How does one know when a hat should be professionally cleaned & re-blocked?

[Genuine Classic Gangster]

How does one know when a hat should be professionally cleaned & re-blocked?

Should professional cleaning & re-blocking be done on a regular basis, like, say, once a year?

Should they only be done when a hat shows visible signs of needing them?

If one is careful with his hats, might they never need to be professionally cleaned & re-blocked?

 

[m0nk]

That's almost entirely up to you. If you see signs of shrinkage or otherwise, a reblock could be in order unless you think it looks better that way. If you want to reblock every year, that's fine too, just keep in mind that with a reblock, there is some pouncing involved. When a felt hat is pounced, basically it's sanded so some felt will be sanded away. It's not much each time, but over several reblocks, you could loose quite a bit of felt. Of course, you can always request that the person doing the blocking skip pouncing, or you could use your own block and skip that as well.

Hope that helps.

 

[Dinerman]

Some hats can go the better part of a century without ever needing a reblock- others may do with one every year or two. It all depends on how heavily it is worn, how it is handled, and what conditions it is subjected to. Think of it along similar lines as a new paintjob on your car.

 

[danofarlington]

I don't think you need to mess with hats, new or used, too much. I let "absoutely necessary" guide me before ordering up any work. I am not a do-it-yourselfer, so I go to a hat man to re-shape the crown or brim, or remove a stain. Doing that one time, when I buy a used hat, is what I hope is the end of it, although I wind up going back sometimes with hats to re-do the brim. I wouldn't clean the hat on a schedule like changing the oil on a car, for instance. Just let it go unless there is a specific issue.

 

[TomS]

I only have a hat worked on if it *must* be done. Otherwise, I find that a good brushing and an afternoon in direct sunshine is fine. Just my .02