Club Obi Wan

So I brought a new rabbit HJ with me on a trip to Disneyworld in the middle of a hot and humid summer, and thought I'd break it in while I was there. I guess I should have been careful what I wished for, because it certainly did break in...

In fact, it broke in so much, that the top of the crown collapsed.

Instead of a center dent, the top of the crown now looks more like an uneven teardrop, and to top things off, my fingertips left impressions around that area where I tried to even it out. It doesn't photograph very well, but hopefully that paints something of a picture. If not, then here's a peek, though bear in mind it looks worse than it photographs:

https://imgur.com/a/S7GO3A2

Since I know some gearheads have brought their lids to even hotter and more humid areas, gone swimming with their lids, and even rolled them up for travel, I figure wiser minds might have sage advice.

Does anyone know if I can fix the crown without a reblock? Or do I pretty much need to iron it over a hat block for it to look right again? Would love to know your thoughts!

Well, the first thing you should do is try to steam the crown. The steam should reactivate the shellac that is in the hat, if you push out gently from the inside it should 'set' back in place.

I don't really think this should happen.... Especially since the hat is new.

Maybe you can reach out to HJ and show them the pics, ask for warranty?

Use a little steam on the top of the crown and reshape the center crease. I have a small steamer that I purchased on Amazon and it works great for this kind of work,
a steam kittle or a small sauce pan works pretty good also.

Thanks everyone for all the advice, I really appreciate it!

Bearbeast, I would reach out to HJ, but it's an older "new" hat that I had recieved maybe half a year ago, but only now just came around to wearing. I did consider sending it out to HJ for a reblock, but figured I'll wait till it gets more beaten up to justify the expense.

Jlee and Darrell, thank you, I'll definitely look into picking up a steamer. Will probably try visit a hat shop to get some pointers, the last (and only) time I tried steaming a hat I ended up badly damaging it... But that's not a fair comparison since I just dangled it inches over a pot of boiling water Thankfully, it was just a Dobbs.

So steamer it is! Fingers crossed!

Ah, ok, got it!

Good luck, I really hope you manage to fix it! When you do, maybe you share your experience with us.

Cheers,
Bear

Castor Dioscuri wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 8:27 pm Thanks everyone for all the advice, I really appreciate it!

Bearbeast, I would reach out to HJ, but it's an older "new" hat that I had recieved maybe half a year ago, but only now just came around to wearing. I did consider sending it out to HJ for a reblock, but figured I'll wait till it gets more beaten up to justify the expense.

Jlee and Darrell, thank you, I'll definitely look into picking up a steamer. Will probably try visit a hat shop to get some pointers, the last (and only) time I tried steaming a hat I ended up badly damaging it... But that's not a fair comparison since I just dangled it inches over a pot of boiling water Thankfully, it was just a Dobbs.

So steamer it is! Fingers crossed!

Just in general if you have fur felt hats, it's not a bad idea to shell out ~$30 for a handheld clothes steamer. Since the nozzle is directional it's pretty foolproof.

I generally use either a spray bottle with some distilled water to dampen and reshape things I don't like, or light steam from a kettle.

Steam usually is not an issue, although I had an early 2000's HJ that shrunk really badly from being steamed. Good felt should be okay, however.

To follow up, I decided to take the plunge and give the ol' clothing iron a shot, emboldened by the advice from many of you fine folks.

Having my wife hold the iron helped significantly, so I could focus on rotating and shaping my fedora. It actually turned out really great, and has a nice center dent to it now. Maybe not as uniform as when it was fresh from HJ, but miles better than what it had been.

The only downside is that when steaming, the iron did spit out and drip water on my fedora a few times, and the spots where it got wet has slightly discolored the felt. Thankfully, the spots are few and far between though, and barely noticeable at that.

I might invest in a proper steamer though for future use, but as it is, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Thanks again for the advice everyone!

Congrats on taking this on, quite brave of you. I am really happy you have your trusty hat back!

Cheers,
Bear

If the spots don't brush out, you might try a hat sponge.

Castor Dioscuri wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:20 am To follow up, I decided to take the plunge and give the ol' clothing iron a shot, emboldened by the advice from many of you fine folks.

Having my wife hold the iron helped significantly, so I could focus on rotating and shaping my fedora. It actually turned out really great, and has a nice center dent to it now. Maybe not as uniform as when it was fresh from HJ, but miles better than what it had been.

The only downside is that when steaming, the iron did spit out and drip water on my fedora a few times, and the spots where it got wet has slightly discolored the felt. Thankfully, the spots are few and far between though, and barely noticeable at that.

I might invest in a proper steamer though for future use, but as it is, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Thanks again for the advice everyone!

I’m very glad to hear you were successful. Would you be able to post before and after shots? The spots you describe may contain calcium from the iron. As has been suggested a slightly damp sponge / cloth, gently applied, may get rid of them without introducing new problems.