felt thickness vs. stiffener?

[Blackthorn]

I got a new Stetson Temple yesterday in the mail. I was surprised to see that the felt is two or three times thicker than on my Fed IV which is "heritage grade felt." Another surprise was that they seem to be equally stiff. My question is, is this due to one felt being superior to the other in quality? Or is this a matter of thickness of felt? Or is it that the thinner felt on the Fed IV just has more stiffener?

 

[Inusuit]

I got a new Stetson Temple yesterday in the mail. I was surprised to see that the felt is two or three times thicker than on my Fed IV which is "heritage grade felt." Another surprise was that they seem to be equally stiff. My question is, is this due to one felt being superior to the other in quality? Or is this a matter of thickness of felt? Or is it that the thinner felt on the Fed IV just has more stiffener?

I don't own either of the hats you mention, and I don't know the answer to your questions, so I should sign off and not display my ignorance. Instead, I'll share what I do know. Proabably the best hat I own is a vintage ('40's?) 7X clear beaver Stetson western. It has the thinnest felt of any hat I've owned or handled. When I had it restored (somewhat dirty, nicks in the brim edge, etc.), the hatter asked how stiff I wanted the finished product. I opted for just enough stiffness to hold a pencil curl brim and an RCA crease. I have newer 4X Stetson western that is, as you mention, at least twice as thick as the 7X, but still fairly soft. The softest hat I own is an OR clone by Art Fawcett. So in my uninformed opinion, stiffness is determined by what's added to the hat, not by the thickness of the felt. I understand that shellac was and possibily still is used as a stiffener in some hats.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Felt stiffness has nothing to do with thickness it has everything to do with stiffener you put in the felt.

If you read the little card Akubra gives you with your Heritage quality hat you will know it is shrunk and worked more then their Imperial quality hat. So it should be more durable and slightly higher quality. That being said I am not sure if it is fair to compare Akubra to Stetson. Different felt bodies worked in different ways.

Hope that helps.

Johnny

 

[jwalls]

In most cases the hat body has had some stiffner added to it in the manufacturing process. If a hat has soften over time try spraying it with 91% alcohol and letting it dry to get it back to it's original state.

 

[gtdean48]

Steaming also seems to refresh the memory of the stiffener in felt...

 

[Blackthorn]

Thanks, guys!