BEST FEDORA BRUSH?

[Richard~Buxton]

Hi guys, could you please tell me what is the best Fedora brush to get for my AB? and where I can get it? need to get rid of the dust?.

Thanks Guys.

[Michaelson]

Bending Oak sells a good one.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=35494

Regards! Michaelson

[binkmeisterRick]

Penman carries them, as do many hat companies. I use a horsehair shoe brush myself (I use this one ONLY for my hats) and it works just fine. I got it from my local cobbler for 5 bucks.

[Michaelson]

I use a horsehair shoe brush myself (I use this one ONLY for my hats) and it works just fine. I got it from my local cobbler for 5 bucks.

Same here, though mine was not quite that much, as I've had it for years now.

Regards! Michaelson

[binkmeisterRick]

Not only do we type at the same time, we think alike, too! We need to stop making a habit of that before we start scaring folks.

[Michaelson]

I thought that too...er....never mind.

Regards! Michaelson

[Ohio Jones]

I like my Penmans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hollowpond]

before we start scaring folks.

What do you mean start?

Travis

[Michaelson]

Dang. Snared again.

Regards! Michaelson

[Ranger36]

I use my Todds brush. It's a good brush.

[JC1972]

I'd recommend the Penman.

[Indycrazy5187]

got a brush from JJ hat center in NY for $9 bucks, but the price has been bumped up to 12 since I've been there.

http://www.jjhatcenter.com/index.php?productID=217

The picture they posted on their site is off though. The brush I got from JJ looks more like Penman's brushes.

[fenris]

I finally found a suitable brush for my hat. It isn't exactly a hat brush but it does the job.

But wait!!! A little history first... Since I got my hat, I used to brush it with a soft bristled shoe brush (not sure if it's synthetic) which had bristles that were spaced too far apart to brush the hat properly. Since December, I've been going around looking through cobblers and shoe stores for horse hair brushes but can never seem to find one.

Anyway, I was in a mall today and passed by a store that specializes in shoe repair and leather care products. I saw they had different types of brushes which were actually for leather shoes. Upon closer inspection and handling, I found out that the bristles were 100% horse hair and very soft. The bristles were shy an inch but I think it just had the right "springy-ness" and bristle softness for use on a hat. Also, the bristles were very close together - no big spaces or gaps. Now this is rare to find here - most shoe brushes being sold here are made of synthetic stuff and are so hard that it's like using scotchbrite pads on a hat.

I decided to buy it and try it on my hat... and voila!!! I saw with my own eyes how dirty my hat had become. On my first brush stroke, I saw dust actually being pulled out from the felt and forming small puffs. That never happened using my old make-shift brush. I never thought that the hat had gotten that dusty from being worn almost everyday since I got it.

I know it's kinda weird to get excited about a simple brush... but since I do live in a country with no real hat shops (well, no real hat wearers either), it's pretty hard to find a real hat brush. The only other brush I saw that had the same level of quality was from a shoe kit that Cole Haan sells (it has a brush, polishes, conditioner, etc in a leather cole haan case) that costs waaaayyyy too much (I guess it's the exchange rate and taxes).

Anyway, that's all folks!

[steerpike]

I use Penman brushes, dark and light, and they work really good on hats.

[fenris]

Since were on the topic of brushes and brushing, I thought my question would fit in here...

How long does it take for you guys to brush your hats? I noticed that my hat is unusually dusty (by inspection, you wouldn't even know... I only realize this when I begin brushing the hat) even if it's just sitting on its stand. My room has no open windows as I use an aircon since the weather here is kinda hot so I have no idea where the dust is coming from.

Anyway, whenever I brush my hat, I can see small dust plumes blowing off when I brush it. Well, it's visible under certain lighting conditions and when I brush against a dark background (ie: desk, wooden cabinet). So I guess that means I'm getting the dust off, right? Problem is, it's taking too much time and is making my hand, arm and shoulder ache from all that brushing. Does it really take long to properly brush off dust from a hat?

Oh, take note that the dust isn't actually visible. The only reason I know there's dust because I can actually see it blowing off as I brush.

[binkmeisterRick]

Are you sure you're not seeing dust that's coming from inside the brush? If I brush a hat, I usually don't take but a few minutes to do so. Also, if the hat doesn't look like it needs a brushing, I usually leave it be. Now, if your hat has been covered in Fuller's Earth and you're trying to brush it all out, it will take a lot of brush time to get most of the stuff off your hat. But if it's just a general brushing, again, I only take a couple minutes to do so.

[fenris]

Hmmmmm... you're probably right, Bink. The dust may be coming from the brush itself since the hat doesn't look dusty.

So, how do I clean the brush? Is there any specific way to clean horse hair brushes? Do's and don'ts?