Resize both up and down

[Papa Smurf]

I'm not sure if it is vintage or modern, I got it on eBay. It looks vintage to me. The felt is like velour. Here are a couple pictures. There are no markings on the band, so I don't know a model or anything.

Thanks, I'm still new to the hat scene so I'm not sure what to look for in modern vs. vintage.

 

[gtdean48]

Thanks, I'm still new to the hat scene so I'm not sure what to look for in modern vs. vintage.

There are threads on Stetson dating, 1 specific about the crest. Also, there may be tags, stickers & writing on the backside or hidden by the sweatband that give more details as well. It is all a big mystery that we like to play gumshoe about...[huh]

 

[tortswon]

Welcome Ron!

Personally I just have a square of paper towel folded up under the band of my Sunbody straw. I've only had the hat about a week and I think it's already shrinking to something more comfortable.

Actually, your head is swelling from all the knowledge you are gaining here! Welcome to the Lounge Ron! Best, Sam

 

[jwalls]

Resizing

The felting process is all about shrinking and stretching the material. So wearing a some what large hat will allow it to shink to fit if you steam the swaat band. for any size difference more than one size good felt hats can be reblocked and the sweat band recut by a qualfied professional.

 

[Dewhurst]

I will echo the others and say that you can jam most any old thing behind a sweatband to tighten up the hat.

I like the Eco-friendly polyester felt sheets you can get in Wal-Mart's crafts department. Twenty cents per sheet baby! lol

 

[rlk]

For a minor bit of shrinkage and/or shape conforming,if you don't mind temporary helmet hair;
Wash your hair-towel dry-then wear your hat for a while. The moisture and warmth will cause it to conform and draw in just a bit. Its not going to shrink a whole size but will work a bit and is sometimes helpful if your cranium is more long oval than the hat out of the box. This will also stretch the hat a tiny bit if it starts out too small. I guess it would also widen the oval if that was the desired effect. Heck, it works pretty well for a minor adjustment in any direction.

 

[cybergentleman]

walmart....

bounty paper towels folded over work well too.

 

[avedwards]

For a minor bit of shrinkage and/or shape conforming,if you don't mind temporary helmet hair;
Wash your hair-towel dry-then wear your hat for a while. The moisture and warmth will cause it to conform and draw in just a bit. Its not going to shrink a whole size but will work a bit and is sometimes helpful if your cranium is more long oval than the hat out of the box. This will also stretch the hat a tiny bit if it starts out too small. I guess it would also widen the oval if that was the desired effect. Heck, it works pretty well for a minor adjustment in any direction.

:arated:
I did this without noticing (the things one does when in a hurry) and it conformed my hat very well. Although, wearing my hat in the rain made the biggest difference as I was afterwards able to remove the strips I had put into the sweat band. I've done that with two hats and both times I no longer needed the strips afterwards.

 

[Elliottrohan68]

Hat Resizing

Hey all its the new guy once again - I have been given a nice Vintage Resistol Felt Hat and the sad part is I wear a 7 3/8 and the hat is 7 1/2 is there a quick fix to pad the hat for it to fit or would taking it to a good shop (or sending) and have them cut it to fit (if that can even be done) Please advise
p.s. thanks to everyone who responded to my request regarding hat shops in Northern Va and DC

Thanks again
Elliott

 

[Sam Craig]

That isn't much of a change. You can do it yourself.

Hat stores often have "sizers" you can buy. They slip under the sweatband and help take up that extra room.

What I have found works just as well, better than some sizers, is the poly fleece you can get at any discount store sewing department ... I'm loath to list a name, but you know they start with a W or a K ...

Cut a stip about a half inch or a little more wide ... depending on the width of your sweatband.

Cut it a few inches long and you can slip one in the front and in the back.

I even had one hat that I put a double thickness in and after I'd worn it for a while ... just an hour or so ... the fleece formed and allowed the sweat to fit really well to my head.

At least it has worked well for me.

One thing's for sure, the material is easy to find and cheap. You only need a tiny bit. They usually have it in the remnents for next to nothing.

Good luck,

Sam

 

[gtdean48]

At Wal-Mart or any craft store like Michael's they have felt squares for about 35 cents a piece. I get the white ones, cut into strips & slide behind the sweatband like Sam said before. You should be able to make the 7 1/2 snug up to 7 3/8. HTH

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

Hey all its the new guy once again - I have been given a nice Vintage Resistol Felt Hat and the sad part is I wear a 7 3/8 and the hat is 7 1/2 is there a quick fix to pad the hat for it to fit or would taking it to a good shop (or sending) and have them cut it to fit (if that can even be done) Please advise
p.s. thanks to everyone who responded to my request regarding hat shops in Northern Va and DC

Thanks again
Elliott

Elliott, take 2 folded 4-5" strips of tissue paper and tuck them behind the sweatband at the front and back. Play around with the thickness until it feels right - probably won't take much.

 

[Elliottrohan68]

Thanks Guys I have rummaged through the craft box here at the hosue and found some Felt have cut some strips and added to the hat and it fits comfortably thanks greatly for all your assistance.

 

[Stan]

Hi,

Just to add for posterity, I use cut strips from 4x4" gauze pads. One pad cuts into four strips. They have a compressible spring function that I find works better than the felt strips.

later!

Stan

 

[Injurytime]

Hi.

I have a conundrum.

I live with my brother-in-law for reasons I won't bore you with. He has a Stetson Sovereign 20 that I bought for myself last year which is a size 7 1/8.

I have a Stephen L Stetson (independent hatter related by blood but not business to Stetson) hat in a grey-green size 7 1/8 that he bought for himself a couple of days ago. Although I like his hat better, and he likes my hat better, we have been forced to swap. Our heads are the wrong size for our hats.

His head fits the Sovereigm but it is slightly too tight on me; my head fits the Stephen but it is slightly too loose on him. I have a drop-in hat stretcher with which I have achieved some results but I'm a little antsy about changing the shape of a hat - especially such a nice one. I also have no idea how anyone would go about shrinking a hat.

Does anybody have any advice?

'Stop whining and enjoy your respective hats' is the kind of advice I can get closer to home, by the way.

Thanks in advance,

Injurytime

 

[hatophile]

I have stretched quite a few vintage hats. It has to be done very slowly, and it may be advisable to use some Lexol or leather conditioner on the sweat band to make it more pliable.
Sometimes it helps to steam the hat before putting it in the stretcher.

As far as shrinking, that is much trickier. I have used the hat over the hot lamp method, but
you really have to be careful not to heat too much you can injure the sweat band by doing that. If it's just a tad large, a piece of foam or newspaper, etc could be helpful just to tighten it a bit on your head.

Good luck,

Perry

 

[Injurytime]

Thanks hatophile.

- Injurytime

 

[zetwal]

Does anybody have any advice?

I would say go with hats that fit properly. I'm not a fan of shrinking or stretching hats. Many people do it, I know. And as with everything, opinions will differ. I just thought that I would let you know that there are a few of us around who aren't into it.

 

[danofarlington]

When I needed a modern Borsalino hat stretched by a hatter, the fellow told me the thing holding it back was the outer hat band, so he did something with that. That was a surprise to me.

 

[John in Covina]

You describe the amount needed to change them is SLIGHTLY tight or loose. Small changes are fairly easy to do without a lot of problems. Shrinking - actually if it's a little loose you can take paper or felt in strips and slip it inside the leather sweat band to take up the space and snug it up just right.
My suggestion:
If you need to stretch a hat use the hat jack but don't go too far, You can pop the stitches in the ribbon or the sweat band. It easy to over do the hat jack take the hat that is larger put the jack in there and snug it in, mark the size with a marker on the sizer (mine uses a turn buckle) then pop it in the smaller hat and slowly expand to you get to the mark.