Jiffy Hat Steamer

[woodsie]

Excellant

A kettle is OK, but a steamer is the way to go if your going to be doing much of it. The Jiffy model I have serves many purposes from hats to coats to my wifes dress or house curtains.

Bud n,
I have the very steamer you displayed. Haven't tried it on any vintage lids yet, but it is wonderful on the posh fabric in my Mini Cooper.

 

[jpdesign]

I would suggest staying away from the steamers with external bottles. Over time they develope a tendancy to spit water. The ones with the internal tanks do this much less. They cost two to three times as much (though I have seen them for around $175 on ebay), but they last much longer.

Jimmy

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

Bud's got a good one, looks newer; Jiffy made a tabletop steamer, came with a gallon plastic jug to fill steamer and hold excess water, has a brass pipe about 1/2-3/4" in dia. that the steam comes out, at a 45degree angle to you.
Really throws out a lot of steam, have to be carefull to to get seriously scalded if you get too close;
Does a WONDERFUL job on hats; long plug, extra-heavy duty-made of steel-and the one the hatter's use (that I've seen)
Check Jiffy.com or cleaning supplies,appliances, etc. but I know that they are still available- I picked mine up on eBay for under $100 in crispy condition.

good luck!

I picked min up at an estate sale, it was minus the jug. I ordered the jug for $6.00 and have a grand total of $10.00 invested in my steamer. I am blessed with bargains.

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

Bud n,
I have the very steamer you displayed. Haven't tried it on any vintage lids yet, but it is wonderful on the posh fabric in my Mini Cooper.

Well Woods, I am encouraged by your diligence in keeping your chariot up to the standards expected. I hear that these fine steamers are quite good at restoring used shuttlecocks to like new as well.

 

[Tango Yankee]

I would suggest staying away from the steamers with external bottles. Over time they develope a tendancy to spit water. The ones with the internal tanks do this much less. They cost two to three times as much (though I have seen them for around $175 on ebay), but they last much longer.

Jimmy

Jimmy,

Would this tendency be due to a buildup of deposits? And regarding the internal tank steamers, are you referring to the "dry vapor" type of steamer like the Lady Bug which contains its steam until you squeeze a trigger?

Cheers,
Tom

 

[woodsie]

Indeed Bud n

I must confess Bud n, I no longer partake in the gentlemanly game of badminton. The new love in my life is enamored with curling, and I'm hooked :eusa_doh:

Well Woods, I am encouraged by your diligence in keeping your chariot up to the standards expected. I hear that these fine steamers are quite good at restoring used shuttlecocks to like new as well.

 

[Snrbfshn]

Two things...

For producing a lot of steam, I find the Rival Hot Pot very handy:
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=11904270&RN=153

For directing steam and smoothing, I think the Rowenta Steambrush is first-rate:
http://www.shoprowenta.com/detail/ROW+DA65/DA65_Steam_'n_Press_Steambrush

 

[Ugarte]

I use something like this. I've been very happy with it. Actually mine is a little cheaper, gray model that I picked up at Wally's.

Conair Clothing Steamer

It comes with a bracket that you hang over a door that holds the hook up nice and high so you can watch the steam move over the hat. It also has attachments for creasing pants and some kind of lint brush thing that I've never used. It's great for steaming out suits, ties, etc.

Mark
.

 

[Fredthecat]

Thanks for the ideas all.

 

[Topper]

1) A home made, purpose build steam cabinet for steaming a whole hood at once. Made using a 45cm cubed glass terranium combined with a wallpaper steamer.

2) For basic work also have a classic ( near antique ) Hatters steamer below which takes about 3-4 ltrs:

 

[jlanderson]

Hat steamers

Which brands/models do you all recommend just for routine cleaning and spiffing up? Thanks in advance.

 

[mayserwegener]

I have a Jiffy J-1. Definitely worth having.

http://www.jiffysteamer.com/products/index.asp?steamerCatId=7

 

[LuvMyMan]

Hat steamers (the Jiffy brand) are perhaps the best for the money. If you are low budget, like our household, you can use a metal tea pot which works fairly decent. I recently purchased a size 6.5 rubber stopper that has a 1/4 inch hole in the stopper, and then purchased some 3/8 inch copper tube for installing in the hole. This helps direct the steam to a more concentrated area on the hat. You do however, have to cut the copper tube to be short enough to allow the steam to come out of it, if the tube is too long, it may not work well enough to actually let the steam out. I cut the tube from being 12 inches long, to just 5 1/2 inches long, it made it work really well. The rubber stopper on eBay was a few bucks, same with the copper tube. Just put the tube in the stopper, then put the stopper in the opening of the tea kettle.....USE ONLY DISTILLED WATER when steaming a hat.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Janderson; Excellent question as the options on the market are diverse. I can only provide an answer from my daily experience.

Use, budget and space are important to the decision. That said I have a fancy-dancy Jiffy Steamer that I use in my closet for steaming suits/slacks/sweaters for daily wear. I kept a Rowenta Compact Steamer at my office. Now that I have retired from corp.america and opt' for a more casual retirement work environment, I use the Rowenta exclusively for hats. Works grand! It heats quickly, minimal time for set-up and stores in a compact shape and takes minimal space. I have not had any leak problems (as per on-line reviews). Having the head up nearly vertical for steaming hats and clothes has me experiencing no problems. It pumps lots of steam - much more than hand held steamers.

They work for me.

Best, SBG -

 

[alanfgag]

I have a Jiffy J-1. Definitely worth having.

http://www.jiffysteamer.com/products/index.asp?steamerCatId=7

+1... a must have if you must have more than a few hats. Compare prices - it sells for less than the suggested retail price on the Jiffy website. It also comes in pink.

 

[fedoracentric]

Here is the one I have...

 

[GregNYC]

I just used my Jiffy portable garment steamer to good effect on some ruffled felt.

 

[RJR]

I use the Jiffy portable as well.

 

[jlanderson]

That portable has me googling. Thx a lot!

 

[GregNYC]

I did some research on small garment steamers (not the floor-standing ones), and even tried another brand. But this one is the best-reviewed one out there. It works 50X better than the one I got at Macy's! I returned that one the next day, and my Jiffy - already in a few weeks, I took it on vacation for clothing. Way faster than ironing, if one doesn't need razor creases. And it works on hats too!