Bought my first hat

[gumhead]

Well I have been lurking around these boards for a few weeks trying to suck up as much info as I can before making my first buy. As luck would have it we were visiting my in-laws and I found some time to prowl the town and this is what I found at a thrift shop. A Royal Stetson, a Biltmore and a Van kirk I paid a grand total of 39.00 dollars canadian, hopefully they were a good buy... Im hoping they are fur felt although the one with buckle is sort of shaggy. The one I like best the green... has the hat band wrinkled at the front...can I attempt to steam or iron this out or just spring for a new band. What about reblocking or cleaning they do have an odor ie old...going to stick them in a container with baking soda for a few weeks.....What do you think good buy or not?

 

[viclip]

It's nice to see a Canadian Biltmore sold out of the old Gray's store in Windsor, Ontario.

To pretty up the crease in the hat band, start by giving the hat a good brushing to remove any dust; vacuuming is great with a small attachment but be sure to support the hat band from excessive suction & guard the feather.

Then dab the hat band with cool water & use your finger to work out the crease. It's best to use distilled water to minimize possible staining from mineral content in your local water supply. The band may need to be wetted in its entirety to avoid discoloration, getting rid of the dust will hopefully avoid this but some material/dyes nevertheless will be affected by even distilled water. Using cool water is safest if the hat is wool.

If the hat is fur felt however, you can apply steam against the band & use your fingers to remove the crease. Discoloration won't be as big an issue. Ensure that the steam is applied only to the exterior area of the hat, if it hits the sweat band the leather may pucker & shrink.

As for the odor, many hat fanciers recommend packing such hats with newspaper, which apparently does the trick.

Welcome to the world of proper hats. Certainly in my neck of the woods they are seldom seen in Canada any more. You've come to the right place for everything to learn about hats.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Welcome!

Very good buy.

Your plan with the baking soda does work - as will the newspapers.

The wrinkle could be worked with moisture or steam, but I would just try wearing it after a good cleaning and time with the odor removal processes.

It is good to have a new hat person among us.

Fed

 

[jlee562]

Cool ribbon on that Van Kirk, certainly don't see those anymore.

 

[RJR]

Welcome,you did very well on your first purchase.