How does treating a fedora (eg - an AB) with water repellant affect its ability to be reshaped (bashed, blocked, etc) using steam. To me it seams that if the water repellant is sucessful, the hat becomes impervious to water, but then isn't steam just water vapour so logically the hat should be impervious to this?
Ken
Water repellant and reshaping / blocking
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Texas Raider
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The repellant doesn't make it impervious to water, just water resistant. So say you took a treated hat and an untreated hat out in a frog strangler rain storm- the untreated hat would turn into mush after a short time, and the treated hat would take longer to turn into mush, but it would still turn to mush 
The repellant can eventually be worn out or washed off, it doesn't last forever. I'm sure you would see results trying to shape the hat with steam no problem, as the heat will probably aid in rendering the repellant harmless,,to where it may need retreated to be water resistant again anyway.
Of course, I'm no expert,,,,I do use repellant on all of my fedoras, though.
TR
The repellant can eventually be worn out or washed off, it doesn't last forever. I'm sure you would see results trying to shape the hat with steam no problem, as the heat will probably aid in rendering the repellant harmless,,to where it may need retreated to be water resistant again anyway.
Of course, I'm no expert,,,,I do use repellant on all of my fedoras, though.
TR