Hair Spray to Stiffen Felt?

[Visigoth]

Okay, I don't live in a country where it's easy to get hat stiffener. I've heard mixed reviews for hair spray, but I need *something*, as this hat I'm bashing -- a lovely Dobbs 15 -- has felt approximately the thickness and consistency of paper. I've removed the liner -- I always do -- and I'm wondering whether spraying the *interior* with hair spray would stiffen it up, without hurting the felt? It's a very light taupe, so I don't want it to discolor -- I figure if I don't spray so much that it soaks through, I should be fine, no?

 

[Lefty]

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=10003

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=36095

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=9254

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=7517

Run a search.

 

[Visigoth]

Yes, I read through all those threads -- my concern was this remark: "Don't use hair spray. I tried that once. It stiffened the hat but left a thick, sticky white film. It was pretty awful."

Hence my question about spraying the *inside* of the hat. I take it this would solve things? Or does hairspray go right through? (The felt, as I say, is the thinnest I've ever encountered.)

 

[carter]

Kahl Hat Stiffener is readily available online as well in many hat shops and western stores. It is made for felt hats, will not yellow, will not leave a residue, and doesn't flake off. It's made by Bickmore in Brighton, MI 48116. www.bickmore.com, 800-356-8804.

 

[Visigoth]

Thanks -- should have made it clear, though: I'm in Mexico. Might be able to find that stuff here, but it would be a lot easier if the hairspray worked.

 

[Dreispitz]

Hairspray is water soluble. That rules out the use on hats that are exposed to meither moisture or rain.

 

[portolan]

I used hair spray and spray starch on my

Panama hat. Worked like a charm! Don't know about felt. I could bring a can of stiffener to Chihuahua with me next time and mail it to you from there if that would help.

 

[deanglen]

Spray Shellac. Used on the inside of the crown and underside of the brim. You might have to lightly sand the felt afterwards. I've used it...it works because shellac is what they use to stiffen felt.







dean

 

[Slim Portly]

Thanks -- should have made it clear, though: I'm in Mexico. Might be able to find that stuff here, but it would be a lot easier if the hairspray worked.

Forgive me if I'm being dense, but are you saying that you have difficulty ordering items online in Mexico? As Carter said, Kahl Hat Stiffener (like similar products) is readily available for purchase online from many sources, and is made specifically to address the issue that is troubling you, as opposed to hairsray which obviously has many drawbacks.

 

[Visigoth]

Well, having anything shipped across the Mexican border is a hassle. If it's something toxic/explosive, I'm sure it's worse. I've been having all sorts of nightmares recently with mail and courier stuff.

Might try that spray shellac! Thanks!

 

[Doc Glockster]

Hair Spray as hat stiffener?

I don't know if it's just my technique or a crappy product, but I'm sick of Kahl's Hat Stiffener either sputtering out in droplets instead of a spray and I've put a stain on more than one hat with it.

Has anybody tried plain ol' hair spray as a hat stiffener? Since I get caught outside in the rain sometimes and I've also been known to reshape a brim or two hat stiffener seems to be an essential tool in my kit.

 

[TheDane]

I haven't tried hairspray as stiffener, and I don't think I would. Cleaning the nozzle after use, is always a good thing to do when you use spraycans or -bottles. Take off the nozzle - it can usually be dragged off a small tube in the top of the can - and clean it in denaturated alcohol or other solvent. Blow hard through the nozzle, so you get all the diluted residues out, and put it back on the can. That ususally prolongs the lifespan of a spraycan and helps to minimize splattering. When the amount of propellant gas diminishes, it will probably start to splatter anyway

 

[John Galt]

I know an old cowboy who said they always used sugar water. If I was to try hairspray I would get the non-propellant kind and brush it or spray it on the inside of the hat like the Leko stiffener.

 

[T Jones]

Hair spray sucks!!!! Trust me on this!

 

[Bad Co]

I've had good luck with brushing hot water on with a paint brush and applying a coat of spray starch while wet
On a fedora if it stains the ribbon brush that again with water to remove it

 

[Doc Glockster]

I tried sugar water on an old fedora and it definitely did not make it stiffer. I mixed sugar in the water until the water was white, so I don't doubt that I was using enough sugar.

 

[hatsRme]

Sugar water was Charlie Chaplin's technique for making the super-flat porkpies he wore. Somewhere I have read his own description of the process, including the mixture ratio.

Hair spray works okay on milans, but sparingly.

 

[Doc Glockster]

I tried it on an Outback Trading Featherlite that has gotten wet so many times that there is no longer any stiffness to the brim. Even Kahl's Hat Stiffener didn't do much although I drenched the brim in it and let it dry for several days. I wasted two bottles on it. The brim is stained now by the hat stiffener. At nearly $20.00 a bottle, I probably would have been better off just tracking down another Featherlite hat for about $45.00 instead of fiddling with the old one.

 

[fedoracentric]

I have to say, Doc Glockster , that you are talkin' to the wrong folks. We are all fedora guys and super thick and super stiff felt is not what we are much interested in! I use that Kahls stuff when my fedora is a bit too soft, but even that I've only used on a very few hats.

 

[Naphtali]

An earlier thread I started pertaining to how to stiffen and weatherproof my woods walking hat was answered, then closed. I now have hair gel and ScotchGuard® that were recommended for stiffening and weatherproofing my hat. What do I do next?

- Which do I apply first, hair gel stiffener or ScotchGuard?

- Is whichever that I apply first applied to exterior of rabbit fur felt, interior, or both exterior and interior?

- How do I apply the second item?

- Do I need to apply stiffener and/or water repellant more than one "coat" on this first usage? If I do, which and how if there is a change from the previous instructions?

- I bought an inexpensive hair "blow" dryer for another project. Is there a reason or advantage for me to use this minor league "heat gun" for either stiffening or weatherproofing steps?

If stiffener or weatherproofing steps need be reapplied - as a routine maintenance scheduled step - what sort of scheduling do you recommend?