Hit the hat with some steam or distilled water and push the creases out into an open crown state then take another swing at creasing.
So when I apply steam and push out the bash won't there be creases in the felt? How do I make the crown smooth so it looks like an open crown hat again?
This method will give you time to get all ghost creases out,then let it dry completely before you start with the new crease.I'm presuming you don't have much experience nor wish to invest in expensive hatter's equipement......If you've got something round like a ball (or even a semi-sphere), preferably hard, that will fit inside the crown, that would be great for smoothng out the creases. I prefer to soak the top of the crown in water & then smooth out the open crown rather than using steam as unless you really know what you're doing, you risk damaging the felt as it can take a long time getting it perfectly smooth. The added advantage of a damp crown is that you can then take your time to reshape it just as you want it & then set aside to dry.
This method will give you time to get all ghost creases out,then let it dry completely before you start with the new crease.
The last 15 seconds of this video may helpSo I received my first Fed IV, Imperial, Carbon Grey open crown! Lovely colour and I managed to dry crease a diamond with very little difficulty (thanks to the Diamond Authority and FL writers who gave great tutorials!). No steam so far and softer felt than I expected.
However.... the Fed is big compared to the 2 inch brims I have worn to date. I am warming to wider brims but am still not sure the dimensions will work overall on my tiny head (56.5 or between 7- 7 1/8). SO, getting to the question - how can I slightly curl the back and sides of the brim up? I think this may balance things more - or the hat is simply too big for me... [emoji45]. This shot gives a good idea of what I am thinking of.
Apologies to the OP for extending on his thread, but I thought my qustion might relate to the topic for future readers.
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Congrats in your Fed IV too. I remember feeling that the brim was HUGE compared to the hats I was accustomed to wearing at the time. It's now one of the smaller brim hats that I have. I still love it though.So I received my first Fed IV, Imperial, Carbon Grey open crown! Lovely colour and I managed to dry crease a diamond with very little difficulty (thanks to the Diamond Authority and FL writers who gave great tutorials!). No steam so far and softer felt than I expected.
However.... the Fed is big compared to the 2 inch brims I have worn to date. I am warming to wider brims but am still not sure the dimensions will work overall on my tiny head (56.5 or between 7- 7 1/8). SO, getting to the question - how can I slightly curl the back and sides of the brim up? I think this may balance things more - or the hat is simply too big for me... [emoji45]. This shot gives a good idea of what I am thinking of.
Apologies to the OP for extending on his thread, but I thought my qustion might relate to the topic for future readers.
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It's funny rereading posts from last year. I have two Hat Shapers now. One with a brim and one slightly under sized so I can 'unshape' a crown without needing to remove he lining, leather sweat etc. They are pretty good for the price. I have used them a few times now.If there are still "ghost bashes" in your hat after steaming it open - and they're too distinct for you to ignore - you'll either need a block or some type of facsimile to use to iron them out. Normally the creases will come out reasonably just by steaming. IF you choose to iron the creases out, you would need a block which is a size or two smaller so you don't stretch out the sweatband. I've never used one, but Hat Shapers (google it) seem to be popular for this.
The last 15 seconds of this video may help
It's funny rereading posts from last year. I have two Hat Shapers now. One with a brim and one slightly under sized so I can 'unshape' a crown without needing to remove he lining, leather sweat etc. They are pretty good for the price. I have used them a few times now.
I bought a vintage hat with a very out of shape brim. I applied a lot of steam to the brim and stretched it over the Hat Shaper and used the brim mould/flange to shape the brim 'upside down'. Once the hat was dry I snapped the brim up at the back and kept it down at the front and it kept a decent shape.I take it the undersized one is to just reset the crown only?
What/how do you use the one with the brim?
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Found it.
Before
After
Reblocked the crown and reshaped the brim
Photobucket was down for maintenance. You should be able to see the photos now...Thanks, but unfortunately am getting the broken image link, although I understand your explanation. Will have a look at hat shapers. I have another hat I picked up hat might benefit and I used the response to one of your earlier threads to reshape the crown by steaming.
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I've had really good luck with Hat Shapers as wellIt's funny rereading posts from last year. I have two Hat Shapers now. One with a brim and one slightly under sized so I can 'unshape' a crown without needing to remove he lining, leather sweat etc. They are pretty good for the price. I have used them a few times now.