does anyone have any pointers on weather proofing an HJ? i called the local western store and they said the've never heard of weather proofing a hat before. i bought some camping weather proofing spray from walmart but i'm afraid to try it on my hat, since it's mostly made for shoes and tents. any ideas?
[thor]
weather proofing an HJ
Moderators: Indiana Jeff, Dalexs
Well, I don't think anything is going to make the hat weather "proof", only weather resistant. It's hard to believe that your western shop had never heard of this practice before, but then, it might be that they only deal in those super stiff straw hats that you don't have to worry about waterproofing. The Village Hat Shop sells waterproofing spray, as well as hat stiffener if you need any. Since the HJ will nut up on you if you get it too wet, don't go crazy when you put it on. Just give it a light spritzing, and you're good to go.
When I worked at the hat club, we used to drench those hats with spray, but that's because they were ballcaps. I wouldn't recommend it for an HJ. An AB, maybe, but not an HJ.
When I worked at the hat club, we used to drench those hats with spray, but that's because they were ballcaps. I wouldn't recommend it for an HJ. An AB, maybe, but not an HJ.
I would suggest a two part treatment, but it is a bit of trouble. First, get yourself a bottle of de-fracturnated coconut oil, a clean cotton cloth and apply a little oil to the cloth. Do not saturate it, just an even coat. Then, heat up your iron with the setting on cotton, and apply the oiled cloth to the iron to heat the oil up. Wipe the hat counter clockwise with the cloth, reheating it a 2 or 3 times as you work over the hat. You do not want to soak the hat in the oil, just a light application. Once you finish with this, take your hand steamer and gently and lightly steam the hat with quick strokes. Do not overdo the steam application, especially on an HJ that tends to shrink easily. This will open up the pores of the felt and allow the oil to sink into the felt a bit.(plus it gets rid of the sheen) Let the steamed hat dry completly. Now, get yourself some hat water repellant treatment spray(B and L brand is the best) and apply many very light applications of this stuff, allowing the alcohol based treatment to dry before you do the next application. Since this stuff is supposed to go on lightly, with many coats, I would put 8 or 10 coats on the hat. This will work very well on a hat that shrinks and tapers from wet weather. After the initial treatment of the B and L, treat again when you expect the weather to get wet. Fedora
