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[Woodfluter]

If it's just the brim, you really don't need special equipment or professional assistance in most cases. Try (gentle, very brief!) applications of steam from a teakettle to the areas that are mis-shapen, and rework it by hand. Especially with vintage hats, that's always worked fine for me. With steam, remember that it's not the heat, it's the humidity...don't cook the hat, just expose it to that penetrating molecular water.

If there are extremely stubborn creases or wrinkles, steam lightly and rub/roll to smooth things out with a curved glass, in extremis against a clean countertop. But mostly just reshaping by hand will take care of things.

- Bill

 

[Aureliano]

Would somebody please give me the link for the appropriate thread to post a 1950's stetson? thanks-

 

[Aureliano]

Thanks, Zetwal.

 

[zetwal]

Thanks, Zetwal.

Sure, no problem.

 

[jlee562]

Meyer the Hatter used to do this in NOLA but no longer do. I have heard of a place in Mississippi that now will reshape and restore hats. I had their info but seem to have misplaced it, anyone know about the place I'm talking about or of another place near SC. I have a beautiful Royal Deluxe Stetson I bought from Meyer the Hatter in NOLA and the brim is now all misshapen and I'd like to do it myself but I don't know how I guess if I want to be able to wear it again I need to have the brim reshaped at least. I also have some straw hats that need some repairs and now that it's winter and they aren't good for wearing, it would be a good time to have them repaired.
Thanks

It sounds like your felt hat may just need a re-flange. Optimo can do both the re-flange and re-block of your straw hats. John Penman does accept some hats for re-blocks/re-flange, although I think he's not doing so until the next year.

 

[delphi]

very stiff pork pie

hey all, the fed ex guy delivered my first hat yesterday. a bailey of hollywood wool felt pork pie. nice hat. fits well, only problem - it's alot "stiffer" than i thought it would be. do these hats "soften up" over time, or will it remain this darn hard? it's like i'm wearing a pith helment!
thanx.

 

[Historyteach24]

In my limited experience wool hats just have that feel to them. I owned a Scala Porkpie that was wool and sold it after wearing it twice because of the same reason. I know that fur felt is much more expensive but the quality and the feel can not be compared. So until funds allow wear your new Porker with pride baby!

 

[DelMonico Hatter]

Pork pie hats are usually a bit stiff. Sometimes even fur felt items can have a stiffness to them, it depends on the shape and on the model.

What you might be interested in looking for would be described as a "packable" or "crushable" wool felt hat. It probably won't come in a Pork Pie crown, more likely a pinch front crown. But those ones are a lot more flexible and make good all-purpose hats. Fortunately these kinds of hats aren't super-expensive, either.

Good luck!

-Brandon

 

[delphi]

hat stiffness

just got my first new hat - bailey of hollywood wool felt pork pie - nice hat - fits o.k. but alot STIFFER than i thought it'd be. do you guys know if this will "soften up" over time & wear, or will it always be stiff? i mean, it's like i'm wearing a pith-helment here!
any thoughts?
thanx.

 

[zetwal]

This question was answered here,

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?41576

 

[Sam Craig]

Be careful what you try with wool. It will react much differently from fur felt.

Sam

 

[mattface]

Wool hats tend to get floppy and not hold their shape with wear. They never look as good as they did in the shop, and that I suspect is why they come with a lot of stiffener in them. The stiffener will come out with time and wear, but I wouldn't rush it, because I think you really want a little stiffener in there.

 

[delphi]

This question was answered here,

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?41576

there it is !!! i knew i posted this question yesterday, but i couldn't find it when i came back today, so i re-posted it here.
so, are the fur felt hats less stiff then?
i ask because i'm thinking of returning the hat and trying to upgrade to fur if they are.
might also look into a "crushable" just for everyday wear and hold back the fur (if i get it) for going out & what not.
thanx for the info. fellas.

 

[jlee562]

Well, not all fur felts are created equal. It depends on the make and model of the hat. For example, a Stetson Western hat is going to be significantly stiffer than a Stetson dress hat. Actually, westerns in general are going to be stiffer.

 

[zetwal]

delphi, What size do you take?

 

[delphi]

delphi, What size do you take?

seems that that too, depends. i measured my head 3 times and came up with 7 1/2. but the 7 1/2 i ordered was too big, so the new one is 7 3/8, which fits fine. my old fitted ball-cap is a 7 5/8 and IT fits fine too, so, the ol' noggin is somewhere in that range.

 

[masiaka]

The stetson crushable wool hats are easy to reshape and will hold that new shape provided you absolutely soak the hat in water before reshaping it. Trust me, turning my crushaple cowboy hat into a porkpie crown with the first hat I reshaped. I've been generally happy with my crushable stetson so look into getting one if you want a crushable wool hat to reshape as a porkpie, but I would recommend a fur for everyday wear. They're just better quality hats and can stand up to everyday wear better most of the time.

 

[zetwal]

seems that that too, depends. i measured my head 3 times and came up with 7 1/2. but the 7 1/2 i ordered was too big, so the new one is 7 3/8, which fits fine. my old fitted ball-cap is a 7 5/8 and IT fits fine too, so, the ol' noggin is somewhere in that range.

I see. I can't help you. It may be worth putting a wanted ad in the Classifieds.

 

[mikeh]

Hey, I want to get a first hat, and am looking for branding suggestions. I want a Fedora with a relatively short brim (probably around the stingy borderline, 2" or so) and for the sake of versatility will probably get something in a medium grey. I cannot afford to spend a lot on this, so I don't think I can do fur, probably wool for this "can I wear a hat consistently" experiment. I also don't know hats well enough to do online - I want to be able to put it on and look in a mirror before plunking down any money - so I guess I'm limited to new. What are some quality brands that I should look into? I know Stetson, and I know a shop in town that stocks Dobbs. I see some other brand names, but I have no idea which represent good value.

Thanks - I'm sure the wealth of knowledge around here will steer me straight.

-Mike

 

[paulrichard]

I've got a quick question (I hope). I want a 40's style fedora. The Stetson Whippet is just the style I'm looking for but I want dark gray. The Whippet only comes in light gray. Can you recommend a similar style fedora that I can get in dark gray? Thanks.