Stretchage then Shrinkage

Kaleponi Craig · Post by **Kaleponi Craig** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:24 pm

I'm having trouble stretching my AB. It's just a tad small, you see, and I have one of those circular hat stretchers you put inside the hat, twist, and then you're supposed to have a slightly bigger hat. Well, at first it's bigger. But then, after a few days, it shrinks back to its original size.

Do any of you have ideas how to keep a stretched hat stretched?

Thanks, KC

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:25 pm

Is it one of those stretchers that uses heat to do the trick? When I worked at the Village Hat Shop, we stretched hats with a heated stretcher, and left the hats on there for awhile so that the sweat would stretch out and conform to that shape, and then we'd tell the customer to let the sweat cool off a tad, enough so that they could wear it, and then we told them to wear it for a long time and let the hat really cool in the shape of their head.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:28 am

Heat is needed. But, you can turn down the sweat, wet the inside of the sweat with a sponge, turn it back into the hat and crank out the stretcher. Then let it dry in a warm spot for at least 24 hours.(with the stretcher in the hat) That should do it. Fedora

J_Weaver · Post by **J_Weaver** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:21 pm

FWIW, my AB sepnds a lot of time on the stretcher this time fo year. The routine is wear, sweat, stretch, repeat.

Steve, your rabbit felt is still holding up nicely after 2+ years.

Kaleponi Craig · Post by **Kaleponi Craig** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:30 am

Thanks, Fefora, that seems to have done the trick...KC