How long does it take to shrink?

[fenris]

I've been waiting for my hat to shrink so that it conforms to my head. It's a little big so I used sizing tape, but I think instead of shrinking, the hat has become larger. I keep adding more tape so that the brim doesn't touch my ears.

I tried the lampshade trick and gotten no results. I think the lampshade's top is too high away from the bulb to heat the sweatband.

I wear the hat everyday... even while just sitting on my PC browsing here and working. I wonder how much longer it will take to conform to my head wihout the sizing tape. It's been more than 2 weeks now I think.

[binkmeisterRick]

What brand of hat are you trying to shrink? Is it the Christys?

[fenris]

Yep yep! The Christy's it is. My ears keep touching the brim and when I sweat, it marks the underside of the brim. I think instead of shrinking, the hat actually stretched. At first, I was only using one piece of sizing tape... then two... then three.

[jnicktem]

In my opinion, it sounds like you are helping the stretching by adding more foam strips to it. Perhaps try the lampshade trick again, but without the foam strips.

[Texan Scott]

Yep, I'd take the tape out, good point! Try wetting the sweatband, turn it over, and expose it to direct sunlight, or use a hair dryer on hot.

[fenris]

I did the lampshade trick without the foam. It had a 50watt bulb, but the heat must not have reached the hat due to the lampshade being tall.

This morning I wet the inside of the sweatband and wore it without the foam strips. Brought my daughter to school and shut off the car's aircon. I live in the Philippines and no aircon will really make you melt. Went home, and drove my wife to work. On the way home, I again shut off the aircon so I'd sweat more.

Without the tape, I could fit my pinky at either the back or front of my hat. I don't believe it was this big when I first got it.

[fenris]

Without the tape, I could fit my pinky at either the back or front of my hat. I don't believe it was this big when I first got it.

Correction, not my pinky but my thumb! It really stretched!!! I wonder why...

[jnicktem]

I honestly think that those foam strips really helped the stretching. Try the lampshade trick without ANY foam strips. If you keep the foam strips in it will not be able to shrink since it is keeping it stretched.

[fenris]

I honestly think that those foam strips really helped the stretching. Try the lampshade trick without ANY foam strips. If you keep the foam strips in it will not be able to shrink since it is keeping it stretched.

I didn't do the lampshade trick with the strips on... the heat just didn't reach the hat due to the lampshade being tall and too far away from the bulb.

[Chewbacca Jones]

OK, wait a second everybody. It's only been 2 weeks or so. Tine to scale back, I think.

All the wetting and heating, combined with putting the strips back in, is either stretching the hat, or making you more aware of how it fits. Let's try this without any more water or heat...

1. What kind of sizing strips are you using? soft foam tape, kind of narrow? If so, you might need a more substantial.
2. Are the strips inserted all around, or just front and back?
3. Give it a couple of months. I have had hats take long enough to shrink up that I forget if I have sizing foam in them. Then one day, I wonder why it feels so snug. I look under the sweat and... "oh, look! I never took these out."

Remain calm. Do not break glass. This is not an emergency.

[davidd]

I agree with Chewbacca Jones. Give it some time.

I live in Hawaii, where it's humid and fairly warm most of the time -- although nothing like The Philippines. When my Akubra Fed IV arrived, I was disappointed to discover that despite what I thought were careful measurements, the hat dropped straight to the tops of my ears, like you describe here. I tried very hard to shrink the sweatband by soaking it in water -- soaked through, using a wet sponge, several times -- and then blasting it dry with a hot blow dryer. My efforts seemed to have very little effect, and I finally resorted to sizing tape. Even then, the hat felt loose.

Discouraged, I ended up setting the hat aside for over two months. Then one day I happened to pop it on to my head and to my surprise, it was too tight! I was able to remove all of the sizing tape, and now the hat fits just about right. It's maybe just a shade looser than I might like, but it no longer slides down to my ears. I suspect that, given a bit more time, it will fit perfectly.

I know it would be hard to set your beautiful new hat aside and not wear it... but to get a good fit, you might find putting it in the closet for a month or two could help.

Good luck!

[jkdbuck76]

OP,

How short/long do you let your hair grow?
More hair=tighter fit.

Over time I did see my Fed IV shrink a bit. So much so that
I got a headache and had to cut out some of the foam sizing
tape.

[Bdgsi11]

I am trying to shrink a henry, which is slightly too loose fitting on me. Right now it is stuffed with paper towels in the back and sides, so would the same shrinking methods, stated above, work on it as well? I am going to try wetting the sweatband and then directly holding it over a floor heater. I am a bit confused though; I am supposed to wet the backside of the sweat?

[Indiana MarkVII]

If the hat is sized too large, and hits your ears, it is not sized to fit you properly. I had this happen with and AB from Steve, and he was able to adjust the sweat band to fit me properly. Even one-eighth of an inch can make the difference in a proper fitting hat. I would suggest remeasuring yourself and check that against the specs you submitted to the hat maker. Then, contact the vendor and see if they can resize your sweat band. Trying to get it to shrink with a lamp or heat gun is uncontrolled and unpredictable.

-MarkVII

[jlee562]

If the hat is sized too large, and hits your ears, it is not sized to fit you properly. I had this happen with and AB from Steve, and he was able to adjust the sweat band to fit me properly. Even one-eighth of an inch can make the difference in a proper fitting hat. I would suggest remeasuring yourself and check that against the specs you submitted to the hat maker. Then, contact the vendor and see if they can resize your sweat band. Trying to get it to shrink with a lamp or heat gun is uncontrolled and unpredictable.

-MarkVII

But this is a second hand Christy's we are talking about here.

[fenris]

Yep. It's half a size bigger. I guess I'll just wait for it to shrink naturally.

[binkmeisterRick]

fenris, if you're really impatient, you can bang your head against a concrete wall until it swells to the right size.

[fenris]

fenris, if you're really impatient, you can bang your head against a concrete wall until it swells to the right size.

Hahaha! That's another idea....... now which part of the head should I bang? Probably the back of the head since the hair will cover up the red swelling!

<-- we're gonna need another smiley banging his head backwards!





I have another trick up my sleeve... I just hope it works... If not, it's back to the foam strips.

[Texan Scott]

...just keep your thumb in there? You have an extra one.

[Indiana Bugs]

If the hat is sized too large, and hits your ears, it is not sized to fit you properly. I had this happen with and AB from Steve, and he was able to adjust the sweat band to fit me properly. Even one-eighth of an inch can make the difference in a proper fitting hat. I would suggest remeasuring yourself and check that against the specs you submitted to the hat maker. Then, contact the vendor and see if they can resize your sweat band. Trying to get it to shrink with a lamp or heat gun is uncontrolled and unpredictable.

-MarkVII

But this is a second hand Christy's we are talking about here.

So if it is 2nd hand to you I will suppose that the size was questionable to begin with, and the hat had already shrunk to fit the original owner. Further shrinkage of the sweat may be difficult if not impossible. The stretching due to adding more filler I find odd, tho. I have old hats that will not keep a stretch for beans, even with a jack.

[fenris]

Haha! It worked! ...sort of...

Now I only need one strip of sizing tape at the back. Before, even with 2 strips, the brim would hit the tip of my ears. Now it rests above the ears and doesn't touch 'em. Problem is the sweat looks kinda warped, but I can live with that... it doesn't bother my head when I'm wearing it anyway.

[Max Chance]

Another way to do it, likely the least destructive and most recoverable, is to use a thin, strong, (nylon) sewing thread and looping it several times under the band or just under the lower edge, then tying it off after the desired fit. The band will cover the thread. As others have noted, just a small adjustment of the band will make a big difference. I ruined my first Indy hat years ago by shrinking it too much.

Max

[Jonny Whip Crack]

Just my 2 cents...I also find that taking a wide (1/2 - 3/4 inch) elastic and cutting it to be not continuous, and then placing it flat under the sweatband, one on each side, or one at each end (depending on where you prefer), this helps a bit for those that need a minor adjustment as I did. The elastic doesn't bunch under the sweatband because it's flat, but has the thickness to help make a hat more snug. If you could find an elastic or such that would go all the way around the inside of the sweatband, I'm certain you would notice quite a difference, without the sweatband rippling or bunching to be uncomfortable. Plus an elastic is quite 'fluid' and.....'elastic.'

Hope this helps anyone needing a small reduction in hat size without compromising the hat itself.

Cheers
Jonny