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[jlee562]

Well, we usually have questions about stretching a hat, but I have one about shrinking a hat.

Just got in an eBay Knox today which was sold to me as a size 7, but when I received it, I pulled the sweat down, and a 7 1/4 tag popped out at me.

So, how many sizes can you conceivably size down? Can this one be made into a 7 by a competent hatter?

 

[Landman]

Well, we usually have questions about stretching a hat, but I have one about shrinking a hat.

Just got in an eBay Knox today which was sold to me as a size 7, but when I received it, I pulled the sweat down, and a 7 1/4 tag popped out at me.

So, how many sizes can you conceivably size down? Can this one be made into a 7 by a competent hatter?

Jared,

I bought a hat last year that was a size too big for me and the sweatband was worn out too. So I removed the old sweatband then sprayed the entire hat with distilled water, made sure the water was absorbed thoroughly over the entire hat so it would uniformly shrink, then put it on my old Garve hat stretcher set to the correct size. I let it sit for a day under a ceiling fan and it shrunk down nicely on its own. Once it was dry I took it to a local hat shop and had them install a new sweatband. It worked very well for me but I only went down one size. I would imagine a good hatter could take it down further since this was so easy. I have done the same thing to a smaller hat and up sized it one size very easily. I have only done this on hats that the sweatband needs to be replaced. However, if you are going down a size the hat shop may be able to resize the sweatband by trimming the ends and sewing it back together. I'm lucky because I have a hat shop here in town that will sew sweatbands in for me. That is something I attempted to do once and I won't try again. Sewing a sweatband in by hand is definitely above my skill level!

Good luck with it and Merry Christmas.

 

[Landman]

Does anybody know where you can buy the tape that some hat companies use to connect the end of a sweatband instead of sewing it together? I looked at Hat Supply's website and didn't see any. I thought it might be useful in repairing a sweatband that has a minor tear in it. Thanks.

 

[tridentine]

Please excuse my lack of hat knowledge.
I was wondering if "Natural" Beaver in a Art Fawcett hat is an undied material?

I am getting a Natural Fedora from Mr Fawcett and was wondering what Natural hats look like?

Thank you.

 

[randooch]

Jared, sounds like an easy reblock for a hatter, with the added benefit of gaining about an 1/8-inch of brim.

Tridentine, I bet Art has your answer.

 

[Rick Blaine]

How Long Should I soak In Denatured Alcohol To Break Down Stiffener?

Any consensus of opinion? [huh]

THANKS!

 

[Lotsahats]

Any consensus of opinion? [huh]

THANKS!

I'm guessing your stiffener has lasted more than four hours.

A

 

[danofarlington]

 

[orange fury]

I had posted this as another thread, but was given a link to post my question here. I recently purchased a Stetson Saxon online and received it yesterday. It's a beautiful hat and fits great, but I had a question about a strange spot near the top of the crown that is a bit darker than the rest of the felt. I tried removing it with a brush to no avail. Is this something I should be concerned about or is this a normal variation? Also, is there a way to remove it either way? I purchased it online, so I would prefer to not return it if at all possible.

 

[gtdean48]

I had posted this as another thread, but was given a link to post my question here. I recently purchased a Stetson Saxon online and received it yesterday. It's a beautiful hat and fits great, but I had a question about a strange spot near the top of the crown that is a bit darker than the rest of the felt. I tried removing it with a brush to no avail. Is this something I should be concerned about or is this a normal variation? Also, is there a way to remove it either way? I purchased it online, so I would prefer to not return it if at all possible.
...

Try to see if talc will lift it out. Search the Lounge for threads about it....been covered a good bit....if forum search doesn't find it try Google with "site:www.thefedoralounge.com" added to the search line....

 

[randooch]

Any consensus of opinion? [huh]

THANKS!

I tried that once, and the experiment failed. However, I merely soaked it for a few hours without any agitation, or flow through of the liquid. Another lounger pointed out my mistake, and it made sense: the stiffener wasn't washed away from the felt.

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

Good day everyone,

I'm sure this has been asked before, so allow me to apologize in advance for my inability to find the answer using the search function. Anyway, my question is this: my wife bought me a vintage Mallory by Stetson. I'm not sure of the particular model, but it's grey and has a center dent. I'm not particularly fond of the center dent, and when the hat is seated on my head, the top of my head pushes the dent up creating a flat spot. So, is it possible to change the 'bash' or is this just the way it is? I suspect that the hat needs to be reblocked, as the center dent seems... deeper.. than I think it should be, but I'm a complete novice, so I could be way off base. Thanks!

 

[scooter]

Blade, most hats can be recreased or rebashed by hand while dry, but if that is not successful, you can either steam it or even wet it with distilled water and then shape it with your fingers to your preferred shape. Don't be afraid to wet it thoroughly, then shape it to your preference and just set it aside to dry. There are topics on bashes and rebashing hats here on the forum, but I am ill right now and don't have the energy to dig that deep. Perhaps someone else will post a link for you. Hope this helps you.

 

[BladeOfAnduril]

Thanks scooter. I found my error. I was using the search box, rather than advanced search, which yielded far better results.

 

[bowlerman]

Best hatter who can...

Ok, a couple of "who's the best hatter who can..." questions (affordable or not):

1. fedora with a westernized brim flange?

2. fedora with a nice, thin, round, pencil curl? (Okay I'm just going to come out with it-- I want this hat:

)

3. With regard to #1, am I just thinking of an Indie hat without actually saying it? If so, Penman, Akubra Fed IV, or what?

 

[gtdean48]

...
2. fedora with a nice, thin, round, pencil curl?
...

Art Fawcett did a nice thin pencil curl to my BOTP...

 

[jlee562]

Ok, a couple of "who's the best hatter who can..." questions (affordable or not):

1. fedora with a westernized brim flange?

2. fedora with a nice, thin, round, pencil curl? (Okay I'm just going to come out with it-- I want this hat:

)

3. With regard to #1, am I just thinking of an Indie hat without actually saying it? If so, Penman, Akubra Fed IV, or what?

Hmm, that picture reminds me of one of Bob's creations from the Black Sheep facebook page:

 

[barrowjh]

Both Art and Mike (Buckaroo) can replicate that hat, likely many others as well. Graham (Optimo), Peters Brothers, etc. - about the only ones that would have difficulty are those with limited tools and/or experience. Hatter operations like Optimo and Peters Brothers are long on experience since those are day-job establishments. Art has become a full-time hatter, Mike is getting there. I don't see anything particularly challenging about that hat.

 

[bowlerman]

Thanks guys!

Jared, I did see that Black Sheep before, but something about that particular curl looks bulky (?) to me. You remind me, however, of the "Blackthorne" on his website, which has caught my eye on many occasions.

gtdean and BarrowJH, it's good to see and hear your votes of confidence for the regular hatters around here, if only because I just don't see many examples of modern custom hats with pencil rolls in combination with western flanges, I guess (or pencil rolls at all, for that matter). I'm going to have to go peruse Buckaroo's thread again, as I just don't think the examples on his website really do his work justice.

I ask because one of my customs, which I had hoped to get with a rolled raw brim (and don't get me wrong-- it is still one of my favs, as well as my usual go-to hat!), arrived with the brim more or less folded over, like an overwelt without any stitching.

 

[barrowjh]

Quoting Bowlerman - "I ask because one of my customs, which I had hoped to get with a rolled raw brim (and don't get me wrong-- it is still one of my favs, as well as my usual go-to hat!), arrived with the brim more or less folded over, like an overwelt without any stitching."

Disturbing, to say the least. I don't know of any custom hatter that would want to leave a customer with that level of dissatisfaction. You know, with steam and the right tools, the brim can be re-done. If not for the cost of shipping there and back, you should consider sending (or taking) it back to the original hatter or to any other hatter to have the brim curl re-done.