Hat Stretcher?

[jgino]

Just bought a fedora that's a little too small. What hat stretcher do you recommend? Or any other tips would be great. Thanks.

[bearbeast]

AdVintage has one as well as a stand for it.

https://shop.advintage.de/en/Accessory/

Don't think you can stretch a hat too much. But if it is only slightly tight, it could help..


Cheers,
Bear

[WConly]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

[jgino]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

After steaming how long do you keep the stretcher in the hat?

[WConly]

Again just enough steam to moisten and re: how long in -- I would suggest overnight or at least a reasonably good period of time for the hat to adjust to the new size and stay there. I know this is probably not the answer you were looking for, but I have found that each situation is a bit different -- each is a 'discover as you go' type of situation. Again, patience and no rushing or you might go too far with the stretch! W>

[jgino]

Again just enough steam to moisten and re: how long in -- I would suggest overnight or at least a reasonably good period of time for the hat to adjust to the new size and stay there. I know this is probably not the answer you were looking for, but I have found that each situation is a bit different -- each is a 'discover as you go' type of situation. Again, patience and no rushing or you might go too far with the stretch! W>

Thank you

[WConly]

You are most welcome! Good fortune to your pursuits! Let us know how it all turns out ! W>

[jlee562]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

[WConly]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

Really? I am curious here -- why do you say this? FWIW: I've truly had good luck doing said, but again very controlled with the steam. W>

[IJJTM]

I’ve always heard that leather shrinks when introduced to steam.

[jlee562]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

Really? I am curious here -- why do you say this? FWIW: I've truly had good luck doing said, but again very controlled with the steam. W>

Well, on vintage hats with well worn in sweats, it's a surefire way to kill the sweatband. Not steaming the sweatband is standard Fedora Lounge advice. See the sweatband care thread here. You generally don't want moisture on the leather, e.g., Akubra and Stetson both recommend you turn out the sweat if your hat gets soaked so that the leather can dry.

I would condition the leather instead with something like mink oil, or Pecard's leather dressing, or Bick 4, then try stretching it.

[WConly]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

Really? I am curious here -- why do you say this? FWIW: I've truly had good luck doing said, but again very controlled with the steam. W>

Well, on vintage hats with well worn in sweats, it's a surefire way to kill the sweatband. Not steaming the sweatband is standard Fedora Lounge advice. See the sweatband care thread here. You generally don't want moisture on the leather, e.g., Akubra and Stetson both recommend you turn out the sweat if your hat gets soaked so that the leather can dry.

I would condition the leather instead with something like mink oil, or Pecard's leather dressing, or Bick 4, then try stretching it.

Thanks for the information and update here! One learns something new every day and I have done just that and am grateful! W>

[jgino]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

Hi, How would you recommend stretching the hat? It's a rabbit felt fedora. Thanks.

[jlee562]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

Hi, How would you recommend stretching the hat? It's a rabbit felt fedora. Thanks.

Well....

If the hat feels tight at the front and back, but you have some clearance on the sides, you have a long oval head, and so I would wear it and/or steam it and wear it until it conforms to your head.

For just a general sizing issue, any hat jack should work. That one that adVintage is selling is a 4-way stretcher, which is better than the cheaper kind. If you just need stretch it a tiny bit, the jack will work fine, but there are two things to be cautious about; you can distort the brim if you go too far, and you might also distort the shape of the crown and end up with a hat jack sized impression around the crown. So depending on how much you want to stretch, you might be better off going a size up and adding some sizing strips.

Otherwise, I would condition the sweat with something. Pecard's is a popular Fedora Lounge choice. Bick 4 should be pretty readily available. If you're concerned about possible skin sensitivity, jojoba oil and Shea butter are natural things you can use to condition the sweat. So I would do one of those things, then after a day or two, start stretching it. I would steam around the base of the crown from the top side, pop the stretcher in, then just leave it overnight. It's better to be conservative with how much you're stretching. You can always try to stretch it a bit more later.

[jgino]

Good idea to steam the inside band a bit too! But stretch slowly! A bit at a time. After steaming with stretcher in place -- let it cool down for several hours. Don't be impatient. Sometimes it takes a while, and you might need to repeat the process a couple of times before satisfied! Just remember you can stretch some, but not un-stretch. So, take your time and be patient for the best results! The few times in which I have had to do this have been successful -- I wish you the same results! W>

Personally, I would avoid any steam hitting the leather.

Hi, How would you recommend stretching the hat? It's a rabbit felt fedora. Thanks.

Well....

If the hat feels tight at the front and back, but you have some clearance on the sides, you have a long oval head, and so I would wear it and/or steam it and wear it until it conforms to your head.

For just a general sizing issue, any hat jack should work. That one that adVintage is selling is a 4-way stretcher, which is better than the cheaper kind. If you just need stretch it a tiny bit, the jack will work fine, but there are two things to be cautious about; you can distort the brim if you go too far, and you might also distort the shape of the crown and end up with a hat jack sized impression around the crown. So depending on how much you want to stretch, you might be better off going a size up and adding some sizing strips.

Otherwise, I would condition the sweat with something. Pecard's is a popular Fedora Lounge choice. Bick 4 should be pretty readily available. If you're concerned about possible skin sensitivity, jojoba oil and Shea butter are natural things you can use to condition the sweat. So I would do one of those things, then after a day or two, start stretching it. I would steam around the base of the crown from the top side, pop the stretcher in, then just leave it overnight. It's better to be conservative with how much you're stretching. You can always try to stretch it a bit more later.

Thank you