Hole In The Hat

[Scotty]

Hey everybody-

I Noticed yesterday that my main fedora (HJ Rabbit Magnoli) is developing a Johnny Depp-esque hole in the top of
the pinch. Is there anyone else who has experienced this? Is there anything I can do to repair it? This is a major league drag.
I know that I probably don't take as good of care of my fedora as some do around here.

Thanks,

Scotty

[BendingOak]

There isn't much you can do except stop grabbing it from the pinch. Handle your hats by the brim only.

[Indiana Jeff]

Depending on how bad the hole is, some members have had some success with adding a patch of sorts on the inside to keep the hole from getting worse.

One member did that and then by slightly sanding their hat they got a small amount of felt fuzz and glued it in place over the patch to try to hide the repair.

Another, I think Indiana Bugs, reblocked the hat backwards to put the hole at the back of the hat.

As always, enter at your own risk, your milage may vary, etc. etc.

There are threads describing each of the above floating around.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[BendingOak]

glue and felt is never a good idea. over time glue will harden the felt and it will crack.

[hocfutue]

Once a hole forms, there are a variety of felt repair techniques including reblocking, patching with a piece from an unobtrusive part of the hat (under the band), maybe a reweaving, etc. All are YMMV, etc.

Advise that you check with your local haberdasher/milliner/hatter/etc., if you have one, for professional options before trying it yourself.

As stated before to everyone else, handle your lids by the brims to prevent this trouble.

[Ridgerunner58]

When my favorite camping hat (my grandfather's gardening hat - a 1960s Stetson Open Road) developed a hole in the pinch in the early 1970s I glued a small triangular piece of chamois inside the crown behind the developing hole. I think I used silicone or (less likely) contact cement. Nearly 40 years later you still can't tell from the front.

I've had mixed results trying the "fuzz and glue" thing to repair a couple of moth holes in two other hats. One time it worked okay - the second time I think it looked worse. In both cases the area became hardened, and I'm sure if it was in an area where the felt needed to flex it would be a problem. As John said - glue and felt are generally a poor mix.

[Scotty]

Thanks so much for the advice.
I guess I'll try a local hatter (if there is one).
Grabbing the hat by the pinch is definitely a hard habit to break.
Also, I'm sure the many times I re-bashed it and changed the front for "the turn"
didn't help any.

Again, much thanks,

Scotty