Hat shrinkage

[WolfeMan]

I recently rode my bike home in the rain while wearing a Stetson crushable wool felt fedora, and on the ride it got pretty wet. When i got home i placed it on a table to dry, brim down, and let it sit there until dry. However, after drying it seems to have shrunken a little. The ribbon is loose around it, and the brim is misshapen. I was wondering if anyone has had this happen, or if anyone knows a way to fix it?
Thanks,
Wolfe

Edit: Felt i should add that it claims to be waterproof, but of course that has its limits.

 

[warbird]

Wool shrinks. Period. I have yet to own a wool hat that did not shrink when it got really wet. This includes western types, wool ball caps and fedora type hats. I like my wool ball caps, but it drives me nuts when they shrink. You might can place a hat stretcher in the hat when it gets wet and it might keep that part from stretching. It is a good idea to use one on fur felt because leather as well shrinks. How my experience is that wool will shrink anyway and draw in and taper on the crown.

 

[Blackthorn]

Fur can shrink also, as in the case of my Stetson Nostalgia in caribou. It shrunk at least 2 sizes after being in a rain storm. My Akubras haven't done that.

 

[Engrishman]

Is it possible to wet a hat deliberately to force it back into shape? Hypothetically, if a fedora was warped by the rain, then dried, would it be possible to mist or soak it, then mold it back into its original shape?

I've never attempted this, but I wondered if it was possible.

 

[gtdean48]

Is it possible to wet a hat deliberately to force it back into shape? Hypothetically, if a fedora was warped by the rain, then dried, would it be possible to mist or soak it, then mold it back into its original shape?

I've never attempted this, but I wondered if it was possible.

If it is of decent quality fur felt, yes. You can reshape it many times over, do it all the time. One tip, when you have it in the shape you like, use some steam to "set" the shape. The steam seem to activate the shellac in the felt & when it cools will hold the shape. HTH

 

[Dewhurst]

Oh yeah, all kinds of hat materials, both expensive and inexpensive, will shrink given exposure (singly or repeated) to moisture, extremes of cool and hot, or simple time (that destroyer of all things!). We do quite a bit around here in order to preserve the size and shape of our hats and you will find tons of threads on just these kinds of topics.

 

[Engrishman]

If it is of decent quality fur felt, yes. You can reshape it many times over, do it all the time. One tip, when you have it in the shape you like, use some steam to "set" the shape. The steam seem to activate the shellac in the felt & when it cools will hold the shape. HTH

Fur felt, not wool felt, then? I suppose when you pay the price for their continued malleability. So if a wool felt hat gets soaked and changes shape, should I write it off at a loss, or will steaming still save it?

 

[fmw]

Steaming by itself won't help. That just wets it again. You need also to reblock the hat (stretch it back to its original form.) The problem is that the cost of blocking at a hatter is possibly greater than the cost of a wool felt hat. In your shoes I would try to reblock it on something like a pot and then recrease it. This is no different than a wool sweater. If you wash it, it will shrink. If it shrinks, you need to reblock it to its original size. While fur felt hats can shrink, it is minor shrinkage compared to that of wool felt.

 

[gtdean48]

Fur felt, not wool felt, then? I suppose when you pay the price for their continued malleability. So if a wool felt hat gets soaked and changes shape, should I write it off at a loss, or will steaming still save it?

I've always been told that steaming is bad for wool just like putting a nice wool sweater in the dryer. Steaming is for fur felt. It is okay to wet wool for shaping but with a spray bottle & cold distilled water, letting it dry slowly on a stretcher or a block.

 

[Engrishman]

My thanks for the information from the both of you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind during my next hat purchase.

 

[gtdean48]

My thanks for the information from the both of you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind during my next hat purchase.

That is what the Lounge is about & forgot to say Welcome earlier on. I have had & still use some wool crushers that are treated with water repellant. They are useful lids for not a bad price. Sort of Gateway hats to a more expensive addiction....

 

[FormerDATT]

By using a little steam (or much) can a 7 1/4 be stretched using a hat stretcher to a larger next size like a 7 3/8? Many times I have been tempted to buy a 7 1/4 if it screams from the antique store to a 7 3/8 but haven't had either the money or the nerve to try it.

 

[John in Covina]

A theory from a series of posts from others. Evidence seems to point at the idea that since the felting process (in fur felt) making a felt body is a matting of the fibers together, and that many of the felts seem to have a tendency to continue to go to a tighter felt matting over time.

Exposure to weather, rain, hot cold, even sweat and some manipulation may cause the tightening of the felt matting. It may be part of the explanation as to why many old felts seem to be better than new.

Someone, maybe Art had mentioned that there was a series of felt bodies that had been given a long period of exposure to weathering prior to being made into hats and they were considered to be better felts to work with because of the weathering. I think it may have made the felt mat closer to the optimal "tightness" and made for a better felt. So as the matting tightens up it creates shrinkage in some hats that are continuing to tighten up.

 

[gtdean48]

By using a little steam (or much) can a 7 1/4 be stretched using a hat stretcher to a larger next size like a 7 3/8? Many times I have been tempted to buy a 7 1/4 if it screams from the antique store to a 7 3/8 but haven't had either the money or the nerve to try it.

Welcome & yes a 1 size up stretch with steam to the outside of the crown & a supple sweatband is possible. Keep your stretcher handy because as you wear it, it'll need re-stretching from time to time. Vintage hats that are my size initially need stretching occasionally. HTH

 

[FormerDATT]

Many thanks! I have started a small collection begining with a Chatham (from Benchcraft) in sage, a Temple in caribu and an old Brent. I have my eye on a Stetson 25 but it is a 7 1/4. I weat a 7 3/8 but with a haircut the smaller size is OK. I am fascinated with the Fedora Lounge and thought I was the only guy in western kansas who wore fedoras. Most out here are ball cap wearers and the occasional cowboy straw. I seem to have aquired some sort of addiction to these things, a real aquisition disorder!

 

[Bingles]

Sadly I cannot suggest anything to repair your soaked hat. As my friends well know, the reason I keep an umbrella in my car is not because I don't want to get wet but because I won't let my hats get wet! hahaha!

Fur felt is much more durable than wool, and when it's overly snowy or rainy, they are what I pull out. However, when I shop for new hats, the styles and new looks that catch my attention always seem to be made in wool felt only -- so I do purchase wool from time to time. For these hats, I spray them occasionally with a water repellent which you can get at any baseball cap store (which are usually also made of wool). It will help your wool felts from getting drenched. NOTE: Do not use such sprays on fur felt hats. I was told by my hatter that the chemicals in them make it much more difficult to properly clean them or re-block them. So I only use this spray on wool which naturally I would not have reblocked anyway.

So should you find a new wool felt you like, try using a water repellent to help protect it.

 

[wcbrown]

What to do with a BAD purchase

I have documented my "greeness" in the art of hat-dome. I also will confess to making a REALLY bad purchase, a replica of the "Last Man Standing" fedora Bruce Willis wore in the movie of the same name. I bought this through....... http://www.caliqo.com/findex.html?http&&&www.caliqo.com/last_man_standing_hat.html Bad move really, BAD move. It bears little resemblance to the original and through my "greeness" I bought the wool version. The brim has definitely lost the cup and it is getting softer each time I wear it! Is there anything I can do to salvage this into some sort of respectability until the REAL DEAL from Art Fawcett gets here? Thanks, Like I have already stated learning, LEARNING!!!

 

[tommyK]

Anybody whose bought more than a handful of hats has got burned. I have a few times. Wool is notoriously hard to reshape well. Maybe a pro could help but there goes a good chunk your $80 savings buying the wool instead of the fur felt. It's unfortunate, as others have said before it's the price of an education.

 

[wcbrown]

Anybody whose bought more than a handful of hats has got burned. I have a few times. Wool is notoriously hard to reshape well. Maybe a pro could help but there goes a good chunk your $80 savings buying the wool instead of the fur felt. It's unfortunate, as others have said before it's the price of an education.

soooo true education is NOT cheap!