Fedora care after downpour?

[Chewie Louie]

So I had a dream last night that I finally got my fedora (from a vendor who shall remain nameless) but that my excitement for it was short lived. I recall being wowed in the dream by the beauty of my hat, but as the course of dreams often take, you can be doing one thing one moment and instantly find yourself somewhere else. And that somewhere else for me was under water . . . with my hat. I don't know if I fell out of boat going down some rapids, or off of the Splash Mountain ride at the Magic Kingdom, but the fedora was drenched. Kind of like Indy's in Crystal Skull after they go over the waterfall. Of course in the movie, the hat was fine in the next scene. In my dream, or rather nightmare, it was me trying to dry and bash the hat back into shape to no avail. I could not do it and it looked absolutely ridiculous on my head. Floppy and pathetic. Ya know, I saw The Avengers twice recently, was it too much to ask for a Black Widow cameo in my dream? I think not.

So here's my question: What happens to your fedora, and what do you do, if you get caught in a torrential downpour, fall off a boat, fall of a ride at Disney World, etc. and it is gets soaked through and through? How do you dry it out? Hang dry or out in the sun? Does it completely loose it's shape and need to be re-bashed? Do you need to send it back to the hatter? And what kind of security do you think Scarlett Johansson has these days?

Thanks.

Louis

[Michaelson]

I hang it to dry on a hall tree out of the sun...then after it completely dries, I give it a good brushing and put it back on

Depending on the felt, the slower it dries in natural air, the less the chance of shrinkage. Needless to say, the denser the felt, the less that chance will occur.

If you have a hat stretcher, it's also a good idea to install in the hat as it dries so the sweat band and ribbon can't shrink.

That's just my practice, though.

Regards! Michaelson

[Indiana Bugs]

I've never had a hat soaked completely through except when I'm doing a reblock, so I guess I'd start by letting it dry naturally. If it looked like @#$% after that I'd re-wet and re-block it.

[Chewie Louie]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try to avoid taking it out when it rains, or on amusement park rides.

[Kim Hoffman]

May your dream come true!

[Indiana Jeff]

Thanks for the tips. I'll try to avoid taking it out when it rains, or on amusement park rides.

Ah, ah, ah. None of that "I can't take my hat out in the rain" business. Hats are meant to be worn to protect you from the rain, not you protect it from getting wet. Especially an AB. Especially after waiting so long to get it. Steve knows what he's doing and your hat's not going to droop like a wilted flower if it gets rained on. And there's been many a member that taken their ABs into far wetter conditions than a theme park water ride.

Follow Michaelson's advise to slowly air dry your hat and you'll be good to go.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Blooze]

On the recommendation of others more knowledgeable than I, when i was faced with this sort of situation, I popped out the bash and then turned the hat upside down and let it dry while resting on it's crown. Worked like a charm, no taper. Of course it helps to have a quality lid to begin with.

[Michaelson]

Of course it helps to have a quality lid to begin with.

Absolutely. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to felt fedora.

Regards! Michaelson

[gwyddion]

That sounds like a dream I had quite a few times (even the strange lack of Scarlett Johansson). Usually in my dream the hat just comes appart into loose fibers though, more like a mushy pulp than a misshapen hat.

Anyhow, getting cought in a torrential downpour is more the rule than the exception here in the Netherlands, and I've had my fair share of totally soaked hats. I mostly wear them untill dry and as a result never had any taper or shrinkage of the sweat or ribbon. Mind you, my hats are Adventurebilts and Penmans only, so they are quite (understatement) high on the quality scale. When in doubt, follow Michaelson's advice: that never ever failed me.

Regards, Geert