Proper hat maintenance for rookies...HELP!!

[wcbrown]

Good Morning,
About to enter the world of high end chapeaus and I am wondering what are the essentials as far as proper hat care? Stretcher, brush, etc., etc. just to give an idea of what I mean. I sure could use some advice here, thanks!

 

[Strapped-4-Cache]

I'm looking forward to the feedback in this thread. Aside from hanging them on my wall display, brushing the dust off of them before wearing them, and not allowing them to be mistrated by others, I really haven't done anything else to take care of mine.

opcorn:

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Brush your hat in a counterclockwise direction, begin by using nice even sweeps. Do not apply to much pressure, you do not want to press or push the dust/dirt into the hat.
If you plan to store a hat for sometime, you may want to have some cedar chips or another item that is going to discourage moths as well as other insects. If you plan to store your hat in a hat book, you may place the item in the hat book and wrap the hat in plastic bag. You may also place a hat stretcher in at this time to help the hat hold form.

Depending on how your hat is stained/ dirty will depend on how you treat the hat.
I hope this helps and I hope some of the hatters will jump in.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Akubras are made to protect you rather than you babying them. Here is what they say:

http://www.akubra.com.au/hatcare.html

I have a stretcher and use it at times. These stretchers can be custom shaped with a belt sander if you are long oval or have other special shape needs.

A light hat brush and a dark one are essential. If you need a brush for right now, a good new paint brush will do nicely. You can keep it to do crowns after you get the brim brushes.

I use a short length of nylon rope as a tool for setting creases in my hats. Just get the diameter of rope that is close to the desired crease and burn the ends to keep it from unraveling. Wipe off the blackened area. When you put it inside the crease, it will even the crease out. The flexibility follows the curve of the felt as you shape the crease.

A bit of Lexol or other quality leather care product for your sweat bands is nice.

Tea kettle or clothing steamer will help when setting creases.

But what you need first is to pick a good quality hat the fits YOU.

Fed

 

[T Jones]

Good hat brushes. I have one for dark hats and another for light ones. Also, orange hat sponges for removing more stubborn soiled areas. Again, I have a sponge for dark hats and one for light hats, and I only use those sponges on denser Western felts, like Stagecoaches. They're abrasive so I'm a bit wary of using them on finer vintage felts.

I also keep my hats covered when I store them.

 

[michael78]

Hi, Is it wrong to lay a hat on its brim? if you know what i mean. And why brush counter clockwise.



Mike

 

[carouselvic]

The top side of the brim should be brushed in a counter-clockwise direction, the underside should be done clockwise. Because of the direction of the nap.

 

[michael78]

Oh! of course!, Dooh!.

 

[gtdean48]

Hi, Is it wrong to lay a hat on its brim? if you know what i mean. And why brush counter clockwise.



Mike

Laying a hat on the brim "depends". Most westerns have a dipping shape to the brim that setting them down on the brim will distort.
That is why most say to always put western hats down on the crown.
Fedoras can flip their brims up & have a lot softer crowns typically than westerns. Putting them on a flipped up brim is no problem.
Since the crowns are softer, setting fedoras on their crown can distort their creases.
HTH....

 

[Doc Glockster]

How often does leather conditioner need to be applied? I just acquired a new hat and put the Lexol to it before putting it in the closet. When should I apply more?

 

[michael78]

That makes sense!, thanks for that mate.

mike