Walmart) and spray the hat with it. When it dries you will see how much stiffener is still in the hat.

I see that you or someone else mentioned the use of alcohol on a hat in regards to stiffener in another thread. Can you tell me what the alcohol does or what the desired result is from using the alcohol? Does it help with drying out a wet hat or what?

 

[gtdean48]

I see that you or someone else mentioned the use of alcohol on a hat in regards to stiffener in another thread. Can you tell me what the alcohol does or what the desired result is from using the alcohol? Does it help with drying out a wet hat or what?

The alcohol will breakdown the shellac that was added to the body at the factory. Water will soften the shellac some but steam will reactivate it somewhat.

 

[Falcon Park]

My 2 cents worth: you've gotten great advice on how to steam properly, and if that doesn't work I highly recommend taking it to your local hatter-- while you're there, ask about water proofing.

Best of luck!

 

[KevKaos59]

The alcohol will breakdown the shellac that was added to the body at the factory. Water will soften the shellac some but steam will reactivate it somewhat.

Wow. I do searches on this site all the time trying to learn the ins and outs, but obviously I don't the the correct thing to search for because I learn more in a thread like this than all my searching combined. Bravo sir.

 

[Bingles]

Since this thread is about re-stiffening hats... Any advice on how to do that on a paper-braid straw hat? It started off as a packable hat that held its shape, but now the brim looks rather droopy and sad.

 

[Mr E Train]

Since this thread is about re-stiffening hats... Any advice on how to do that on a paper-braid straw hat? It started off as a packable hat that held its shape, but now the brim looks rather droopy and sad.

The same rules apply, basically. Steam will soften the stiffeners in the straw and let them bond back together when it cools. If steam doesn't stiffen it enough, spray a little Kahl hat stiffener on it, let it dry, then steam it and shape it and let it cool.

 

[Bingles]

The same rules apply, basically. Steam will soften the stiffeners in the straw and let them bond back together when it cools. If steam doesn't stiffen it enough, spray a little Kahl hat stiffener on it, let it dry, then steam it and shape it and let it cool.

Thanks, Mr. E!

 

[jwalls]

You will also find that the alcohol will dissolve the crystallized stiffener and reactivated it. Most vintage hats will stiffen up quite substantially.

 

[Mr E Train]

You will also find that the alcohol will dissolve the crystallized stiffener and reactivated it. Most vintage hats will stiffen up quite substantially.

That makes sense. Hat stiffener sprays like Kahl and Scout have denatured alcohol in them, so that's probably doing at least half the work right there.