Club Obi Wan

Hey all,

I was just looking through some old posts about brushing the felt and there was one comment about going counter clockwise to keep the felt tight.

Lets assume that you brushed the hat the wrong way and the felt went a bit fuzzy, is there a way to tighten the felt back up? This could also happen I supposed if you caught a tree branch or something as well.

Can you do anything, such as brush it until it goes back, hair gel or something?

thanks

Light sanding (pouncing) with a fine grade paper. Fedora?...

Ok, what did you do to your hat murphy?

Shut up, thats why!!!

I might....like, MIGHT have made it it bit fuzzy cause I sprayed it with some stiffiner, and then....wait a second, can't a guy just ask a question, I'm not on trial here!!

I did that to a fur felt Stetson years ago, long before the introduction of the internet, and wish I had known about pouncing then. Been there, done that myself, CLM! Regards! Michaelson

So would pouncing work? What exactly do you do? What grade sandpaper? How many times can you pounce a hat before it's as thin as tissue paper?

Good question. I hope Fedora will tell us, as I've never tried it myself. That Stetson went the way of the dodo bird, as I had no knowledge of this process at all back then, and the hat got scrapped. Since then, I've learned OF the process, and wish I had the old hat back to make the attempt. Like you, I'd have to believe there's just so many times you can get away with this before the material is tissue thin.
Regards! Michaelson

Oh no, please don't tell me Fedora is the only one with this knowledge! He is gonna kill me!

"What did you do to my hat you fool, you haven't even had it a month!"

Fortunately, the AB's seem to have a TON of felt to work with, so you're in REAL good shape (at least mine do). Heck, live and learn! My Stetson was the ONLY hat I owned at the time, so I was in a real pickle when I did that to mine. Regards! Michaelson

I would just pounce it lightly with some 220 paper, going in the direction of the grain. Then, if you still have too much nap, atomize it with 70 per cent rubbing alcohol and light it up. Part of finishing a hat involves singeing. Then hit the newly singed area with some 400 grit. Works every time. Fedora

If none of the above works, douse liberally with lighter fluid, strike a match, then walk away. THAT works too, but not in a way you'll particularily like...unless it's my Stetson. That's what I ended up doing....

Thanks Steve!!

Regards! Michaelson

Set it a blaze!? Take some pictures when you do that. Flaming fedora!

Ya RIGHT!! You are telling me to light my hat on fire?!? Are you insane!?

That sounds so FUN! I think I'll try a little sandpaper before I start lighting it on fire....geez, just this morning I was like..."I wonder when I'll get the nerve to sit on my hat?" Now I am gonna light it on fire....

Thanks though Fedora, that is some really useful info I think. I wonder how many out there are gonna try this?

crazylegsmurphy wrote:Ya RIGHT!! You are telling me to light my hat on fire?!? Are you insane!?

Depends on who you ask. 8-[ Good luck!! Regards! Michaelson

Just to clarify..."with the grain" that is counter clockwise?

I've got to see this. Please post pics or video if you set the hat on fire.

Nicht Storen wrote:I've got to see this. Please post pics or video if you set the hat on fire.

I dunno...I'm sitting here looking at my hat and it's like trying to consider if you should run out of the shower in the dead of winter and lay down on a sheet of metal...you just know that it could turn out really badly!

IF I do, I will post a video....

On a side note I found this on the interweb, "The surface of the hat might further be treated to make the nap as fine as possible by rubbing it with pumice or seal-skin."

Seal-skin huh...that's old school!

Well, just don't go and club any baby seals. That's very un-Indy.

I remember seeing a tutorial on hat making and being shocked to learn of the singeing process, but it's true! It's true!

bink

IndyDoc wrote:Well, just don't go and club any baby seals. That's very un-Indy.

Hey, this is Canada! Apparently the white trash of our society feels that this is the bees knees!

I must admit, I am very curious to see the flaming fedora of fantastic fury, or "F.F.F.F" as we like to call it in *hatland. I wonder if it stinks a lot when you do that?

I picked up some 220 grit on lunch so I am going to try that when I get home.



*There is no such thing as hatland. Sorry to confuse anyone who is on an airline website trying to book tickets there.

I've removed fuzz by lightly passing a fresh disposable shaver over it.

Nicht Storen wrote:I've got to see this. Please post pics or video if you set the hat on fire.

Steve is a big Hendrix fan, so the fact that he lights things on fire does not surprise me. You should see his G&L.

So Steve, how big does the flame get? (I don't wanna find out on my own hat.)

Fire, flames, which reminds me. Whatever happened to Pyro(Pyroxene)?


On the flames, it depends on how much alcohol you spray on the hat. The thing is, once the alcohol burns off,(just a few seconds of burn time), the flame goes out. I accidently bought 50 per cent alcohol at the dollar store here, and it would not ignite. I may as well have been spraying water. I hear 151 proof rum works well. Rick, Glenfiddich does not work well at all.............for singeing hats. Lights up the hatter though. Fedora

I remember seeing a tutorial on hat making and being shocked to learn of the singeing process, but it's true! It's true!

Shocked me too when I first read about it. Made complete sense though, and one of those little hatter secrets, traditionally held close to the vest. You would have a hard time getting a good finish if you could not use it. From the looks of some modern hats, the manufacturer apparently forgot what the old hatters did. I have seen some fuzzy hats that could be singed and pounced up rather nicely. Should have been done at the factory. One word of warning though. My singeing is done before the hat ever comes off of the block. You can do a small area of the hat, like the above mentioned twig fuzzing up the hat, but I would be afraid to do the whole hat. Not from any damage, but rather from the felt distorting from the heat. Fedora

Hey all,

So I used a little 220 grit sand paper and it turned out perfect. I just did what Fedora said and went lightly over the felt and it tightened it right up. I then went over it with a lint brush to get all the excess felt off, then dabbed it with some tape to get the final fuzz.

I promise I'll try the lighing on fire trick when it gets really bad.

Had that thing out in the deluge yet, Murph?

No way!! I almost wore it yesterday and today because I found a 30'sish style suit I took down to Wear Else, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it!

I mean there is rain, and then there is RAIN! I think it would soak it too much.

You?

I wear it every dang day man, that's what it's for.

That lady has suits in that mess?!

Pffft, I have a Canoe that is meant to be in the water, doesn't mean that I would take it into a hurricane!

No, well yeah, she said she has suits, but they are still packed away. I got this suit at the Value Village.






* I don't really have a canoe