Hat stretching issue?

[Coyote Cosmico]

Hi
I decided to ask some help to you,people that knows everything about hats, Although I have never written something here I have been lurking to get some information.
The thing is that I finally decided to buy a old stetson fedora and I took it to the hatter to stretch it up a little bit because it was size 7 and I needed a little bigger about 7 1/8 and today I picked it up but then I realised that the hat have and odd line where there was the pressure by the hat jack,and it seems doesn't come off
I wanted to ask,why is that or if will vanish in a couple of days? did the man ruined it?
I have a bad feeling that is ruined,although the mark is not that noticable,still kinda bothers me
I show you some pics of it

It can be seen at some distance just above the ribbon
sorry if the thread doesn't belong here,feel free to move it
thank you in advance

 

[Brother cavefish]

how is the leather on the inside, is it torn or ripped, usually these old hats have worn out leather sweatbands , and stretching them will only agitate it, , it might be a wood stain from the jack, or dirty water, they probably should have put plastic in there, i don't know how much you paid for it but if it was my hat i would soak the outside with distilled water and steam that line out, then shape it to my head (by wearing it many times during the drying phase) , but thats me, i do this with akubras, keep in mind stretching has always been a tough one for hats ,,, i have heard of naphtha and bickmore cleaners search that up

 

[jlee562]

Not ruined, but if you really want it to disappear, you'll have to reblock the crown. If you're going up a size, it's always best to have the hat just rebuilt.

 

[Historyteach24]

It should come out with the advice cavefish gave, going up a 1/8 shouldn't have hurt the hat much at all if done competently

 

[jlee562]

Erm, are we not talking about the bulging of the felt?

 

[Brother cavefish]

Erm, are we not talking about the bulging of the felt?

i am sure it bulged too, these hat jacks are only good for Keeping a size or a soft reshape , any extra pressure , especially on a wet or steamed hat will only stretch That area, this is why i shape my hats with my head, the whole hat needs to fit Your head, not just the beginning opening, or like You said a total reblock and possible rebuild could be the next option

 

[tommyK]

Definitely not ruined, just not done competently as Historyteach said. When I reblock a vintage hat (to have a fresh open crown to work with) I will get this line as well. I will then turn down the sweatband and insert a half block and re-iron this area to get rid of the sweatband line. Comes out just fine.

 

[Coyote Cosmico]

Hi
thank you very much for the advices, the sweatband is in very good condicion nor broke or tearing apart,it's even in better condicion that anothar straw hat that I have, maybe its dirt since I haven't cleaned it. I will try the advice from brother cavefish and steam up a little the crown. Also plan on try what you say TommyK just need the tools and that stuff....and another hat I don't care in case of ruin it. Although I have a question, what do you mean by half block and about the ironing, how you do this?
Also I have a feeling that the hatter where I took it (hat) doesn't solve things competently but what can I say,he is the only that "knows" about hats,i should start to getting into the hats world to do it by myself.

 

[-30-]

"hat jacks are only good for Keeping a size or a soft reshape , any extra pressure , especially on a wet or steamed hat will only stretch That area,"
Brother cavefish.

As you have written, "overuse" of a Hat Jack will reshape a regular sized hat into that of a long oval, resulting in brim distortion when worn.

A four-way brim expander is what is really required, or as our Knowledgable Brother has stated, use your head, literally, for the resize.


Regards,
J T

 

[tommyK]

Coyote, it all depends on how far you want to go down this rabbit hole. I don't recommend this unless you're a certified hat nut. You want to practice on a $50 or less hat and hone your hat refurbing skills.

Tools you'll need;
View attachment 27134

I have a few hat blocks and one of them I sawed in half with a band saw for the specific purpose of fixing up the sides of crowns that have become dimpled and wrinkled over the years (as well as sweatband lines). You can do this by turning down the sweatband (if it's not dry rotted or damaged) and putting your half block against the front or back and literally ironing up and down and back and forth with liberal amounts of steam. I put a hanky between the iron and the felt. Putting the iron directly against the felt will really crush the nap of the felt and require a lot of brushing with steam to raise it back up. I would remove the liner and use a solid one to shape up the top of the hat in similar fashion if necessary (then sew the liner back in).

None of this is easy or for the faint of heart. A lot of patience and practice involved. You need to have a block that is very close to the shape of your hat. Some hats like a Stratoliner or Playboy are made on a 122 block. It's a very specific shape. If you don't know what you're doing you can really alter a hat in bad ways.

 

[Brother cavefish]

Hi
thank you very much for the advices, the sweatband is in very good condicion nor broke or tearing apart,it's even in better condicion that anothar straw hat that I have, maybe its dirt since I haven't cleaned it. I will try the advice from brother cavefish and steam up a little the crown. Also plan on try what you say TommyK just need the tools and that stuff....and another hat I don't care in case of ruin it. Although I have a question, what do you mean by half block and about the ironing, how you do this?
Also I have a feeling that the hatter where I took it (hat) doesn't solve things competently but what can I say,he is the only that "knows" about hats,i should start to getting into the hats world to do it by myself.

Your on the right track but i would still heavy spray the lower crown it will help the steam penetrate deeper and faster, distilled water

 

[Brother cavefish]

Personally i would never use an iron, as for me water itself has been a great shaper, if i use steam i have a pressurerized steamer for clothes that works great, but my main shaper is my head, i soak the outside crown and brim put it on and form it around my head take it off let ir dry a little every hour or so put it back on and form it fits like a relaxed glove. I do have some hat jacks but it is reshaped by me
All heads are different, the jack is simply a retainer of shape not a stretcher or reshaper

 

[-30-]

You nailed it!
That also allows you to define the attitude of the brim.

Regards,
J T