Sandpaper?

[tonyb]

Just read Damon Falzone's comment in another thread on restoring an old Whippet by first cleaning it and then using sandpaper, followed by a thorough brushing. Said it came out looking good as new.
Now there's an idea, I think. How fine a grade of sandpaper should I use? I'm thinking 1000 grit, or maybe 1500. Is that about right? Sounds like just the thing to rejuvenate a thoroughly used hat. (Should I ever attempt this myself, I'll do my initial experimenting on a beater that no amount of naptha will ever make purty as new again.)
Isn't this essentially what "pouncing" is? (Fedora Steve, care to weigh in here?) What kind of abrasives do the pros use?

 

[D. Hats]

I'd like to know this as well. Recently I became the proud owner of a couple very nice vintage hats, one Royal Deluxe and one Adam Executive, each has one rough spot where the fur felt is roughed up and stands out ever so slightly from the rest of the surface finsh. I'd love to smooth this out, but don't want to sand a hole right thru to the other side or rough it up worse...er.

 

[tonyb]

It would be just splendid if an expert offered his view on this matter, preferably before D. Hats or I do something we really shouldn't. Look, it's Friday night, I've already had a couple, and I think I could find a sheet or two of 1000 grit around here if I searched hard enough. Stop me while you still can, please!

 

[Damon Falzone]

I used a silicon carbide 400 grit paper and sanded very lightly counter-clockwise.

 

[Fedora]

Just saw this one. Yeah, use the finer grits. You do not want to tear the felt. I regularly use 1000 and 1500, and it would be hard to sand a hole in a hat with these fine grits. On raw bodies I normally use 3 grits, starting with 800, and moving up to the 1500 for the last pouncing. My bodies come in fairly rough though. On an already finished hat, I would use the finer of these grades. Fedora

 

[Feraud]

What felt condition are we talking about that would require a remedy with fine grit sandpaper?

 

[tonyb]

In my case, Feraud, it's stains that naptha won't remove. I've used those Scout brand spot-removing granules, which work pretty well. But it seems that what I do with that stuff IS essentially the same thing as sanding. It's an abrasive and it removes the stain, along with a little bit of felt. It only makes sense that a person would not attempt this with anything but surface stains. Stains that run deep in the felt, or all the way through it (sweat, for instance), would have to be removed, or at least diminished, some other way, such as a good, long soak in naptha or some other cleaner.
Steve: Thanks for the tips.