Club Obi Wan

Well. I've got me a hat. A Stetson. I've had it for about a year now. I figured a hat was made to wear, so that's what I did. I worked in it a lot, wore it hiking, things like that.

Lots of sweat and a couple of rain storms later, it's looking pretty worse for wear. I'm talking more than tapered here, it's practically pointed. It's bumpy in some spots, wavy in others.

So my question here is how much damage can a hat take before it simply cannot be reblocked? Also, even if my hat could be reblocked, with an Akubra or Camptown so relatively inexpensive, is it even worth it? I really don't know how much getting it reblocked would cost, but it can't be cheap. Plus I'd be without a hat for a while.

Penman Hats' reblock services are $40 but you have to check with Oak if he can reblock the hat or not. If you like the hat then its worth it. If you want to get a new one then check out the plethora of options at your disposal. There is a hat for everyone here.

Dave

Another question to ask is, what is your Stetson made of? Wool or fur felt?

If wool, no. Just wear it and enjoy it until it falls apart.

If fur felt, yes...reblock/rebuild...something to consider....

Regards! Michaelson

I didn't think about the material of the hat. I guess thats why you are the Knower of Things and I'm not. ;-)

Dave

;-)

Another question to ask is 'are we talking a vintage Stetson here?' If so, it may be worth it to reblock/rebuild- after all, it is a part of hat history. They certainly don't make hats like they used to. If it's a new hat and relatively inexpensive, you have to ask yourself if it's worth dropping $$ into it, or buying a new hat. Sounds like you've gotten some great use of that Stetson, so it wouldn't be a loss.

I think if you peruse the pages here in the Fedora section, you just might fall in love with another hat. Let us know how it goes.

Kind regards,
Craig

I'm not sure if they still do, but years ago Worth & Worth in NYC used to reblock hats free of charge. I used their service twice and was very pleased with the results. In fact, I mailed them one hat assuming that "free" included return postage, which it did not. But they were kind enough to reblock my hat anyway and return it at their own expense. They didn't even remind me that I was supposed to send them the postage fee; I heard about it from someone else.

Again, I don't know if they still offer this free service, but it would be "Worth" checking out, particularly if you have a non-Indy style hat that doesn't need the specialized Raiders block employed by our vendors.

Jack

http://www.hatshop.com/site/hat-repair.php

Not anymore.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:http://www.hatshop.com/site/hat-repair.php

Not anymore.

Regards! Michaelson

That's too bad. I know of at least one person who, hearing of my experience, sent off a hat to them and deliberately didn't include the postage fee either. Maybe too many people abused their generosity.

Jack

Could be. Vendors are reporting that more and more, and are having to really cut back on their service due to folks doing stuff like that on purpose.

Regard! Michaelson

Hey guys. Thanks for the input.

To answer the questions, it's fur. And no, it isn't a vintage Stetson. If it was, there would be no question. It was brand new when I bought it about a year ago for just over $100, long before I decided to do some research. And you're right, they sure don't make them like they use to. My grandpa still has one he bought in the 50's, and it's beautiful as ever.

And yes, I did get a lot of good use out of it. It's still a good hat, just beat up. And I can't see spending the money to reblock and do the necessary repairs.

Maybe I just wanted justification for my desire to buy a new hat.

And thanks for the link, Michaelson. I might just do it anyway. I thought it would have been more expensive than that. Even though they won't do an Indy blocking, it would be nice to get the hat back into shape.

You can also send it to BendingOak (Penman hats) who reblocks in an Indy style for the same price.

You can find him right here at the forum!

Regards! Michaelson

For what it is worth, if it were my Stetson, I would put it in file 13 and buy another brand of hat. Like an Akubra. Those can be rebocked, whereas, a reblock of a new Stetson is a high risk operation. For the hatter.

Akubras are well enough made to take reblocks, but most English hats and Stetsons are a @#$% shoot. Sometimes you can pull it off, but most times you can't. Just my own experience. Fedora

I would make my own block and do it myself if I were you. It's cheap to do and you don't have much to lose. I've reblocked my Stetson several times according to tutorials found here with some rather good results.

Something to keep in mind is that the fedora Indy wears is worn in a movie for a specific effect. When you're paying several or more hundreds of dollars for a well made hat it's best to keep good care of it, starting with preventative maintenance. Rain ultimately ruins the shape; overtime it will resemble more of a rag than a hat. Many hat companies - at this point, primarily the custom shops - will clean and re-block your hat. The price is generally anywhere between forty and a hundred dollars, plus shipping.

Beaver felt is the strongest. The individual hair is not unlike velcro, in the way it links together.

Simple shaping can be done at home with a tea kettle. Get the water to a rolling boil (a soft steam can produce cracks in the felt) and steam the area you want to shape and carefully shape with your fingers and allow to dry. Some hatters refrigerate the hat after shaping for several hours. If you want to center the hat to the shape of your head, steam the outside of the hat that fits your head -- where brim and crown meet - (won't effect the ribbon) and adjust it to your head then let it dry as you wear it.