STEP BY STEP NAPTHA BATH

[buler]

I have a light coloured felt hat that I gave a naptha bath too but steaming it left residual water marks that lead me to believe the naptha did not get out all the dirt. So rather than re bathe it I tried the white pads on the water marks and it removed them without taking much, if any, of the felt.

Depending on what process you used with the naptha, that isn't surprising. If you did the soak the whole hat in naptha and maybe swirl it around once or twice method, then I'd expect that. I've said a few times, that once the dirt comes off the felt and into the naptha, swirling it around is just going to possibly redeposit the dirt back onto the felt. That process also uses a lot of naptha.

B

 

[belfastboy]

Depending on what process you used with the naptha, that isn't surprising. If you did the soak the whole hat in naptha and maybe swirl it around once or twice method, then I'd expect that. I've said a few times, that once the dirt comes off the felt and into the naptha, swirling it around is just going to possibly redeposit the dirt back onto the felt. That process also uses a lot of naptha.

B

Yes, I use about 3 gallons in a big SS tub. For light coloured felts I use new naptha each time, strain it to get the big dirt out and then relegate it to use it on darks/blacks. In a perfect world I would get a centrifuge to spin out some of the grime and excess naptha but that won't happen soon. I run the naptha through the hat a few times, give it an hour for the dirt particles to settle and then run more naptha through the felt skimming it from the top and hopefully leaving some of the dirt that has settled to the bottom. I budget $10 cost of naptha for each hat cleaned.

What process do you use?

 

[buler]

Yes, I use about 3 gallons in a big SS tub. For light coloured felts I use new naptha each time, strain it to get the big dirt out and then relegate it to use it on darks/blacks. In a perfect world I would get a centrifuge to spin out some of the grime and excess naptha but that won't happen soon. I run the naptha through the hat a few times, give it an hour for the dirt particles to settle and then run more naptha through the felt skimming it from the top and hopefully leaving some of the dirt that has settled to the bottom. I budget $10 cost of naptha for each hat cleaned.

What process do you use?

I posted this back in 2017. I'll paste it forward.

"I'll chime in one more time with my experience. I believe I've already posted this a couple of times. I don't agree with the submerge and swish method. For those that have done this you know how dirty the naptha gets (rather quickly). So if you let the hat sit and dirt comes off in the naptha, you then spread that dirt back onto the hat by swishing. I also tired of how much naptha the submerge method used and the filtering of it when putting it back into the can(s). So now I use the method of brushing the hat with naptha to clean it. Using eye protection and a respirator, I put the hat on an appropriately sized block and brush the whole hat evenly with naptha. Once all of the felt is saturated I scrub with a brush (dipping it in naptha) and letting it drain off into a container. Uses way less naptha and the hats get as clean, or cleaner, if you believe my swish theory.

My .02 cents."

Uses way less naptha. Does require you having a block or 2 that fit your size hat. I'll add that I also use a flange stand and flange to clean the brim if it's really dirty.

B

 

[belfastboy]

I posted this back in 2017. I'll paste it forward.

"I'll chime in one more time with my experience. I believe I've already posted this a couple of times. I don't agree with the submerge and swish method. For those that have done this you know how dirty the naptha gets (rather quickly). So if you let the hat sit and dirt comes off in the naptha, you then spread that dirt back onto the hat by swishing. I also tired of how much naptha the submerge method used and the filtering of it when putting it back into the can(s). So now I use the method of brushing the hat with naptha to clean it. Using eye protection and a respirator, I put the hat on an appropriately sized block and brush the whole hat evenly with naptha. Once all of the felt is saturated I scrub with a brush (dipping it in naptha) and letting it drain off into a container. Uses way less naptha and the hats get as clean, or cleaner, if you believe my swish theory.

My .02 cents."

Uses way less naptha. Does require you having a block or 2 that fit your size hat. I'll add that I also use a flange stand and flange to clean the brim if it's really dirty.

B

Do you then toss out the dirty naptha at the end of the bath process?

 

[buler]

Do you then toss out the dirty naptha at the end of the bath process?

Nope. I filter it thru coffee filter and t-shirt. Save the filtered naptha for darker hats (1st pass of cleaning).

B

 

[hatsRme]

@belfastboy said it, but it bears repeating: naptha/white gas/Coleman fuel is NOT the same as gasoline. Gasoline is a solvent, but it has so many additives it will leave residue on and in the felt. I would never consider using normal gasoline on felt...unless it’s a Nick Fouquet hat.

So, THAT’s what the match is for!?!

 

[nickwellings]

I have a light coloured felt hat that I gave a naptha bath too but steaming it left residual water marks that lead me to believe the naptha did not get out all the dirt. So rather than re bathe it I tried the white pads on the water marks and it removed them without taking much, if any, of the felt.

Thanks for the advice

I put some aloe gel on a mark, rubbed it with a cotton bud/ q tip. Seemed to work well.

Also tried luring as per Ermatinger and other hat care book, using coconut drops. Well. I saw on here suggesting only 5 or 6 drops. That seemed to just absorb into my improvised luring pad. I must have used about 60-100 drops. What I ended up doing was dropping to drops onto my lint free cloth then pressing that (folded) onto highest-setting iron. Then wiping cloth on hat, with nap.

Sure picked up a lot of grime, it seems. Made it very soft too. However, I got "skeeid" about ironing the hat, knowing from past experiments with ironing brims that the fur can get shiny if you miss the ironing cloth and hit felt! I did it on medium heat and that was enough for me.

I probably did the luring wrong, best to be shown how probably. But I sure learned a few things on this hat. I'm sure better experienced folk could do a far better job, but I'm happy so far.




Brim: (more "fluffy" than the body)

https://ibb.co/RvBS2hw

Hat:
https://ibb.co/2FKqPFs

Here's how it came to me, first!

https://ibb.co/RQGwLyb

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks for the advice

I put some aloe gel on a mark, rubbed it with a cotton bud/ q tip. Seemed to work well.

Also tried luring as per Ermatinger and other hat care book, using coconut drops. Well. I saw on here suggesting only 5 or 6 drops. That seemed to just absorb into my improvised luring pad. I must have used about 60-100 drops. What I ended up doing was dropping to drops onto my lint free cloth then pressing that (folded) onto highest-setting iron. Then wiping cloth on hat, with nap.

Sure picked up a lot of grime, it seems. Made it very soft too. However, I got "skeeid" about ironing the hat, knowing from past experiments with ironing brims that the fur can get shiny if you miss the ironing cloth and hit felt! I did it on medium heat and that was enough for me.

I probably did the luring wrong, best to be shown how probably. But I sure learned a few things on this hat. I'm sure better experienced folk could do a far better job, but I'm happy so far.




Brim: (more "fluffy" than the body)

https://ibb.co/RvBS2hw

Hat:
https://ibb.co/2FKqPFs

Here's how it came to me, first!

https://ibb.co/RQGwLyb

I have only lured an old sun bleached western that the felt was in rough shape. I used a 100% cotton muslin cloth, bundled into a somewhat ball shape....dipped it into melted coconut oil (Costco brand). I was not stingy with the oil ....it was absorbed into the cloth but there was enough still to saturated the bundled cloth surface. Wiped it onto the felt, redipping after one or two passes onto the felt and it was easy to see the oil as it applied to the felt. It did give it a nice lustre and really helped bring some life back to this well used/worn felt. I will try it again on the next hat I make for myself before trying it on a hat that I make for a client.

 

[nickwellings]

I have only lured an old sun bleached western that the felt was in rough shape. I used a 100% cotton muslin cloth, bundled into a somewhat ball shape....dipped it into melted coconut oil (Costco brand). I was not stingy with the oil ....it was absorbed into the cloth but there was enough still to saturated the bundled cloth surface. Wiped it onto the felt, redipping after one or two passes onto the felt and it was easy to see the oil as it applied to the felt. It did give it a nice lustre and really helped bring some life back to this well used/worn felt. I will try it again on the next hat I make for myself before trying it on a hat that I make for a client.

Yes, I may in fact just get more of the fractionated oil, say 30ml or so, rather than drops. I don't have a sheen on this hat, it does feel softer, but certainly no shine.

If I had vaseline, as recommended in one book, I would have tried that! Microwaved to melt a bit, then tried on the hat.

 

[belfastboy]

Yes, I may in fact just get more of the fractionated oil, say 30ml or so, rather than drops. I don't have a sheen on this hat, it does feel softer, but certainly no shine.

If I had vaseline, as recommended in one book, I would have tried that! Microwaved to melt a bit, then tried on the hat.

Costco sells organic coconut oil for about $10 a litre of the stuff....use it on hats or eat it! I steal my wife's supply as she bakes with it.

 

[Tanker]

Hello All,

I got a new (vintage) hat. I found it in an antique mall on Cape Cod and for 15$, it was too good to pass up.

The only issue is, it must have been worn by a real old-timer, because the brim adjacent to the sweat band was THICK with hair oil. It had soaked through the bottom of the brim to the top.

I gave it to Salmagundi in Boston for a going over and they deep cleaned it three times (can't fault their efforts. They gave it the old college try), but the staining remains.

I've taken pictures of the staining (flash makes it look worse that it is). Any suggestions or should I just live it it?

 

[belfastboy]

What method did they use to clean it? Did they use the naptha bath?

 

[Tanker]

What method did they use to clean it? Did they use the naptha bath?

No idea. I'll have to call and ask. They called it a deep cleaning and the cigar smell is out so I'm assuming they used a solvent.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Beautiful hat. Naphtha/naptha is a strong solvent and dissolves oils well. It doesn’t usually do so well with other types of soiling. It’s pretty easy to do yourself if you wanted to give it a try:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/step-by-step-naptha-bath.43157/

 

[Timeras1]

Hi guys... been lurking on this topic for a while, finally decided to take the plunge. I've got my first hat, light cream color (silverbelly?), in 3 gallons of Camp Fuel, bought at Walmart for $7 and change per. Hat is upside down, using half of a baseball hat plastic washer cage to keep it off the bottom and give it some stability. However, it seems 3 gal is not enough to completely cover the unbashed crown up to the brim. Questions for the experienced out there- Do you bathe your hats with a top bash/crease, or unbashed? Does that make a difference? there are some dirty marks along the edges of the previous crease, that I'm hoping will come out. Will bashing it (to make the most of the 3 gal) make any difference there, or am I better off going to get another gallon?

Pics:

Setup:

 

[Tukwila]

I've never used more than 2 gallons. Swish the hat around, maybe brush stubborn spots a little. I used an old soft toothbrush a couple times. And I usually have my hat open crown but it probably doesn't matter that much as long as the gas saturates everything.

Use good rubber gloves so the gas isn't absorbed into your skin.

 

[belfastboy]

Hi guys... been lurking on this topic for a while, finally decided to take the plunge. I've got my first hat, light cream color (silverbelly?), in 3 gallons of Camp Fuel, bought at Walmart for $7 and change per. Hat is upside down, using half of a baseball hat plastic washer cage to keep it off the bottom and give it some stability. However, it seems 3 gal is not enough to completely cover the unbashed crown up to the brim. Questions for the experienced out there- Do you bathe your hats with a top bash/crease, or unbashed? Does that make a difference? there are some dirty marks along the edges of the previous crease, that I'm hoping will come out. Will bashing it (to make the most of the 3 gal) make any difference there, or am I better off going to get another gallon?

Pics to come.

If I am naptha bathing a hat I always reblock afterwards so the hat gets squished, mashed and agitated in the bath. For deep stains i have a soft plastic brush to use on those areas.

 

[Timeras1]

 

[Timeras1]

I've got a new toothbrush I'm going to use here in a little while. I may give it a bash to better utilize the fluid level. I also am going to run a few more hats through it as well, lighter to darker.

I anticipate the biggest pain of the process will be filtering the fuel back into the cans.

 

[Tukwila]

I actually went back and looked at my previous posts and I see that I did use 3 gallons at least once. I recall buying 4 gallons because I saw a less expensive brand (Crown) at the store so I bought the last 4 gallons on the shelf. The Coleman fuel was quite a bit more expensive. But I recall using 3 gallons.

Filtering the gas back into the cans is the biggest pain in the entire process IMO.