Moth Damage to Federation III

[Edward]

So, my beloved Fed III in Carbon Grey has fallen victim to a hungry moth (damn things have gotten into my flat and am only slowly getting rid of them....). There is a significant crater or two in the top - not right through the felt to a hole, but very obvious. Am I doomed to replace, or is it possible to take it somewhere for a repair? Would a hatter be able to fill in the craters (even by shaving a sixteenth of an inch off the brim?)?

Utterly gutted.

 

[Feraud]

Would it be possible to slightly pounce the felt to lessen the hole?

 

[gtdean48]

I'd send it to Gene if you don't mind risking his brim trimming tendancies. It is not a bound edge so you should be safe....

 

[Edward]

Gene?

What kind of money would it cost? I hate the thought of waste and I am sentimental about my hats, but not to the extreme of spending what would buy a new one....

 

[gtdean48]

HarpPlayerGene = he posted moth nibble repair techniques that looked good to me...

 

[fenris]

Got a pic of the damage? Maybe it's not that "obvious".

 

[danofarlington]

So, my beloved Fed III in Carbon Grey has fallen victim to a hungry moth (damn things have gotten into my flat and am only slowly getting rid of them....). There is a significant crater or two in the top - not right through the felt to a hole, but very obvious. Am I doomed to replace, or is it possible to take it somewhere for a repair? Would a hatter be able to fill in the craters (even by shaving a sixteenth of an inch off the brim?)?

Utterly gutted.

My observation is that moths only go for good hats. A bad hat on the other hand kills the moths.

 

[Edward]

Got a pic of the damage? Maybe it's not that "obvious".

I have a couple of others that have been hit where it really isn't... this one it's pretty bad, though. I'll try and get some photos up later...

 

[AlterEgo]

So sorry to hear about the moth damage, Edward. It's not like it would be easy to find a carbon grey Fed III in your size these days. Of course, this gives you an excellent excuse to get a new Fed IV!

The real bad news is that moths have arrived, and they are extremely difficult to completely eradicate, so you must ensure they do no more damage.

First off, remove every hat and article of clothing from closets and drawers, take them outside, thoroughly brush them off, and hang them in the sun for a day.

Meanwhile, get an insecticide specifically made for clothes moths (it's the tiny larvae that actually do the damage) and apply it to the entirety of every closet, drawer, and other places you keep your clothes and hats, like hat boxes, for example.

You will still have to get moth crystals/balls/cakes for all the places you keep your clothes and hats. I prefer Reefer-Galler's No Moth (in an orange and black container, often sold at carpet/rug retailers), because it doesn't stink as bad as most and comes in a wide variety of cannister and dispenser types depending on your needs.

For effectiveness, you'll need to place one cannister every few feet throughout the closet and a few balls inside every hat box, even inside gloves adn socks in the off season. Seal the closet door seams with insulation like it's an exterior door, and religiously keep doors and drawers tightly closed. Check often, as the stuff sublimates faster than you might expect.

You'll be locked into doing this forevermore. Think the moths are gone and quit? Don't make that mistake; they have an uncanny way of reappearing after the suppressant is gone.

Don't think that moth larvae munch only on wool, cashmere, and other such fabrics made of animal hair. They ruined the suede leather on a beloved Churchill alpine hat from Neiman-Marcus that is one of my all-time favorite possessions!

 

[Edward]

Photos:

All show the same damage (it's limited to that one spot). Hat spent an overnight in the freezer after I discovered this, so hopefully that'll be the limit to it...

Coin included for scale; one British New Penny, roughly the same size as a one US Cent piece. The big problem is the large crater you can see - but for it, it wouldn't be too noticeable. If I was able to take it somewhere to have it repaired, I would - I'd rather a dark spot there, even, that was level with the rest of the hat than an almost-hole...