Felt hat basics

[karnak47]

Help!

I have a really beautiful homburg that is in pristine condition however while cleaning it the other day the feathers
\ fell out. I need some advice on how to get it back on. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[zetwal]

Can't you just tuck the sturdy base of the feather(s) back under the ribbon near the bow?

 

[karnak47]

Yes, but I'm afraid they will fall out or blow away. Do you know how they are attached when they are made? I've thought about using a glue gun but I'm nervous about it.

 

[Lefty]

They're just stuck in behind the bow. If you want to put a small bead of glue on there, it's not going to hurt anything.

 

[karnak47]

Thanks, I think I'll give it a try.

 

[Zombie_61]

Hold the hat over a kettle as the steam comes out. Move it in and out of the steam for about 10-15 seconds, making sure to steam the hat evenly and not focus on one part for too long. If that's not enough steam it again. Just make sure no steam touches the sweatband inside the hat as that may cause it to shrink.

Just for clarification (and for anyone like me who is new to wearing hats), I understand distilled water is preferred for shaping felt hats because tap water often contains chemicals that can affect the dyes used to color the felt (i.e., it can cause discoloration). Is distilled water preferred when steaming a hat as well?

 

[gtdean48]

... Is distilled water preferred when steaming a hat as well?

Depending on the steamer, yes. Distilled water will not leave residue on the working parts of the steamer as is required for Jiffy steamers. If you are using a tea kettle, the residue just coats the inside of the kettle.

 

[theinterchange]

Depending on the steamer, yes. Distilled water will not leave residue on the working parts of the steamer as is required for Jiffy steamers. If you are using a tea kettle, the residue just coats the inside of the kettle.

I usually use filtered water to do my steaming. We have several PuR filter pitchers going at once so I just fill the tea kettle from one and go. It beats buying a gallon of distilled, and I've seen no ill effects from it.

Randy

: posters disclaimer : I am only speaking from my experience with tea kettle steaming. I cannot vouch for the reliability of my information with steamers, irons or other apparatises

 

[Stan]

Hi,

Yes. Tap water won't hurt the teakettle beyond leaving somewhat dirty looking water to be rinsed out (unless you boil it dry that is, then you'll get a coating inside the kettle).

In a steamer, the junk will coat the heating elements, leading to decreased output and even burned out elements. In a steam iron, it blocks the small outlet holes. So, use distilled water with steamers and irons.

You know, if you used a stainless steel condenser coil on the teakettle, you could distill your own water from tap!

later!

Stan

 

[Zombie_61]

I was actually wondering more about the adverse effects (of tap water versus distilled water) on the hat rather than the steamer, but thank you for the useful information!

 

[Jeff M]

I was actually wondering more about the adverse effects (of tap water versus distilled water) on the hat rather than the steamer, but thank you for the useful information!

I would think it wouldn't make any difference to the hat.
You distill water by heating it, and collecting the steam...which has left all the minerals behind...and re-condensing it.
The steam IS distilled water.

 

[gtdean48]

I use distilled water when spraying the hat directly. Steaming with a kettle, like explained above, doesn't matter except to the inside of my kettle...

 

[Stan]

Hi,

Yes, the steam should be clean. Unless....

Unless there's something in the water that boils at a temperature lower than water. The things I'm sitting here thinking about off the top of my head that boil at a point lower than water should not be in your tap water, though.

So, the impurities which are in tap water are all things that remain behind as the water boils first to produce pure water vapor in the form of steam.

So, there's nothing in the steam to bother the hat. What else that is in there will only bother what you're boiling the water in. The teakettle is easily cleaned out. A commercial steamer or steam iron won't like what gets left behind.

Now, if you intend to spray the water directly onto the hat to shape it, which is a valid way to do this other than steam, then whatever else is in the water other than H2O *will* wind up in or on the hat and might cause discoloration. The dissolved unwanted stuff will remain behind after the water evaporates....

All commercial distilled water is, is tap water that was boiled in a big kettle, the steam was condensed in a stainless steel coil and the resulting water collected and bottled. So, they can worry about cleaning their kettle and not you, as it were.

later!

Stan

p.s. I see where gtdean48 mentioned the spray bottle whilst I was writing mine!

 

[frussell]

I'm a rebel

I like to live on the edge, so I just use straight tap water in a clean spray bottle that's never had anything else living in it. Where I live our water wins national and international prizes for its taste and purity. Tastes just like water! I haven't had any adverse effects yet, but I've lived in places where the water would surely have left some funk on a hat. Our old well in LaGrange, TX had delicious tasting water, but it had the strongest sulphur smell I've ever encountered. I would not have put it on my hat, lest passersby thought I had broken wind. Thanks, Frank

 

[150719541]

Brush, clean and storage hats.

Dear friends, it´s a pleasure learn and write about hats, I began use hats many years ago, because when was a little boy my father bought some to me, but now, have aquired hats of different brands, news and used, borsalinos, lock and Co., stetson,wilton, brooks brothers and others unknown brands but made in fine fur felt, also have wool fedoras, some were got by father heritage, thence I have had clean, wash and repair some. To wash a hats first put off dust, ribbon and sweat-band, submerge in only cold water, no soap, no detergent or any strong substance, hand wash careful, maybe with plastic hard brush till remove spots and hard dust, dry in machine till wet, give the line and put dry at direct sun in a size mold, after a short time you can use a steam-machine or iron to lined hat and it is ready to put the accesories ( ribbon, sweat-band, feather). Now don´t have cases with oil or grease spots. Thanks brothers, here have learned the most knowledge that heve about hats.
FRIENDS LIKE YOU DON´T GROW ON TREES

 

[Matt Deckard]

I've found a good steaming or some cold water will do wonders for eliminating smoky smells.

The wonders of felt hat care. I can't tell you how many hats I've had with that cigarette smell imbedded in them. I just end up having to smoke something that smells better than the past wearer's choice of tobacco, or sometimes just leave the hat outside where a nighttime mist can hopefully draw out the scent.

 

[John in Covina]

From what I understand it's the oils in the tobacco smoke that go rancid which makes the old smoke smell so yucky.

Some people will put the hat in a big plastic bag with one of those refrigerator air freshners from Arm & Hammer for a few days.

 

[gtdean48]

...Some people will put the hat in a big plastic bag with one of those refrigerator air freshners from Arm & Hammer for a few days.

I've had good luck with crumpled up newspaper. It seems to wick the smell out of the felt. I got a vintage Royal Deluxe Open Road from a heavy pipe smoker & the newspaper setup did the trick.

 

[Lefty]

Daizawaguy found this useful table for converting lignes, an old French millinery measurement of the width of ribbon, to inches.

 

[bolthead]

Great Find D-Guy.

Daizawaguy found this useful table for converting lignes, an old French millinery measurement of the width of ribbon, to inches.

Thanks for putting this as a sticky Lefty.

btw, pronounced "leenze", correct?