Herbert Johnson - Need Help!!

morsegist · Post by **morsegist** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:19 pm

Hi, all. I just purchased a used HJ on Ebay. It was there for about 3 hours and I used "Buy it Now" and snagged it for $50. It has arrived and is labeled a 7 & 1/8 UK and 7 & 1/4 US. However, when it arrived I found it considerably bashed in and stiff. And, sadly, it doesn't fit my normally 7 1/4 noggin. It seems closer to a size 7. Also, the sweatband is very wrinkled, leading me to think that at some point the hat got soaking wet and then dried too quickly, shrinking it. If you want, there are pics of it still on ebay. Here's a link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1.
The Item # is 120043590528. Any thoughts, comments or advice?? All is welcome and appreciated! I just hope the hat isn't a lost cause!

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:32 pm

it looks like it has some life left in it if you reblock it. you'll have to get fedora's expert opinion on this. i know that the newer hj's aren't strong enough to go through a reblock but i believe the older ones are ok (but i'm not sure about that).

if you want to keep it and not send it out, try some steam and perhaps a hat stretcher if you have access to one. other folks have also cut out the sweatband for more room.

morsegist · Post by **morsegist** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:55 pm

Thanks for the ideas. I have no idea how old the hat is. Probably recent. It has a black lining and no tags beneath the sweatband. Would like to keep the sweatband in and just try to stretch it out. Should I moisten it first??

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:59 pm

the leather hatbands tend to shrink from the sweat of your brow. i would say do not moisten it.

morsegist · Post by **morsegist** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:15 pm

I meant moisten the felt around the outside of the sweatband area. I may just need to send it off for a reblock and bashing! Was thinking about Todd's. Anybody seen their work??

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:07 pm

If you do not have a hat stretcher, moisten the inside of the sweat and put both hands inside and give it a tug. Tug it until the wrinkles come out. If you can stretch it out to where it can be pulled down over the head, do so. And wear it until it dries. Take a couple of aspirin before hand.

Some of the HJs run small, or at least the last one I bought was small for a 7 1/4. If this is the case here, you just need to get someone to size it to your size when they reblock it. It can be reblocked, but you better tell whomever does it to watch the brim tearing at the old sweat stitch points. They can tear rather easily. Fedora

morsegist · Post by **morsegist** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:53 pm

Thanks, Steve. I do have a hat stretcher and was gonna try that. Do I still need to moisten, or should I just stretch slowly until I get a fit? BTW, I'm in Hot Springs, AR, but grew up in Helena, on the Mississippi. Maybe you were just across the river and I never knew it! Thanks for your help.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:58 pm

I do have a hat stretcher and was gonna try that. Do I still need to moisten, or should I just stretch slowly until I get a fit? BTW, I'm in Hot Springs, AR, but grew up in Helena, on the Mississippi. Maybe you were just across the river and I never knew it! Thanks for your help.

I would just hit the inside of the sweat with some steam. If you have a travel clothes steamer, this works great as you need to just steam the sweat and not the inside of the hat.

Then put in your stretcher and crank it out to 22 3/4 inches. Depending upon the stretcher you have the marks for the different sizes may not be accurate. On mine, if it shows 7 1/4, it is actually 7 3/8. So just be sure you take it to the minimum it needs to be, in this case 22 3/4.

I am up in the northeast portion of Ms. Close to Elvis's birth place. Regards, Fedora