Anyone ever used a Hat Shaper?

[Clipper]

Since converting my CS Adventurebilt into a SOC raiders Ive realized I have a taper I can't get rid of. I tried stuffing the crown full of newspaper and steaming it and it did resurrect some straightness into the crown which was otherwise quite tapered when pushed into an open crown.

Its really not THAT bad, but the perfectionist I am I would like to reblock it to get more of the stovepipe sides.

Ive heard a #52 hat block with the sides sanded is a good block, however, new they are almost $200 and used you are lucky to find one, especially in the right size.

I came across these "hat shapers" and the Straight Sided Dome hat shaper looks like a great choice. It has very straight sides and is 5 3/4 tall, so a tad tall. I could trim the bottom slightly.

Its $33! http://hatshapers.com/Product%20Pages/S ... d_Dome.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They say it's great for reshaping a hat to get rid of taper or even to use as a full hat block in making a new hat.

What do ya think? Has anyone ever used one?

-Clipper

[Mulceber]

If you want to start playing around with hat making/hat renovating, this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

If, on the other hand, you're just looking to get a reblock for your AB CS, I don't think this is a solution. The #52 is a good enough block for an Indy hat, but this isn't even a #52. It's just a straight-sided hat block that may or may not get you somewhere close to the Indy block.

You might consider contacting the seller and asking him if it's a #52 block, but keep in mind that he's looking to make a sale, and, while I don't think he'd lie, per se, he might be inclined to say something like "it's close to a #52," or "it's based on the #52," just to make a sale.

Ultimately, I think the best thing would just be to send the hat in to Steve Delk or John Penman and get them to reblock it.

[shade88]

I agree completely with Mulceber. Another choice might be Dave Garrison, as he was also taught how to make the raiders hat to perfection. Any of these choices will get you what you need WITHOUT ruining your Adventurebilt (and cheaper than a new block).

[Mulceber]

Yeah, I suggested Steve or John because they have the CS blocks, but if you just want a straight-up Raiders hat (as opposed to SOC on a CS block), David Garrison would be an excellent choice too.

[Clipper]

Thank you very much for your quick and insightful replies.

I'm not trying to use this as a true "re-block". And I don't think it would in any way ruin the original blocking of my fedora. I really only want to use it to steam the sides (not even pulling the hat all the way down on the block. So I think it might just do the trick. Unless you think thats a total waste of time and money. If it didn't work and continues to taper I would like to send it to Penman to do his Adventurbilt Legacy Raiders block if possible. I do not want to send it to Steve for fear I may never see it again... And the postage to send to Marc wouldn't be worth it.

Perhaps I will contact John directly and get his inputs.

-Clipper

[Mulceber]

That sounds like an excellent idea. He'll be in a great position to offer advice. Best of luck!

[Howard Weinstein]

Since converting my CS Adventurebilt into a SOC raiders Ive realized I have a taper I can't get rid of. I tried stuffing the crown full of newspaper and steaming it and it did resurrect some straightness into the crown which was otherwise quite tapered when pushed into an open crown.

Its really not THAT bad, but the perfectionist I am I would like to reblock it to get more of the stovepipe sides.

Ive heard a #52 hat block with the sides sanded is a good block, however, new they are almost $200 and used you are lucky to find one, especially in the right size.

I came across these "hat shapers" and the Straight Sided Dome hat shaper looks like a great choice. It has very straight sides and is 5 3/4 tall, so a tad tall. I could trim the bottom slightly.

Its $33! http://hatshapers.com/Product%20Pages/S ... d_Dome.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They say it's great for reshaping a hat to get rid of taper or even to use as a full hat block in making a new hat.

What do ya think? Has anyone ever used one?

-Clipper

Hi, Clipper. I have both the tall straight-sided Hat Shaper and the #52 block. They're definitely not the same. The Hat Shaper works very well, but you'll get a taller, more domed shape -- not the wider, flatter-topped Indy-ish shape the #52 wood block gives you.

I really wish the Hat Shaper folks would make a #52 block for their line. They'd sell a bunch to guys like us. As someone noted in this thread, the #52 isn't exactly an Indy block. But it's reportedly pretty close.

You can find #52 blocks on eBay from time to time. I think mine cost $50 plus reasonably shipping (considering it's a heavy wooden, y'know, block). I've used mine a lot, so it proved well worth the money. If you remind me, I'll take a picture of the Hat Shaper and 52 side by side and add that to this thread.

I should add, I wear a 7 1/4 (58) but couldn't find a 52 block in my size. I found a 7, and figured I could find a way to pad it out. Turns out wrapping it in 2-3 grocery-store plastic bags added enough while adhering to the block shape that it works for my 7 1/4 hats.

[Clipper]

Hey thanks Howard

I was thinking that I kind of want to try getting the shaper and then just cut the top off. Then when I steam the hat the top won't be affected. The shaper will only help remove the taper without messing up the dome of the original blocking. Would that work?

[Howard Weinstein]

Hey thanks Howard

I was thinking that I kind of want to try getting the shaper and then just cut the top off. Then when I steam the hat the top won't be affected. The shaper will only help remove the taper without messing up the dome of the original blocking. Would that work?

Interesting idea, but I don't think it'll work. The Hat Shaper is made of tough plastic, but my guess is the dome gives the rest of it structural integrity. And since the taper goes toward the TOP of the crown, you need something inside the hat to spread the top as well as the sides.

Plus, the shape of the Hat Shaper is longer from front to back and narrower from side to side than an Indy hat should be. Since this is a Raiders hat, that square-ish shape is a really important characteristic.

Plus, since this is an Adventurebilt, it's an expensive, high-quality hat, so you don't want to risk ruining it. It's probably worth sending it out for a pro re-block this time, then searching eBay for a reasonably priced #52 block for future use. I bet you'll find one at some point.

I'll try to shoot a comparison photo later today.

[Howard Weinstein]

Since converting my CS Adventurebilt into a SOC raiders Ive realized I have a taper I can't get rid of. I tried stuffing the crown full of newspaper and steaming it and it did resurrect some straightness into the crown which was otherwise quite tapered when pushed into an open crown.

Its really not THAT bad, but the perfectionist I am I would like to reblock it to get more of the stovepipe sides.

Ive heard a #52 hat block with the sides sanded is a good block, however, new they are almost $200 and used you are lucky to find one, especially in the right size.

I came across these "hat shapers" and the Straight Sided Dome hat shaper looks like a great choice. It has very straight sides and is 5 3/4 tall, so a tad tall. I could trim the bottom slightly.

Its $33! http://hatshapers.com/Product%20Pages/S ... d_Dome.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They say it's great for reshaping a hat to get rid of taper or even to use as a full hat block in making a new hat.

What do ya think? Has anyone ever used one?

-Clipper

Hi, Clipper (and anybody else curious about the Hat Shaper vs. a #52 block). Here are some comparison photos.

Top view, you can see that the plastic Hat Shaper is longer front to back and narrower side to side. Head-on view shows both the side to side difference, as well as the much higher rounded dome on the Hat Shaper vs. the less-rounded, flatter top of the #52 block. The Hat Shaper certainly is straight-sided, and both are about the same height,



I've used the Hat Shaper often for western hats. But I much prefer the #52 block for fedoras, thanks to the blocky Indy-ish shape. I hope this helps

[Clipper]

Howard Weinstein, thats really good to see. Thanks for sharing! I dont think I will mess with my adventurebilt, but it does make me want to try and reblock my Akubra Federation as one side is tapered and the other isnt.... very odd.

I got in touch with John Penman tonight. And since he's taking over the Adventurebilt brand, he has Steve's Raiders and CS blocks. I sent him photos of my bash pushed out and he agreed about the tapering. He said that I couldn't turn a CS into a Raiders because a Raiders has a larger brim. However, I measured my brim and for some reason (As I always thought!) my hat has a Raiders sized brim! So John is backlogged until December, but sometime in November I will send it in to him for an Adventurebilt Raiders reblock.

But I may still try out this shaper, or keep my eyes open for a #52 and play with some less expensive hats!

Thanks all so much for your input. Its always a thrill to get new information on here.

Cheers and enjoy your weekends!

-Clipper

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[alex1152]

That's funny I just measured my CS AB and the brim is the same as the raiders AB I own, I guess we both got a hybrid lol.

[RobFedorafield]

I've used the hat shaper and have not had much success with it. I did however use it to reblock an akubra campdraft back into a c-crown and that worked well.

[zeus36]

I'd get the plastic hat shaper and use a heat gun to reform it to the #52 shape. Use that side-by-side photo from Howard W. as a guide.
It's just ABS and fairly thin too. Maybe even a hair dryer would work...

[zeus36]

There is a hat block on sale in the Cairo Bazaar from Fedoraraiders for 75 bucks (plus 25 for shipping)

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=67602