Reshaping Fedora Brim

[Captain X]

Apologies if this has been posted before, though I did try to look through and see if anything had been posted about this first.

Anyway, I recently repurchased an old-style wide-brimmed fedora from Scala on Amazon. I liked the first hat I got, but the problem is that their sizes run a bit big, so the hat was too big for me and a light breeze is all it takes to make me need to hold it on my head. So I decided to buy another one the next size smaller, and now it fits perfectly. the only problem is, apparently during shipping, the brim got bent up pretty badly. Not creased or anything, but the best I could do to reshape it was to moisten it slightly and bend the brim so it droops down all around.

I'm wondering now how best to reshape the brim in the fashion I'd like it, which is to say I'd like the front to be bent downwards, and the sides and back to be bent up slightly around the edges. So kind of like what the pictures in the Amazon page shows, only with the front pulled down. I was able to easily do this with the last one I got from this company, and really I can bend it up or down quite easily. Anyway, the look I'm going after is essentially like the last two pictures in this post or the first picture in this post.

Anyone know how I could do that?

 

[rogerstg]

I use steam to do a lot of reshaping of messed up hats. This You Tube and similar videos gives a pretty good idea of the process of steaming and shaping.

Good luck,
Roger

 

[jlee562]

Well, the thing with wool is that it doesn't really shape that well. You may need to find some hat stiffener to get it to hold it's shape.

 

[gtdean48]

I never use steam on wool = 2 don't play well together.
I use room temp water with wool to get shape & let dry slowly....

 

[Captain X]

I guess now I'm a bit confused. The video looks like it could work, but reading the comments it seems like maybe that hat was felt rather than wool, and mine is 100% wool. It's brand new, so it has a stiffener in it and is also pretty rain resistant. I don't have a nice steamer like that, but I do have a kettle I could maybe use, but if not steam but water, I'm not sure I have the stamina or patience it takes to hold my hat there along my table edge for water to dry up on it. :/

 

[RJR]

With the wool,you need to use water.It will need to get fairly wet so you can get it shaped and then let it dry naturally.

 

[rogerstg]

I never use steam on wool = 2 don't play well together.

Yes, my mistake. I thought it was a fur felt hat.

Roger

 

[Captain X]

Thanks for the help, guys, I got my brim the way I want it now.