Hat brush?

Indycop · Post by **Indycop** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:41 pm

My fedora has some lint and such on it now. I bought a hat brush and a sponge. Does it matter which one you use? I thought I read somewhere on here about brushing with the nap. But I can't tell which way the nap goes!

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:45 pm

Brush the top brim and crown counter clockwise.

Brush the bottom of the brim clockwise.

I prefer the brush over the sponge myself.

Regards! Michaelson

Indycop · Post by **Indycop** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 1:55 pm

Will do!

fatwoul · Post by **fatwoul** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:01 pm

Michaelson wrote:Brush the top brim and crown counter clockwise.

Brush the bottom of the brim clockwise.

I prefer the brush over the sponge myself...

I don't havea brush yet, but I have a little pack of sponges for watercolour painting. They were never used, and include sponges of all different stiffness. The softest sponge is great for gently brushing the surface of the felt. Might be worth a try for anybody who can't find a suitable sponge.

Michaelson - which direction do you brush the crown of the hat? Instinct tells me to brush it counterclockwise, same as the brim that surrounds it, but is this right? I don't want to do it before I know, in case I ruck the felt.

Thanks

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 11:01 pm

As I said above....

Brush the top brim and crown counter clockwise.

This makes the felt tighten up as you brush in in the direction the opposite direction it was originally spun as a cone.

Regards! Michaelson

fatwoul · Post by **fatwoul** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:01 am

Michaelson wrote:...This makes the felt tighten up as you brush in in the direction the opposite direction it was originally spun as a cone...

Oh. Yes, you did say that already. Apologies. I don't know what's the matter with me today.

As for the bottom of the brim, is that always clockwise? I ask because I was using the sponge on the bottom of the brim on my fed dlx earlier, and clockwise seemed to ruck up the surface of the felt, whereas counterclockwise seemed to leave the felt looking smoother and more how it should.

Indycop · Post by **Indycop** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 1:22 am

fatwoul did you ever come in out of the heat!?

fatwoul · Post by **fatwoul** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:48 am

Indycop wrote: fatwoul did you ever come in out of the heat!?

You need to be able to look out of my window at the driving rain and gales to see how funny that is.

But yeah, something's definitely wrong with my brain right now.

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:14 am

fatwoul wrote:As for the bottom of the brim, is that always clockwise?

Yes, clockwise under the brim, and counter clockwise on TOP of the brim and the crown. You want the felt hairs all being brushed in the same direction as the spin of the cone when it was originally made. Clock wise on the one side and counter clockwise on the other does that.

Regards! Michaelson

Indycop · Post by **Indycop** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:30 am

and when you put yer hat on after brushing its righty tighty, lefty loosy!

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:43 am

Indycop wrote: and when you put yer hat on after brushing its righty tighty, lefty loosy!

Yes, but that is only if you are wearing a turned fedora!

Indycop · Post by **Indycop** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:49 pm

And not on leap year!

Or every 5th thursday

fatwoul · Post by **fatwoul** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:25 pm

Michaelson wrote:
fatwoul wrote:As for the bottom of the brim, is that always clockwise?
Yes, clockwise under the brim, and counter clockwise on TOP of the brim and the crown. You want the felt hairs all being brushed in the same direction as the spin of the cone when it was originally made. Clock wise on the one side and counter clockwise on the other does that.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks Mich. The centre dent is leaving me perplexed, however, because there doesn't seem to be a direction that can be brushed which doesn't lift the felt somewhere. I guess this is because the dent traverses parts of the hat in which the felt originally was spun in every direction.

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:38 pm

How hard are you brushing? You shouldn't have problems like this.

For the crown, you can pop the bash out, and just brush around the crown. I sometimes just leave the bash in, and just gently brush down one side of the dent, across the back and then up the other side, and across the front. The sides of the crown are easy. Just start in one spot and brush all the way around the hat. You don't have to brush hard, you are just brushing the dust off.

fatwoul · Post by **fatwoul** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:53 pm

Bufflehead Jones wrote:How hard are you brushing? You shouldn't have problems like this...

Oh I don't mean the felt is coming apart or anything! I just mean that brushing one way feels natural and leaves the surface with that very slight silky look, and brushing the other way feels like when you brush velvet the wrong way, and the felt looks slightly more matt afterwards. My terminology did make it sound a lot more serious, I grant you!

Bufflehead Jones wrote:For the crown, you can pop the bash out, and just brush around the crown. I sometimes just leave the bash in, and just gently brush down one side of the dent, across the back and then up the other side, and across the front. The sides of the crown are easy. Just start in one spot and brush all the way around the hat. You don't have to brush hard, you are just brushing the dust off.

The way you described that is how I've gradually been teaching myself to do it. Good to know I'm doing the right thing.

Thanks. :-D

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:19 pm

Following Buff's example, and doing the right thing, shouldn't be used in the same sentance.

Oh, wait. You used two sentances. Nevermind.

fatwoul · Post by **fatwoul** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:27 am

Bufflehead Jones wrote:Following Buff's example, and doing the right thing, shouldn't be used in the same sentance...

Don't worry. I'll break out the belt sander in a minute. That will really put some rucks in the felt.