Do's and Don'ts of shaping a "cowboy" hat

[Dr Roly]

I've decided to re-shape my Stetson Rancher that got beaten and battered on my trip back to England. Being a Brit I feel I need some education here; are there any faux pas when it comes to shaping a western hat?

I'm considering a reshape because the pinch fronted hats suit me better than the original crease on the Rancher. I was thinking about a centre dent or teardrop with a pinch front, but don't know if it would be "wrong."

The hat only gets used when I visit a relative's ranch in WY, but I don't want it to look completely out of place.

 

[Crazy Dave]

Not a cowboy, but a firm believer in making things my own. I'd say to try different shapes and have fun with it. There are a lot of pictures on the net to take inspiration from. If you want to stay traditional, there are quite a few charts with cowboy hat shapes on them, and people explaining on youtube exactly how to do it - it's surprisingly easy (also check the "western" thread here).
Standard:

Wild:

 

[Landman]

If it is a newer Stetson they can be difficult to reshape because they have so much shellac in the felt. I tried to reshape a newer Stetson Open Road and it didn't work out very well. I could never get rid of the remnants of the old crease. If it is an older Stetson made in the mid 60's or before then it should be no problem. Good luck!

 

[RBH]

[video=youtube;jL-XrmKYyj0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL-XrmKYyj0&list=PLCE25BB983E0580D4&index=3[/video]

I hope you are able to view this.

 

[gtdean48]

Best to take it to open crown then to your desired crease. Best results I've had is with a hatshaper.
I've also sent out hats to "refurbishers" & asked to be sent back in open crown state.
They have equipment that I don't & really get those pressed in factory creases out.
Modern westerns have lots more shellac than dress hats & getting those factory crease out is a challenge.

 

[Banky]

It's been my experience in regard to modern westerns that have the creases pressed in to them that they really have to be reblocked to open crown and pressed to get the lines from the original crease out. They're always a pain when they come across my bench.

 

[jkingrph]

I have done a couple of older cattlemens crease to a fedora or diamond crease. I have a newer model Open Road and it is so stiff that I doubt that I could recrease it. I did manage to turn the front of the brim down more like a fedora and like it that way.