Club Obi Wan

Weird question....but I've seen comments by people who say that you should "brush" or "clean" your hat "counter-clockwise".

Obviously I know what the term counter-clockwise means. But how does it apply to a hat? It seems to me that it would depend on which way you're holding the hat.

And how can one say that "counter-clockwise" is always correct? What is that based on?

Can anyone clarify?

Tony

I was told that you brush a hat counterclockwise from a bird's eye view. In other words, looking at the top of the crown. Thus, if you flip the hat so as to be seeing the inside, you need to go clockwise. That is backed up by the design of brim brushes, which are contoured for that direction. Helpful, I hope.

You go counter clockwise on the crown and outer brim and clockwise on the inner brim...this I learned here in another thread.

Good info to know once I get my brush and need to clean off (the eventually placed) Fullers earth.

Weird question...when you brush it...do you do it in front of a mirror with it on your head or in your hand counterclockwise?

No. You hold the hat, as stated, in a 'birds eye view', or the crown turned toward your face, and brush counterclock wise. This tightens the felt in the opposite direction it was originally spun in.

Act like you were going to hang your hat on the wall on a nail, only hold it in your hand in that position, then, while facing the top of your hat/crown, brush counter clock wise.

Once that's done, flip the hat over, looking down inside the hat, then brush the bottom of the brim clock wise. This will tighten the felt even more, as it's complimenting what you did on the crown side.

Regards! Michaelson

thank you michaelson

Glad to help! Do this on occasion, and your hats will thank you....

Regard! Michaelson

I recently acquired a Fed IV Standard (my first real hat), and I'd like to still be wearing it when I'm old and gray...well, older and grayer, anyway. I realize that's not gonna happen without the occasional TLC, so...

1) I'm sure this varies depending on how often you wear your hat and the amount of punishment it takes, but how often would you recommend brushing it?

2) Are there any brushes in particular you'se guys would recommend?

Thanks in advance!

In my case, I usually do it once every two weeks or so, depending on how dusty it is at the time. That's just me, though. If you live in a less dusty location, you don't have to do it but maybe once a month.

I LOVE the information that used to be on the DM site (and HatsDirect) that if you think about it, any dust left on a hat, when hit by rain, turns into mud. Literally. So, keep that in mind as how often you brush.

As to kind of brush, there are several fine brushes on many hat sites, but believe it or not, the best I've found is just a standard soft clothes brush that you can purchase at any grocery or department store that has the brush on one side and velcro style lint remover on the other (for lifting lint off a suit coat or the like). I've found that SO useful, as the velcro side is VERY useful for just tightening the nap, where the brush is removing the dust.

Do a google search for 'hat brushes' and see what's out there.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson, my wife and I live in Southern California, about 15 miles east of Los Angeles; not a particularly dusty area. However, your point is well taken, and I'll keep an eye on the hat and brush it whenever it seems to need it.

And thank you for your brush suggestion. I may be new here, but after reading quite a few of your posts I believe you truly are a Knower of Things, and I tend to consider advice more seriously when it's based on personal/first-hand experience.

A question pertaining to the inside brim...

I have an Akubra Fed 4 Deluxe and read somewhere about someone who cut the inside clear plastic liner out (along the top of the hat). What will that do to the hat if you cut it out?

He cut the plastic cap from the liner itself. It's not a part of the felt, so it will affect nothing regarding the brushing of the hat.

If you're asking what it will do itself, it will make the hat a bit cooler to wear, as the heat from your head won't be trapped in the top of your hat....but in my experience, it won't do THAT much in terms of a cooling off your hat in summer heat. It will help, but it won't be a 'cure all'. Personally I just pull the entire liner out of a hat when it comes to helping have a cooler wearing hat in summer. The liner is easily put back in and tacked in place with a small dot of Elmer's glue.

Thanks for your kind remarks, ZJ.

HIGH regard! Michaelson

I cleaned my hat last night but did not have a brush. I used a small, damp toil. The dust came right off and the hat looks great. Is this safe to do every time or should I go out and buy a brush?

Dave

You wiped the surface dust off, but brushing is always better as it's tightening the felt back into it's spun direction.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks Michaelson. I'll go buy a hat brush as soon as I can.

Dave

Michaelson wrote:He cut the plastic cap from the liner itself. It's not a part of the felt, so it will affect nothing regarding the brushing of the hat.

If you're asking what it will do itself, it will make the hat a bit cooler to wear, as the heat from your head won't be trapped in the top of your hat....but in my experience, it won't do THAT much in terms of a cooling off your hat in summer heat. It will help, but it won't be a 'cure all'. Personally I just pull the entire liner out of a hat when it comes to helping have a cooler wearing hat in summer. The liner is easily put back in and tacked in place with a small dot of Elmer's glue.

Thanks for your kind remarks, ZJ.

HIGH regard! Michaelson

Thank you, Sir - that answers a lot of my questions about the liner. Now that I've taken a second look at it, it is held in by just a little glue - interesting.

Another question - would a hairbrush with reasonably soft bristles do the trick as far as cleaning and restoring the nap?

Thanks,
LJS

You could try it, but a clothes brush or the like would be better, in my opinion, as the bristles are closer together and would cover the felt more evenly.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks again, Michaelson!

LJS

Michaelson wrote:In my case, I usually do it once every two weeks or so, depending on how dusty it is at the time. That's just me, though. If you live in a less dusty location, you don't have to do it but maybe once a month.

I LOVE the information that used to be on the DM site (and HatsDirect) that if you think about it, any dust left on a hat, when hit by rain, turns into mud. Literally. So, keep that in mind as how often you brush.

As to kind of brush, there are several fine brushes on many hat sites, but believe it or not, the best I've found is just a standard soft clothes brush that you can purchase at any grocery or department store that has the brush on one side and velcro style lint remover on the other (for lifting lint off a suit coat or the like). I've found that SO useful, as the velcro side is VERY useful for just tightening the nap, where the brush is removing the dust.

Do a google search for 'hat brushes' and see what's out there.

Regards! Michaelson

How do you tighten the nap with a lint remover?

Here's my hat brush:

A Wally-World special shoe brush!

It was less than $2.00, is REAL horsehair (what they were years ago), REAL wooden handle and it works great!

I got it in the shoe department there. It is about the size of a silver dollar, round-haed (with the handle sticking out one end), and the bristles are about 3/4 inch long- not too stiff. I have used it quite a bit on a second hand hat I got here in the bazzar earlier, as well as on my new Christies. Even brushing the brand-new hat improved the look and feel of the (fur) felt. Also excellent for removing a bunch of lint that ended up on the new hat last week...

I've had the Christies for a bit over a month I think, and it has been brushed maybe three times. I do the outside counter-clockwise, and the inside (underside) clockwise. Even deep soil marks (o the used hat) came out reasonably well. Does a good job cleaning up the ribbon too!

Highly recommended!

gabrielle wrote:

Michaelson wrote:In my case, I usually do it once every two weeks or so, depending on how dusty it is at the time. That's just me, though. If you live in a less dusty location, you don't have to do it but maybe once a month.

I LOVE the information that used to be on the DM site (and HatsDirect) that if you think about it, any dust left on a hat, when hit by rain, turns into mud. Literally. So, keep that in mind as how often you brush.

As to kind of brush, there are several fine brushes on many hat sites, but believe it or not, the best I've found is just a standard soft clothes brush that you can purchase at any grocery or department store that has the brush on one side and velcro style lint remover on the other (for lifting lint off a suit coat or the like). I've found that SO useful, as the velcro side is VERY useful for just tightening the nap, where the brush is removing the dust.

Do a google search for 'hat brushes' and see what's out there.

Regards! Michaelson

How do you tighten the nap with a lint remover?

The pull of the velcro on the felt pulls the hairs of the felt aginsts the direction the felt cone was spun in the first place, essentially tightening the felt. This occurs when you brush counter clockwise on the top (crown side and top brim), and clockwise on the bottom brim side of the hat.

Regards! Michaelson

But how do we know that our felt body was spun clockwise to begin with? What if our hat was blocked with the felt upside down? There's no way to know for sure...is there?

I think it is an unwritten hat-maker's law...

They're all made the same way as an industry standard.

Regard! Michaelson

So if your hat was blocked with the felt upside down you'd have to brush it clockwise, and how would you know what way the felt was blocked? Is the felt shipped with a "This side is up" sticker on it?

what I've always understood about this is that the felt comes to the hatmakers as cones, looking something like traffic cones, so what side is up should be immediately apparent to the hatmaker.

Regards, Geert

That is correct. The cone is then pushed over a block and the hat is made from there.

If you have doubts, Mechanic, brush yours any way you want.

Regards! Michaelson

Copied directly from the David Morgan website:

Hatter's Brim Brush
$13.00 Item No. 3001
The hatter's brim brush is designed to brush a hat efficiently. Brush counter-clockwise to remove dust and grime. Used regularly a brim brush will add years to the life of your hat.

Like I said, an industry standard.

http://www.davidmorgan.com/product_info ... cts_id=239

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks for clearing that up. I had no idea how the hatter received the felt, if it was flat or pre-formed.
Cool.

Yep, they're pretty ugly when the hat maker gets them.

This will KIND of give you an idea how they come into one hat maker, Gary White, up in New York state.

http://www.vis-pro.com/custom_hatter/hatter2.html

Regard! Michaelson

NOTICE: This domain name expired on 09/04/2009 and is pending renewal or deletion

http://www.custom-hatter.com/

http://www.accordingtohoyleblog.com/tag/gary-white/

According to his new website and this June 2009 interview, he's still claiming the Last Crusade hat.

Regard! Michaelson

Thanks, Michaelson!

Thank YOU! I wasn't aware he had created a new site until you posted that alert!

HIGH regard !Michaelson

Just bought a hat brush from Noggin Tops for only $12. I think it's identical to Penmans and others out there. If you are looking to take care of your hat, I would recommend. I didn't have a hat brush for my brown Raiders Penman and I owned it for 5 months. I just brushed my hat today and the felt was noticeably smoother. Just as if it came out of the box originally. It also helped with any particles (dust, lint) etc on the surface. Not 100%, but did remove a lot. Glad I bought one!

I still like the description given at the Akubra site years ago (I guess it's still there), that said to keep in mind that if you leave a hat undusted for a long period of time, then get caught in the rain, that dust becomes mud on your hat.

Give them an occasionally brushing.

Regards! Michaelson

I will make a you tube video, Hopefully soon on how to brush your hat and why. I hope that will be helpful.