Naptha and Spray on Hat cleaner result.

[Magus]

Greetings everyone.

I had bought and used spray hat cleaner on a light brown/medium tan hat. After a conversation with the seller (seemingly a knowledgeable gent) I opted for the "light hat" version. which was a HUGE mistake. The white silica just would not come out of the hat no matter how much I brushed, vacuumed etc.

So. yesterday I bout a gallon of Naphtha, sacrificed a Tupperware salad bowl and lid and set it to soak overnight, liner ribbon and all. The end result...yes Naphtha cleans hats and YES THANK GOD it removes spray on cleaner as well.

So...in case you are wondering or hesitant...it was fairly inexpensive ($10) and the cost of the bowl. (Wife wasn't overjoyed about that loss. ooops...lol) I used an OSHA approved painting mask (the kind that has the big external filters) and rubber gloves. It was VERY simple to do. and no adverse effects to the hat. I even filtered the Naphtha and re-canned it for further use.

Hope this helps someone out there who might be wondering.

M

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Interesting.

Sounds easy,... and the naptha does not harm any of the fabrics, dies, or leather or anything???
Does the naptha leave a residue behind?

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Amazing stuff, naptha,...

Just now looked it up on Wikipedia and found that naptha is the lone ingredient of "Energine", a common stain remover. Also it said that it can be used as a medium for oil paints! Don't think I'll try that any time soon though,...

 

[Magus]

Sounds easy,... and the naptha does not harm any of the fabrics, dies, or leather or anything???
Does the naptha leave a residue behind?

No harm done to anything at all. There was a VERY SLIGHT film on the slick side of the leather sweatband that came off with a damp cloth. Other than than no residue at all, no harm to the leather, or the hand written blue pen of the size on the makers tape. I even found the $20 price tag in the bottom of the bowl that had been up under the sweatband somewhere...in perfect shape. The liner came clean though it is still aged looking. There had been quite a bit of hair produce in it and that is all gone now.

I got this at a paint store....and yes it is used to thin oil based paints and makes them dry more quickly.

Any hat of mine that needs a good deep cleaning is getting this treatment. I have a couple of liners with the plastic area in the top and I am going to test one in it to see what happens. More on that later.

M

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Thanks for the tip.

I'll try it myself whenever I get a hat that needs it.

 

[Pilgrim]

Thanks for the BTDT report. I have a grey Stetson 3X sitting on the table needing a thorough cleaning...and a fresh gallon of naptha from ACE hardware sitting next to it.

Some dunkage is in that hat's immediate future.

 

[jamespowers]

Thanks for the BTDT report. I have a grey Stetson 3X sitting on the table needing a thorough cleaning...and a fresh gallon of naptha from ACE hardware sitting next to it.

Some dunkage is in that hat's immediate future.

Cigar smoking allowed only AFTER you finish with the hat.

Regards,

J

 

[Pilgrim]

Cigar smoking allowed only AFTER you finish with the hat.

YOWZA!!!!

I have no desire for there to be reports of a small mushroom cloud over Fort Collins, Colorado.

 

[tonyb]

Yup, naptha's the thing. And you did right by your billfold by running it through a filter (a coffee filter in a funnel, maybe?) for reuse. I've cleaned several lids in naptha and have yet to regret it. In my shed I keep a kit for hat cleaning: a big ol' Pyrex bowl, a hat sponge, a funnel and a cup (for ladling the used naptha from the bowl through the filtered funnel and back into the can). Ten bucks worth of naptha is good for, oh, half a dozen or more cleanings, which works out to something like a buck and a half per use.

 

[DanielJones]

Now, after the dunking of the lid nad it comes clean, do you just air dry it, and how do you lay the hat? How long does it take to dry? There are no ill effects on your skin to note while wearing the cleaned hat? Curious.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[tonyb]

Let the hat air dry. This obviously takes less time in warmer weather. (I've had to let 'em go a day or two in the shed during the cool-but-not-really-cold maritime Northwest winters, and as little as a few hours on a hot summer day.) Once the naptha is completely evaporated it leaves no discernible evidence it was ever there, except for a cleaner hat. I've yet to see it do any damage to felt or leather or liner. As Magus noted, even the old paper tags suffer no apparent harm from their exposure to it. Really, it's just the ticket.
Wearing rubber gloves is probably a good idea, although, truth be told, I have dunked my hands in the stuff and then immediately washed them in the sink. But it can't be good for you, so ...
I typically let the hat dry with an open crown, with the brim turned up all around and resting on a clean old white towel. If I have to size the hat up a bit, I put the stretcher in while the hat is wet. Seems to work OK.

 

[DanielJones]

Interesting. So there is no ill effect on the skin while wearing the hat? It doesn't cause a rash or anything? I'm just curious. Thanks for the further info.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Magus]

A couple of things.

To answer you Daniel...No rash so far...and I have CRAZY sensitive skin. The Naphtha is VERY evaporative so any that was in the felt is long gone.

Several questioning posts have used the word "dunking". I'm fairly sure this isn't a "miracle" cleaner that melts off the dirt with a simple "dunk" or two. I put the hat in a sealable container immersed, crown down, in the liquid, sealed it up and left it overnight (about 12 hours). By the way...I pushed the crown open and filled it with large smooth rocks to displace the naphtha and get the hat covered in it. Afterward I popped the crown back into position and set it to air dry for about 2 hours. No ill effects whatsoever.

M

 

[J.B.]

Keep us posted!

.....I have a couple of liners with the plastic area in the top and I am going to test one in it to see what happens. More on that later.....

I would be very interested in hearing how the plastic part in the liner holds up to the naphtha bath?!

Please don't forget to update us if you try it...

...and be careful. Research isn't worth the price of a good vintage hat! Try this on a beater, eh? If I had a throw-away in this configuration -- I'd send it to you to test on -- but alas, no... [huh]

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I dunno, it still makes me nervous. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

 

["Doc" Devereux]

That's an important safety tip there Tony, well spotted.

Kids, don't clean your hats with Hydrogen!*

* Unless you're Adam Savage: I wouldn't put it past the Mythbusters to try something like that...

 

[squid]

So...in case you are wondering or hesitant...it was fairly inexpensive ($10) and the cost of the bowl. (Wife wasn't overjoyed about that loss. ooops...lol) I used an OSHA approved painting mask (the kind that has the big external filters) and rubber gloves. It was VERY simple to do. and no adverse effects to the hat. I even filtered the Naphtha and re-canned it for further use.

Hope this helps someone out there who might be wondering.

M

Just a couple of things from the safety point of view.

The MSDS says it is an irritant to the eyes, skin and respiratory system. Longterm inhalation of the vapors could cause some damage to the central nervous system. Skin contact can cause drying and dermatitis.

If you are doing this outside, or in a well ventilated area you shouldn't need a mask. If you do use a mask make sure it is an air purifying respirator specifically rated for organic vapors. Do not use a surgical mask or dust mask that will absorb and concentrate the vapors for you to breath.

Do not use rubber gloves since this is a petroleum product. Use Nitrile gloves.

It looks like it's more of a hazard as flammable liquid than as a health hazard.

 

[Magus]

If you are doing this outside, or in a well ventilated area you shouldn't need a mask. If you do use a mask make sure it is an air purifying respirator specifically rated for organic vapors. Do not use a surgical mask or dust mask that will absorb and concentrate the vapors for you to breath.

Do not use rubber gloves since this is a petroleum product. Use Nitrile gloves.

It looks like it's more of a hazard as flammable liquid than as a health hazard.

I would respectfully disagree with part of your statement...and agree with the rest! Even outside you should wear a proper breathing mask with this stuff. And you are correct about the gloves. Laytex gloves will quickly melt so I use chemical rated long gloves that I had for stripping paint. Below are pictures of the items for your reference.

M

 

[EggHead]

If I want to clean 3 hats, do I need to purify the used fluid or can I just dunk one hat after the other in the same liquid (keeping it there for 12 hours), assuming hats are only slightly soiled. I mainly want to clean a few liners from brown spots, but who knows, maybe the whole hat will benefit?

 

[EggHead]

Well, after reading that lemon juice helps in removal of foxing, I decided to use lime juice (didn't have lemons at hand) as I've read the lemon juice removes foxing. After brushing plenty of squeezed juice onto the liner and drying it, I didn't see much improvement. Maybe rusty colors faded just slightly or maybe not. Didn't hurt the liner though. Hence, what I have is not ferrous oxide.