Scotch Guard? Scout Felt Hat Protector?

[tonyb]

Our gtdean and The Dane pretty well articulated the why of it earlier in this thread. Yes, you can get your fur felt hats wet, and the fiber itself will be none the worse for it, but anyone suggesting that you can soak that hat repeatedly to no ill effect whatsoever is passing along less-than-accurate information, however well-intended that person might be.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

I put nothing on most of my quality hats.

I would assume that your hat is good quality and was intended to protect you from the elements rather than you protecting it. If in doubt, contact the maker and ask. Otherwise, wear it in a reasonable manner and give this no further thought.

Fed

 

[tonyb]

My primary concern with adding waterproofing to a felt hat is how that product might affect the hat's "rebuildability." If it's something applied to the surface, I suppose that it wouldn't penetrate the felt very deeply and would probably wash out. (Please note the "suppose" and "probably.") I can see how some agent that thoroughly penetrated the felt could indeed make a hat "waterproof," but I'm left wondering what it might take to get that stuff OUT of the felt come rebuild time, and what effect it might have on the hat's comfort level. Assuming (again) that such a waterproofing compound contained some oil- or wax-like product, I shudder to think what might happen when it is subjected to the heat involved in reblocking and reflanging.

I'd welcome input from anyone with greater experience with these "waterproofing" agents. If they work, and they don't render the hat "unrebuildable," and have little if any deleterious effect on comfort, heck, why wouldn't you use them on the hats you expect to wear in rough weather?

 

[Mustang]

I use Scout Felt Hat Rain & Stain Repellent on my Akubra Federations and will continue to do so. I wear them all the time. I've hunted and hiked in downpours while wearing them, and the repellent definitely is well worth using in my humble opinion.

 

[jlw]

So, they get hammered and then use hammers?

I was thinking about the issue of waterproofing fur felt hats, and the thought of ranchers, cowboys, and lawmen/bounty hunters going about their business in the American Old West came to mind. Somehow I couldn't imagine that, when they found themselves in the middle of nowhere in a torrential downpour with no shelter, their primary concerns were whether or not their hats would survive getting wet. lol

Bravo.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The guys at Meyer the Hatter used to recommend Scotchguard. I used it on some of my Stetsons back then, but never tested the hats in really bad weather.

Just last Friday I wore a vintage black Emerson fedora in a steady rain: walking to my car, from the car into the grocery and back to the car, and then from my parking spot into my house. The hat was solidly wet, but not saturated. I set it away from any heat sources, brim down but with the snapped-down portion of the brim over the edge of the platform so it wouldn't distort. The hat dried without problems or shrinkage, and I wore it again the next day.

Good hats are tougher than they might seem.

 

[St.Ignatz]

Wore a VS lightweight beaver in a torrential downpour. Inside not even damp. Crown down sweat up and not a bit of distortion. Akubra CD in same situation needed minor tweeks while still a little damp. Better hat=better hat.
Tom D.

ps: if you're worried about sweat shrinkage wear it near the end of the drying process.

 

[g.durand]

Wore a VS lightweight beaver in a torrential downpour. Inside not even damp. Crown down sweat up and not a bit of distortion. Akubra CD in same situation needed minor tweeks while still a little damp. Better hat=better hat.
Tom D.

ps: if you're worried about sweat shrinkage wear it near the end of the drying process.

Good to know that about VS light weights. I have a couple from Art and have yet to wear them in the rain since out here in CA we get rain only between late fall and early spring (if it rains at all, given our drought). I don't wear the lightweights much during those months. I will be visiting the Texas Gulf Coast next week and plan to take a VS lightweight rather than a straw hat, for temperatures in the 80s. There is a chance I could see a torrential downpour or two.

I've worn several of Art's dress weights in the rain with no adverse effects. I go to the Akubras in heavy rain and they show little effect, either, if they are handled properly, as you describe it, after they get wet.

 

[Fivesense]

Thank you Sir. My post was moved to this thread after I posted it, and after reading this thread in its entirety, and your response just now, I'm sure glad I left them alone!

I did get rain protectors, one for each hat, and I'll take one with me when I take them camping so if I know it's gonna be a long day in them while raining at least they'll have some protection. But for brief showers or snow, sounds like I'm good the way they came from Akubra.

I see this is an old thread but I'm curious if any new developments have occurred. I've got two Stetson felt 6Xs and I'm wondering if I need to treat them with anything to handle the rain. For prolonged exposure I have rain covers.

 

[Fivesense]

I just called Stetson directly and they recommend Bickmore Gard More Stain and Water repellant (which I use for my western boots). Has anyone used this on felt? I guess if Stetson is recommending it, it can't be bad...

 

[FedOregon]

I've used some spray stuff called Scout Felt Hat Protector Water-Repellent on my western that NW Hats converted to an outback. No change when applying, but over the next few weeks the tan felt looks a couple shades darker. I would NOT use this on a nice dress hat. Also, can't tell any improvement in water repellent properties of the felt.

 

[Naphtali]

I have successfully metamorphosed a rabbit fur Campaign Hat, circa 1920s through current issue, from a hollowed out block of Masonite® to a comfortable and usable woods walking hat. This includes reasonable crown and brim flexibility plus adequate "character." Now I want to protect my result from excessive, frequent change from things like having it blown off from the rear and into what comes from the south end of a northbound elk or bear. I think I remember that hair spray and perhaps ScotchGuard® are usable for this purpose. I am interested in identifying what are among consensus preferences among forum members for such purposes.

 

[1967Cougar390]

I have successfully metamorphosed a rabbit fur Campaign Hat, circa 1920s through current issue, from a hollowed out block of Masonite® to a comfortable and usable woods walking hat. This includes reasonable crown and brim flexibility plus adequate "character." Now I want to protect my result from excessive, frequent change from things like having it blown off from the rear and into what comes from the south end of a northbound elk or bear. I think I remember that hair spray and perhaps ScotchGuard® are usable for this purpose. I am interested in identifying what are among consensus preferences among forum members for such purposes.

I use ScotchGuard on my hats.

Steven

 

[Just Jim]

Another vote for Scotchguard. I use the stuff sold for use on auto upholstery, because I usually have it on hand.

 

[RJR]

Another vote for Scotchguard. I use the stuff sold for use on auto upholstery, because I usually have it on hand.

+1

 

[Naphtali]

Okay, I have acquired hair gel, ScotchGuard®, and heat gun-type hair dryer. Is ScotchGuard applied before applying hair gel, or is it applied after hair gel has been applied and dried? What useful purpose does the hair dryer serve, if any?

The hat's leather sweat band has a build-up of perspiration, dust and dirt, and hair oil. How do I "deal" with this? I have thought about wiping it with a damp cloth or cloth moistened with Simple Green®. Also have considered scraping it off with a fingernail. I suspect using a strong grease cutting product will get the crud off while the sweat band is being ruined. Has anyone a recommendation?

 

[Winston Carter]

I have used Bickmore but the Scotchgard Auto Upholstery and Carpet is cheaper and more readily available so that's what I will use in the future.

 

[Winston Carter]

I picked up a can of Scotchgard Heavy Duty Water Shield yesterday to try out. I sprayed 2 Fur Felt and 1 Wool Felt down good. No color change. Let them dry overnight. Would I use it on my pristine dress hats.. No. But I don't wear my pristine dress hats on rainy days. We have rain coming in today so I will update on how good it works.

 

[IsaacRN]

So without going through all 4 pages, why use Scotchguard on pure beaver? Is that not one of the benefits of owning 100% beaver, in that it is water resistant? I definitely see the application for wool felt or perhaps blends.

 

[Winston Carter]

So without going through all 4 pages, why use Scotchguard on pure beaver? Is that not one of the benefits of owning 100% beaver, in that it is water resistant? I definitely see the application for wool felt or perhaps blends.

Most hats that are fur felt aren't 100% beaver. Actually no one can tell if the qauntity of beaver that is in a hat no matter what the hatter says. In my experiences with beaver blend hats such as royal deluxe quality Stetsons rain will change the shape of the brims.