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I wonder if Steve @mayserwegener has this on his website.
So no one on this forum can offer advice about how to whiten some "browned" areas of a panama hat? besides using"mild water and soap" does anyone know how to restore the WHITE color on a vintage panama ? I think i can fiure out the re-shaping and restore the sweats but i'd like to get an even white tone to the hat if possible..the browning is from loss of color, not stain or dirt BTW.There are Japanese and other Asian straw hats, but this one looks to be a "Panama" although difficult to tell without the hat in hand. If so, it would most likely have been woven in Ecuador, even if the sweatband, liner and ribbon were added in Japan or somewhere else.
Did someone actually say this is Shantung, or was that an aside? If Shantung, then it is most definitely not an Ecuadorian "Panama" hat.
The straw will darken over time. Even a bleached straw will darken. I would think it would take soaking in a chemical bath. But I would have no idea as to the chemicals needed.So no one on this forum can offer advice about how to whiten some "browned" areas of a panama hat? besides using"mild water and soap" does anyone know how to restore the WHITE color on a vintage panama ? I think i can fiure out the re-shaping and restore the sweats but i'd like to get an even white tone to the hat if possible..the browning is from loss of color, not stain or dirt BTW.
I would not think so.would leaving it in the sun bleach the brown pats to white ?
Thanks for prompt response Bill...i take it back, i may have a bit of a challenge reshaping the crown, there are dimples around the "bone" area on top and on the sides of the crown..i guess steaming would be the way to go but what precautions can i take? i am concerned steaming it may take more of the color out, i already tried cleaning it with soap and water and the white towel had white color on it from the hat, so i can only summarize it removed more of the white, although it may be normal for this hat..i'm just thinking what happens when you wear the hat and it rains one day..I would not think so.
If white came off on the towel then the straw has been dyed. I was thinking you were dealing with a natural or bleached straw. With either of those (natural or bleached) steaming is not an issue. I have no idea about a dyed straw.Thanks for prompt response Bill...i take it back, i may have a bit of a challenge reshaping the crown, there are dimples around the "bone" area on top and on the sides of the crown..i guess steaming would be the way to go but what precautions can i take? i am concerned steaming it may take more of the color out, i already tried cleaning it with soap and water and the white towel had white color on it from the hat, so i can only summarize it removed more of the white, although it may be normal for this hat..i'm just thinking what happens when you wear the hat and it rains one day..
...i'm just thinking what happens when you wear the hat and it rains one day..
I've read mention before of a light acid solution to soak the straw clean but I forget the acid used or the dilution ratio... again, for natural straw, not dyed.
re:Barkeepers, are you suggesting this to clean with or whiten ?
I wouldn't glue the sweat in place, either. That would cause real problems down the road.
Upon closer examination of your pictures, it does look as though the straw has been coated with some sort of shellac, paint or sealer. I would limit cleaning solutions to diluted soapy water, dabbed on with a clean white cloth.