Scotch Guard? Scout Felt Hat Protector?

[RBH]

I picked up a can of Scout Rain & Stain Proctector at a local Western Store.
Anyone know if this spray is any good? I thought a little extra protection would not hurt, as I wear my hats in all types of weather.


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[Forrestal]

I bought two cans some time ago at the local tack shop.
I think it works great. I’ll buy it again when I run out.
Be sure to use it somewhere that has a lot of ventilation, like a garage with the door open.
Just FYI

Regards,
Forrestal

 

[RBH]

Thanks my friend...

I thought I had heard that Scout made a good product.

 

[Aaron Hats]

I use it on all my felt hats but just be sure to test it on the inside of the crown or underside of the brim. We've tested it on several different quality felt hats and never had a problem with color change but there's a first for everything.

 

[RBH]

THANKS Aaron !

Those in the know, KNOW !

 

[byronic]

can anyone help me please? i live in ireland, close to a city, but i spent a fruitless saturday tramping the streets in the rain looking for scotchguard or scout hat cleaner to waterproof and protect my lids. however no shops stock these products, and some had not even heard of them. do any of the good folks here in the lounge know of alternatives that i could possibly find in ireland to use as an alternative? most shops stocked a product whose name escapes me, but it was meant to be ok for suede. two shopkeepers said it would be ok for fur, but the instructions on the can didnt mention this. as im sure everyone here will understand, im reluctant to use a product to spray a $180 hat with no idea of what the outcome will be!

 

[johnnycanuck]

fabric/upholstery protector

Scotchguard is a name brand "upholstery protector" http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/EU-Scotchgard/Home that can be found in just about any department store in the "Cleaning Supply" section (brooms, carpet deodorizers, table vanish....I had to ask the first time I went to find it) I know Wal-mart carries it (ASDA in the UK) If that fails you can try just about any fabric/upholstery protector. I would test the hat first (under the brim) to see if it discolours the felt. Remember it will wear off in time so it should be reapplied a few times a year.
Johnny

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Wow, I've been to Ireland and I'd have thought Scotchguard, or the like, would be found in every store with all the rain that falls there! I stuck to a leather newsboy cap during my touring of your lovely country since I could pocket it easily between showers. If I lived there, I too would be looking for a way to protect my felt hats. G'luck!

 

[Rick Blaine]

Camp Dry by Kiwi

 

[Woodfluter]

Scotchguard is a name brand "upholstery protector" http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/EU-Scotchgard/Home that can be found in just about any department store in the "Cleaning Supply" section (brooms, carpet deodorizers, table vanish....I had to ask the first time I went to find it) I know Wal-mart carries it (ASDA in the UK) If that fails you can try just about any fabric/upholstery protector. I would test the hat first (under the brim) to see if it discolours the felt. Remember it will wear off in time so it should be reapplied a few times a year.
Johnny

Hey there Johnny, and Byronic -

Couple of things:

(1) I've used Scotchguard liberally on light and dark cotton canvas garments, and also on light and dark colored fur felt of all grades, and despite can label warnings I've never seen the slightest tendency to affect the color or hand of the material. OK, I'll back off that a bit...if you spray five very heavy coatings onto canvas, it will stiffen a tiny bit, but if you flex it for a while, it will return to normal and you'd never know it was there, until the rains come.

(2) My personal history with the product, not official...generation 1 applied wonderfully but had a nasty solvent, probably very bad for your constitution and the environment (we're talking like 1970's and 80's here). Then they replaced that with some CO2 propellant and water carrier, and it worked sort of, but was all foamy and not even in application. I hated that. Recently they reformulated it with a safer carrier, and it applied as nicely as before. Bravo!

(3) But here in Atlanta, only Publix grocery stores seemed to have it. Then, a few months back, they stopped carrying it. Since then I've systematically searched all the grocery stores, discount stores like WalMart and Target, specialty fabric and upholstery stores...nobody has a clue about where to obtain it anymore.

I'm reluctant to order it in bulk online but getting mildly desperate. It's good stuff and I've yet to encounter a downside. RBH, do tell if you have info on where it can be had.

- Bill

 

[feltfan]

Ouch. Why would you spray scotchguard on a felt hat?

 

[jimmy the lid]

can anyone help me please? i live in ireland, close to a city, but i spent a fruitless saturday tramping the streets in the rain looking for scotchguard or scout hat cleaner to waterproof and protect my lids. however no shops stock these products, and some had not even heard of them. do any of the good folks here in the lounge know of alternatives that i could possibly find in ireland to use as an alternative? most shops stocked a product whose name escapes me, but it was meant to be ok for suede. two shopkeepers said it would be ok for fur, but the instructions on the can didnt mention this. as im sure everyone here will understand, im reluctant to use a product to spray a $180 hat with no idea of what the outcome will be!

A hatter recommended to me that I could use leather and suede waterproofing/stain protector spray on felt with good result. I don't apply it to all my lids, but I have definitely applied it to lids that I pretty much expect to wear in inclement weather. The product I happen to use is Cadillac "All Weather Shield" for leather/suede/nubuck. It goes on easily, has never left a stain and works well. Scout makes a product called "Rain and Stain Protector" for the same purpose.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Rick Blaine]

Up until the website redesign Hatsdirect.com offered the option of Scotchguard on all their hats, can't be as bad as all that, eh?

 

[RBH]

Up until the website redesign Hatsdirect.com offered the option of Scotchguard on all their hats, can't be as bad as all that, eh?

Truth of the matter I just sprayed my new Peters Brother milan straw with Scotchguard, I was out of the Rain and Stain.
I have use both on fur felts with no bad effect to the felt it really helps keep a little rain off.

 

[byronic]

thanks to all you guys for the advice. and harp player gene, you are quite correct but unless you came to ireland this summer, then you dont know just how much rain falls here- i use the word 'summer' in a broad sense- it was so wet that my cat learnt how to swim...

 

[Woodfluter]

Ouch. Why would you spray scotchguard on a felt hat?

Yep. Do it all the time. I really cannot detect any change in appearance or hand, unless you spray many, many heavy applications.

Once, a long time ago, I had a cheap cotton bucket hat. Just for jollies, I sprayed it with something like 10 heavy applications of Scotchguard. It looked the same and still breathed, but was noticeably stiffer. One time I donned it to look for a lost cat in the rain (sadly, she turned up later, dead by a roadway) and was out for hours in a dounpour. The hat got damp but not soaked and nothing came through. That's when I became a believer.

- Bill

 

[daizawaguy]

Spraying chemicals on fur which was meant to be water repellant? And the only side effects are stiffness....think of all the other effects of the spray, co2, and whats left on the hat after the initial effect wears off...much better off leaving it as it is - but then I guess it is a personal preference. Your hat will protect yourself from a lot of rain just as it is, as long as you just let it dry naturally. If thats not enough, get a rain cap is my opinion...

 

[Naphtali]

Yep. Do it all the time. I really cannot detect any change in appearance or hand, unless you spray many, many heavy applications.

Once, a long time ago, I had a cheap cotton bucket hat. Just for jollies, I sprayed it with something like 10 heavy applications of Scotchguard. It looked the same and still breathed, but was noticeably stiffer. One time I donned it to look for a lost cat in the rain (sadly, she turned up later, dead by a roadway) and was out for hours in a dounpour. The hat got damp but not soaked and nothing came through. That's when I became a believer.

- Bill

On fur felt hats having vents but without crown liners, would you, do you apply Scotchguard® to interior felt surfaces as well as exterior? If not, why not?

 

[Ray-Vigo]

Is it wise to Scotchguard wool felt? What about fur felt? I have several hats of each material and have read that you can Scotchguard a hat to help keep out rain. Does the Soctchguard damage or alter the hat (shrink it, distort it, bleed it etc) in any way? I'd like to do what I can to rain proof my hats (I use an umbrella but it isn't 100% dry when walking to work), but don't want to damage them by trying to apply Scotchguard. If you can do this, what variety of Scotchguard works best and what is the best way to apply it? I'm guessing it's some kind of a spray-on process.

 

[Subvet642]

Ray,

I'm new too, but check out this link. Click on "Hat Care Products", and you should find what you're looking for.

http://www.menshats.com/category/dress-hats/1

All the best.