Hat care and shaping

[indyexpat]

Hi all, I have a beloved Garrison hat made for me and a 'backup' brown Fedora from a local store. My Garrison is currently being very well looked after though I want to know how to preserve, protect and reshape it as it gets older. My backup fedora now looks a little sad with a flat crease on one of the pinches on top and I have no idea how to reshape it? Anyone know the techniques to maintain and shape and even how to store a hat?

[jlee562]

All felt hats will need to be reblocked periodically. How long depends on type of felt, amount of wear, exposure to the elements, etc. Any serious hat wearer should have a hat brush first of all. Brushing is simple, pop out the crease and go from front to back on the top of the crown, and counter-clockwise around the crown and top side of the brim, and brush clockwise on the underside.

Not sure exactly what you are referring to with your other hat. The "pinch" in hat parlance generally refers to the front of the hat, not the top of the crown.

When not in use, you should hang your hat on a rack, or better yet in a hat box.

Reshaping can be done with steam or a bit of distilled water from a spray bottle.

[Chewbacca Jones]

As the owner of well over a dozen hats, most custom, and few ever needing a reblock... I can say its all about how you treat your hat. Yes, all hats will one day need a reblock or professional level cleaning, but there are simple ways to make the need take a long time.

1. Proper brushing to keep dust and lint away, just as jlee describes.
2. I disagree about the hat rack. hanging can, over time, dent the felt where the peg rests. Brief time on a rack is ok, but not long-term. Best storage is in a box, crown down.
3. If you must place you hat on a flat surface, such as when you are out and about, lay it crown down. Do not place it brim down, like you see in movies. Doing this a lot can promote taper and brim distortion.
4. Do not grab the pinch to remove or lift the hat. The brim is the way to remove, and I favor the back when I can manage it. If I have two hands free, I will lift the rear of the brim with one hand and cup the pinch on the other. I also gently cup the pinch when putting the hat on.
5. Do not handle the hat with dirty or oily hands. This can stain the felt.
6. If the hat or sweatband become soaked with water or sweat, do NOT try to rush the drying process! Let it air dry crown down in the open air. If you have a hat stretcher, set it for a snug fit an keep it in the sweatband until the hat is dry.
7. Keep the hat fresh, dry, and help repel insects during storage by putting one or two cedar balls in the hat box. Replace the balls yearly (most often if you have a lot of humidity in the house).

When it comes to reshaping, again jlee is on the money. Lightly steam the felt, or dampen with cool/room tempt distilled water. Then, work it with your hands. This may take patience with a stiffer hat, and you might have to hold it in place for a couple of minutes.

I am NOT a professional, and don't know if everything I believe about caring for a hat is true. However, by doing what I have said above, I have managed to avoid the need for reblocks and cleanings on all but my Akubra's (but I use and abuse them in lots of harsh weather as work hats). Otherwise, even my oldest hats could pretty much pass as new... and they are about ten years old now.

[Indiana Jeff]

I agree with everything Chewie said.

For my money (and how I store all my hats) I have hat boxes from Sarah's Hat Boxes http://www.sarahshatboxes.com/default.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Any of their xxxl round boxes will accomodate an Indy sized fedora. I have a mix of bona fide hat boxes (comes with a cord handle) and regular round boxes (no cord) so I could vary my boxes. I have a different box for each hat so I can readily tell them apart.

Inside each box I put a simple hat stand from Todd's Costumes http://www.toddscostumes.com/costumes/m ... es-fedora/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. They are inexpensive and while in storage the pressure is on the sweat band which I figure is how the hat is constructed for wear so that's the best place. Since the stand is not connected to the box it could slide around a bit inside the box causing the brim to push up against the side, but I've never had that happen to me. I put my hat on the stand in the box and carefully put the box on a shelf keeping the box level.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Bugs]

I have one of these mounted on my wall in my closet. I have my three favorites hats upside down on it. There is no stress anywhere on the hat where it matters. Obviously, you can put as many of these up as you may want or need.

[BendingOak]

Sorry bugs but I wouldn't use them. The stress is on the brim.

[Zuiun]

What do you expert-types think of one of these guys for hat rest/storage? Bad for the hat in any way?

Edit: I should point out that for long term storage I would want to get a box, but I wind up wearing the hat several times a week.

[Indiana Bugs]

I'd say that's the best bet. What's better for resting a hat than a head? I just have no place to put them (the headforms).

[lantzn]

I haven't gotten around to trying this idea but I thought of placing some very thin plastic (like the kind that a dry cleaner puts over cleaned clothes) into a hat and spray or fill ( 2-part) with expanding foam. The foam would take to the exact shape of the inside of the hat. Then cut the foam straight off at the brim and mount the foam (crown up) onto a base with a dowel or two going up into the foam, which would keep the hat up off the surface. This would maintain the shape of the hat from the beginning.

[Indiana Bugs]

Sounds like a good idea. Would you push out the crease or leave it in? Pushing it out would enable your forms to be used with other hats. Leaving it in would limit it to one hat, but the hat's crease could be maintained longer (although I don't ever recall the crease of a hat of mine changing just because it's in storage. I don't rest my hats on their crowns).

[indyexpat]

Incredibly useful information, thank you guys. I've just been to a vintage event too, lots of hats needing care and attention. Prompts the question - anyone here repair hats? Lining.. headband.. ribbon..

Also is the direction of brushing a hat the same on all hats?

[Michaelson]

If you're asking about work on your Garrison, he would be the one to send it back to, as he was the one who made it.

Mr. Penman who posted above would probably be your first line of contact for any other item. He's one of our resident hat makers who also offers that service. http://www.penmanhats.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another for your consideration would be Peters Brothers Hats out of Ft. Worth Tx. He has been a member and supplier of our Indy hats for well over a decade now, and offers all services. Check out his website at https://www.pbhats.com/private/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

There are others, of course, but you can start with these two and get an idea of what is available, and the fact you're dealing with members of COW.

Brushing is the same. Counterclockwise on top of brim and crown, and clockwise on the bottom of the brim.

Regards! Michaelson

[The Numenorean]

Hi guys

I'm guessing this is the right place for this question... Got my first Fedora a couple of months ago. A Henry, which i'm very pleased with. However, i've managed to push the band down slightly at the front and consequently its now a bit loose. Anything i can do about it?

Cheers