My first attempt at shaping a hat and a new Stetson

[portolan]

I recently got a new Akubra that came all messed up. The brim was bent almost up to the crown. I posted and got some advice on how to try and shape it. Last night I got out a water bottle and sprayed and sprayed the brim. I worked it and worked it, having no idea what I was doing. I then kept it on to let the brim dry. It curled back up some over night. I didn't get it just right, but it is better....anyway it was my first attempt. I think steam would work better. Are the steamers on the bay that are $89 any good? Can I do better? After seeing these pics you may all tell me to forget it, huh?

Also some pics of my new Stetson. I made the huge error of walking into Wild Bill's in El Cajon the other day.....A pair of jeans, a belt, a shirt, cologne and a new hat later, I was broke! I really like the color and style of this Stetson. It is a Vaquero. The folks at Wild Bill's are really nice.

Anyway, here are the pics.....Have a good laugh!

 

[Riot Earp]

I successfully steamed and re-shaped my Western hat with a medium sauce pan filled with water. You can tilt the cover to let as much steam out as you want.

 

[Lon Goval]

Hat Work in San Diego

If you're still in the El Cajon area, you might check in at Boot Barn in El Cajon. I have had several hats converted and repaired by the lady there. Sometimes I've had her re-do the crown or brim a bit while I wait. I believe that she is the only person in the area doing any hat work. She even does some work (cleaning and repairs) for Hat Works located near Horton Plaza.

Ralph

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Pero, hombre, esta muy hermoso, su sombrero!
I had some chuckles reading the brim curled right back up overnight...that's all the magic of stiffener for you. In a way, you should free yourself from the fear of doing anything "wrong". There's not much you can do wrong with a felt hat, excepting perhaps boiling it for hours on end...
You don't really "need" a steamer, either (but surely there's nothing wrong with them). A kettle is just fine.
Steam, steam away (should be no problem in southern la Florida!)
Pablo the frog

 

[Woodfluter]

Hello and welcome, Portolan!

Pablo is right, forget the special steamers. All you need is a teakettle. I don't know if everyone has a teakettle these days, but I've never been without one! Anyway, I would suggest making a spout extender out of aluminum foil, a long cone that fits over the spout on one end and is about the diameter of a 1 cm dowel on the other end. This puts the hat safely away from the dirct heat of burner flames and focuses the steam so you can treat what you want without damaging the sweatband or affecting other parts.

You don't need to steam the daylights out of it either. A few passes is usually enough, but in extreme cases you might want to get it wetter with steam - in any case, keep moving it around and you won't get excessive heat or shrinkage issues.

If you want to flatten the brim out some more, try this: Steam one part of the brim at a time, and then place it on a clean kitchen counter or similar hard surface, and "iron" it with something very smooth and only slightly rounded - I have used a drinking glass and a shot glass for that. You can do the pressing by rolling the glass rather than sliding it along, which smooths the felt nicely but doesn't affect the finish. I've had this technique work especially well when I'd gotten some irregularities into the brim by shrinking down the base of the crown (see my post under "Federation IV" for details about that).

Why a rounded glass? So you can avoid accidentally making indentations with an edge. But if you're very careful, you can use a straight-sided glass without problems.

For what you describe, just bending it with your hands might suffice. Or flattening the brim on the counter, then bending it up again to be uniform.

Others probably know way more than I do, but this has worked for me.

- Bill

 

[Akubra Man]

Portolan no laugher..instead a thumbs up for you

Your western was an excellent choice. The size of the hat suits you well and the color is a nice shade. Enjoy!! :eusa_clap

 

[rrog]

I'm working on my first hat-job by using steam from a teakettle and a wooden rolling pin. So far it's working fine. Based on what woodfluter said, I'm probably using a little too much steam, but the brim is really stiff. I'm also using a clean, thin dish towel under the hat as a buffer. Not sure if this is really necessary, but I'm trying to use caution. It's not a hat that's messed up, I just want to re-shape it into a different style. But the rolling pin is easy to manage and seems to be working.

Good luck with yours,
rrog

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Wish I'd seen the 'before' version, but man, I think both hats look fine now as is. Nice job!

 

[portolan]

Guys, thanks for the posts and the great suggestions on

how to shape hats. I am afraid I am going to ruin them, but you have helped me see that might be harder than I think. This is a great forum, you are great guys....thanks so much.

 

[ezrydn]

Cavalry Stetson Re-Shaping

I'm a newbie at this shaping business. I just received my Cavalry Stetson, which has a flat brim.

What I'd like to do is shape the front of the brim 140 degrees down from the vertical (it would be an actual change of about 40 degrees from it's present shape).

I've read many of the posts here and understand I need to find a teakettle and extend the nozzle out away from the fire, using aluminum foil, thereby making a longer spout.

My question is "how do I know how much steam to apply?" The look I'm going for can be seen in the playbill for TNT's showing of "Gettysburg." Just look at Tom Berenger's hat. That's the look I'm going for.

I don't want to take the chance of "creasing" so I wanted to check in here before I start the process. Any good ideas and recommendations would be appreciated. Things like "do I have to hold the hat brim in position AFTER the shaping?"

John

 

[Inusuit]

John,

Welcome to the Lounge. I'm by no means an expert, but I have learned a few things reading here and experimenting with my own hats.

You will know when you have used enough steam when the brim becomes pliable. To get the "swoop" in front, steam the brim until it becomes pliable enough for you to shape it. Then put the hat on a level surface, a dresser top for example, with the front of the brim extending over the edge.

It may or may not hold the shape you want on your first attempt. If not, there are a couple of things you can try. I've had good luck using distilled water applied with a spray bottle. Soak the area of the brim you want to shape, then rest the hat with the front over the edge of the dresser. For a very stiff hat, it may be necessary to reverse the placement of the hat on the dresser. That is, place the front of the brim on the dresser and let the rest of the hat hang off the edge. Be sure you have the angle you want. Protect the front of the brim with a towel or washcloth and put a weight on the towel.


It's hard to damage a good felt hat. Most of my mistakes were easily corrected with more steam, water, shaping, weight, or what ever.

Good luck.

 

[carldelo]

I'm a newbie at this shaping business. I just received my Cavalry Stetson, which has a flat brim.

What I'd like to do is shape the front of the brim 140 degrees down from the vertical (it would be an actual change of about 40 degrees from it's present shape).

I've read many of the posts here and understand I need to find a teakettle and extend the nozzle out away from the fire, using aluminum foil, thereby making a longer spout.

My question is "how do I know how much steam to apply?" The look I'm going for can be seen in the playbill for TNT's showing of "Gettysburg." Just look at Tom Berenger's hat. That's the look I'm going for.

I don't want to take the chance of "creasing" so I wanted to check in here before I start the process. Any good ideas and recommendations would be appreciated. Things like "do I have to hold the hat brim in position AFTER the shaping?"

John

I remember reading about a similar brim adjustment - the hat was in a hat rest, sprayed with distilled water (not steam, I think) with clothespins clipped on the brim edge to provide weight to give it the desired deflection. The wood pins were clipped over a cloth as I recall so they wouldn't mark the felt.
If you steam, be sure not to steam the sweatband....

 

[rrog]

It's hard to damage a good felt hat. Most of my mistakes were easily corrected with more steam, water, shaping, weight, or what ever.

While this statement does not give you carte blanch to indiscriminately abuse your hat, when considered in the context of fur felt hat shaping/creasing/bashing, it's pretty accurate. You don't have to have the kid gloves on or pretend that you're holding a baby. Pretty much whatever you do to try to shape it, it's going to survive and can always be un-done. I recently bought an Akubra that was shipped to me and during the shipping process, the box got smashed and the hat had some creases in it. They steamed right out. So go ahead and give it a try.

rrog

 

[ezrydn]

Thanks, guys. Ya really put an old trooper's mind at ease with your responses. Here in Mexico, we buy distilled water as our drinking water so got lots of that. I'll take a "before" pix of the hat and try the water spray first. Take an "after" pix. As several of you have said, I've always got steam to "get the mistakes" out.

I'll give it my best shot this weekend.

John

PS...For some who may be wondering, B. Co., 1st Bn., 7th US Cav, 1st Air Cav Div (AM), 65-66, grunt RTO.

 

[ezrydn]

So, how does one post a pix here?

John

 

[gtdean48]

So, how does one post a pix here?

John

Covered in the FAQ thread...
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/FAQ.html#photos

 

[ezrydn]

Thanks, Dean,

I had looked but evidently didn't catch that piece of the FAQs.

Here are a couple of pixs I took with my phone in the house. I need to use a good camera and have a shot taken outside. I lowered the front of the brim, using water spray and air dry. Then, I moistened the rear brim and gave it a little hand roll down.

I need to add a little more "loving care" to it to finalize the shaping but it's practically where I want it now. Thanks, guys, for making me comfortable going forward with this. That new brim was as stiff as plasterboard! The Crossed Sabers shop had already had the crown shaped for me and I didn't need to touch that portion.

Dean, I see you're from the old Cherokee Country of GA. That's truly an amazing story in their history. I am currently amassing the certified birth and death certificates I need to trace my ancestry back to the "Trail of Tears." It seems I had a grandmother that made that journey and died on the trail. So, I'm applying to the Cherokee Nation for citizenship. My search took me 5 generations back to get into the "trail removal" period. Sort of ironic for me, being a Cavalry trooper.

John

 

[Boodles]

Nice Hat Mr Ezrydn

Thanks, Dean,
I had looked but evidently didn't catch that piece of the FAQs.
John

I've got an old beater campaign hat and I've been trying to train the brim in a style similar to yours. I'm not there yet.

Blackhorse?

fftopic: I have posted a few photos but mine turn out the size of an avatar. How do you make them a nice size like the ones you posted?

 

[ezrydn]

Boodles,

I took the pixs above with my Nokia e71 smartphone. They were too big so I ran them through Irfanview, a free program you can download online. Just resized them to the size I wanted. That took care of the size idea. Then, as the guys said, uploaded them to one of my sites and linked them into the page here.

Google "Irfanview" and you'll find the photo program. It's been around for years and still works great.

John

 

[gtdean48]

Dean, I see you're from the old Cherokee Country of GA. That's truly an amazing story in their history. I am currently amassing the certified birth and death certificates I need to trace my ancestry back to the "Trail of Tears." It seems I had a grandmother that made that journey and died on the trail. So, I'm applying to the Cherokee Nation for citizenship. My search took me 5 generations back to get into the "trail removal" period. Sort of ironic for me, being a Cavalry trooper.

John

Interesting stuff John. The Dean's settled over on the SC/GA border after a treaty was signed & opened up lands in those Native American Territories. They had been trying to settle the frontier of Western Pennsylvania but the women folk had enough of the raids! In my ancestry investigations I have only 1 possible lead to Native American bloodlines that I have yet to substantiate. My wife claims bloodlines in the last 5 generations. I'm about as Scotch/Irish/English as you can get.