Stretching a hat - advice please....

[dawgvet]

I meant hat shrinkage. LOL!

 

[seed]

If you have access to one of those professional heated stretchers found in some hat stores, I would highly recommend going that route, if needed...just be careful to not over-stretch it. The hat may shrink again over time, but in my experience (limited compared to the vast majority here), hats stretched by this method have required no follow-ups. On the other hand, using one of those wooden stretchers you can buy for home does seem to require repeat usage.

 

[gtdean48]

The way I sweat even in cold weather, the sweatbands seem to shrink when they dry off my head. I don't always have time for them to dry on my head. A Hat Jack is a necessity for me & is almost always in use in 1 hat or another. They are a good $15 to $20 investment to me...

 

[avedwards]

I have heard that you need to be careful not to overstretch because the crown will taper. If the hat needs some stretching, use a stretcher. If major stretching then go to a hatter who will use a block which stretches the whole crown.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

OK, I went by Manhattan Wardrobe on Friday and picked up some hat stuff. It's a great place that caters to the theater world - lots of backstage stuff, clothing steamers, sewing stuff, stage blood, etc. - pretty much fun to look around. My haul for the day is shown here:

http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/carldelo/Hat stretching/

I wound up buying a size 7-1/4 hat stretcher for $69 which felt like a little bit much. As you can see in a bunch of the photos, it is 2-1/4" thick vs. 1-1/2" thick for the hat jack. More importantly, I measured a 1.5 degree taper to the sides, vs. 8 degree taper for the hat jack - certainly important for straight crowns. It also has a better curve profile on the ends, and in general is much nicer than the hat jack.

It is very heavy, with a 1" diameter knurled sleeve on 5/8" diameter threaded rod. It is made from 3 layers of some kind of hardwood - it looks like it was glued up as a single piece, then sawed in half and the hardware added, as the grain is continuous across the cuts. From the pictures, you can see that there are some gaps in the joints, and everything isn't 100% flush (I used raking light to accentuate this). It looks like things warped after it was cut. In any event, it is very solid and sturdy and isn't moving now, and it weighs a couple of pounds at least. When fully closed, it has a circumference of 23" exactly, or size 7-3/8.

In one photo, I show it inside my size 7-3/4 Stetson Chatham - it slides in easily and takes several full turns to stretch up to my size. It looks like it will work OK to stretch my Chrystie's Trilby. It's a 7-5/8, but it has shrunk and my head is bigger now, so it needs some serious work. It just barely slides on the stretcher when closed, so I guess it's shrunk two full sizes over the years. In the pictures you can see the annoying flat sides left after doing some intial stretching with the hat jack.

While there I also bought a brim brush, some Lexol Neatsfoot dressing, spot remover and a hat sponge - all were pretty inexpensive. Now if someone can tell me whether I have to worry about staining the felt with the Lexol, I'll start the stretching.

Oh, I also bought one of those crappy plastic hat rests, which is just barely big enough for my lid. I'm going to design something of my own - I don't want my hat sitting on tupperware - those things just suck.

Almost forgot, I tried the 4-way stretcher that they sell (for $89). But it's too small - by the time I had it almost big enough to fit in my Stetson, the pins had come out of their slots and the thing fell apart on me. It was also not as chunky feeling as the single action stretchers.

The webpage that started me on this expedition is here:
http://www.wardrobesupplies.com/store/m2_mjsupp.html

Cheers, Carl

Thank you for the dispositive dissertation on the on Manhattan Wardrobe.

After being seeing the prices of used (vintage) on ebay I am considering a new one from Manhattan.

Anybody have any experience with Manhattan Wardrobe Supply hat stretchers? [huh]

 

[Lefty]

The regular (2 way) from MWS looks like a quality vintage stretcher, which can be had for $35 or less on ebay. The 4 way is another story. Keep in mind that the size stamped on the stretcher is the smallest size hat it can fit. A 6 3/4 stretcher usually opens to a 7 1/2 or 7 5/8.
This one went for $30, this one went for $32, and this 10 way (something I've never before seen), went for $53.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Thank very much Lefty.

I saw that Ten way stretcher. Too much stretch for me. The bidding has been going for 40-50+ on eBay from I have been seeing. If I am going to spend that I might just buy a new one. If it is a similar quality to the vintage ones. [huh]

 

[Ordinary Guy]

It seems that most of you do agree on using something on the sweatband and that is usually Lexol....

A quick google of lexol show a ton of products,,, I am assuming that when you say Lexol, you mean the " Lexol original formula leather conditioner" .

Am I correct????

 

[Carlisle Blues]

It seems that most of you do agree on using something on the sweatband and that is usually Lexol....

A quick google of lexol show a ton of products,,, I am assuming that when you say Lexol, you mean the " Lexol original formula leather conditioner" .

Am I correct????

I read a thread somewhere here regarding the negative aspects of using Lexol. I use lexol on my boots and another product on my exotics. Lexol's properties may be too harsh for sweat bands. [huh] [huh] [huh]

 

[Lefty]

Yep. It's quite a cautionary tale, as it's title, Fried Pork, suggests.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

Yep. It's quite a cautionary tale, as it's title, Fried Pork, suggests.

How did that happen??? Did you just spray it on and it dried like that?

Okay, I read the whole post;........ Guess it is a check it out and move forward carefully as what to use and how to do it...........

Mama didn't tell me wearing hats was going to get so complicated......

 

[The Elizans]

Hat Jack- be warned!

I bought a Hat Jack recently- a false economy I recon. Because the contact between the outer face of the wooden blocks and the inside of the hat is so narrow, I found it had a distorting effect on the shape of the profile of the hat. It stretched the sweatband alright, but not the crown! I would recommend a proper mechanical hat stretcher that applies even pressure across the whole body of the hat for a perfect, uniform resize. Here is the UK, I go to an army surplus/militaria store where they have on old milliners’ stretcher and they let me use it for free; a little steam and a turn of the handle and I can go up three sizes with ease. I have one in the workshop at the moment, I will take a photo when I go to collect it tomorrow!

 

[gtdean48]

Hat Jacks are more about retaining size than attaining size. Hat stretcher are much broader that just the sweatband portion of the hat & don't distort as noticeable.

 

[tm3]

Thank you for the dispositive dissertation on the on Manhattan Wardrobe.

After being seeing the prices of used (vintage) on ebay I am considering a new one from Manhattan.

Anybody have any experience with Manhattan Wardrobe Supply hat stretchers? [huh]

i shopped vintage stretchers on ebay for several weeks before buying the one from manhattan wardrobe. although i heard that stretchers on ebay were available "cheap," my experience was that the ones in the size i needed were ending up selling for very close to the price of the new one from MWS.

the MWS stretcher worked well for me on the hat that needed stretching. i did get some distortion above the hat band but i'd rather have a hat that fits and looks a bit off than one that looks good but does not fit.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

i shopped vintage stretchers on ebay for several weeks before buying the one from manhattan wardrobe. although i heard that stretchers on ebay were available "cheap," my experience was that the ones in the size i needed were ending up selling for very close to the price of the new one from MWS.

the MWS stretcher worked well for me on the hat that needed stretching. i did get some distortion above the hat band but i'd rather have a hat that fits and looks a bit off than one that looks good but does not fit.

Thanks TM3 I am leaning towards MWS.

 

[Ordinary Guy]

I just clicked and ordered from Manhattan also....

 

[GWD]

How did that happen??? Did you just spray it on and it dried like that?

Okay, I read the whole post;........ Guess it is a check it out and move forward carefully as what to use and how to do it...........

Mama didn't tell me wearing hats was going to get so complicated......

That wasn't sprayed on it was wiped on and it didn't dry like that, it happened in about 30 seconds! Oh the humanity!

 

[Carlisle Blues]

This vintage went for $70.36 . Bidding is over. I think I will order from MWS.

 

[Lefty]

these three combined barely went for more - and they all sold within the past few days
$25.37

$26

$30.87

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Thanks Lefty I will keep on looking.