Shaping a stiff Milan straw

[MattC]

I've got a 2 tone Biltmore Milan Pork Pie that is a fun hat on a summer night. Problem is, I am a long oval, and the hat is tight fore and aft. Is it possible to shape it with a little steam, or will I ruin it?

 

[jamespowers]

It is probably going to take more than a little steam to make the hat a long oval or extra long oval. I don't have very much experience with Milans but my inclination would be to have it done by a professional like Art. I am sure he could get it the right shape and size for your head. Straws of any kind make me worry about stretching them myself. Maybe it is just me but I hate to ruin a straw because I have no idea what I am doing.

Regards,

J

 

[Senator Jack]

Good question! I don't know what's going on with straw Milans these days. My vintage ones are soft yet hold their shape. The new ones I find in the shops are like concrete. I can't tell if the vintage hats were once as hard and have softened over the last fived decades, or if they were made soft to begin with. Anyone know?


Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[MattC]

I think I do know

I have a vintage Milan and a relatively modern (10 years ago) high end Milan production hat (made by Tessi). Both are thick but very flexible in most places. The modern good Milan is a little stiff on the side of the crown at the very top, and soft again in the crease. The vintage is a little stiff on the side at the top, and very stiff in the center of the crease. The only really high end Milan made today is from Graham at Optimo, and I think they are pretty flexible.

 

[MattC]

Send it to a pro

Thanks James. I will ask Art if he can take it in the off season and reshape it. He does marvelous work restoring straws. I worry that we may be overwhelming him.

 

[jamespowers]

Thanks James. I will ask Art if he can take it in the off season and reshape it. He does marvelous work restoring straws. I worry that we may be overwhelming him.

May be? I am pretty sure I am at least.

Regards,

J

 

[Rick Blaine]

Reshaping a Milan Straw?

Picked this up for a song & was wanting to make it either a center dent or c-crown, pinch front fedora shape as I have done w/ my felt OR's & Campdraft.

Any ideas?

I'm thinking: start w/ a heavy good misting & stretch down over my crown block & let it dry to an open crown & then mist it again & hand shape the hat to a fedora. It looks pretty floppy / malleable.

I have done this with a couple of Panamas with mixed results. I think Milan is a good deal more resilient than toquilla, however.

RBH, you have that great Peter Bros Milan Indy, what do you think? Will Milan take it? Anyone else try something similar w/ a Trooper Milan or anything? [huh]

 

[Mr E Train]

I'm thinking steam rather than misting before putting it on the hat block. I think it would make it more malleable.

 

[Rick Blaine]

Thanks

I'm thinking steam rather than misting before putting it on the hat block. I think it would make it more malleable.

Check. Good thinking.

 

[RBH]

The first Peters Brothers milan I got ...all I did as wet the thing real good and shaped it up.
My other has not been worn any and it is like it came from the store.
I guess steam is fine, but wetting it worked for me.

p.s. I watched this one on the bay. How is the crown on it? Tall enough?

 

[Rick Blaine]

The first Peters Brothers milan I got ...all I did as wet the thing real good and shaped it up.
My other has not been worn any and it is like it came from the store.
I guess steam is fine, but wetting it worked for me.

p.s. I watched this one on the bay. How is the crown on it? Tall enough?

Thanks Rusty, good to know. H2o will be my first resort. Play it conservative. As to the crown height... dunno yet, see when it gets here. Anyone else have any tips/tricks f/ reshaping milans?

 

[cookie]

They tend to be a bit ornery at taking the new shape...as though they have a bit of a memory and need a bit of stiffener. I don't know what I am going to do with my new vintage Cavanagh Optimo when it arrives...leave it or tweak it...






Another one coming my way will present a challenge for you guys...coconut straw..[huh]

 

[Marshall]

Milan Reshaping

I recently purchased a milan off the bay (genuine straw), and I wanted to modify the way it was creased. I sprayed it with distilled water, then tried to work it into the shape I wanted. I was surprised to see kind of a milky white, sticky liquid come out of the hat where I wet it, but I finished reshaping it and left it to dry. I was happy to see that the weird liquid absorbed back into the hat, but the hat is now rather stiff where I wet it, instead of being nice and soft the way it was before I wet it. Does this normally happen when you try to reshape a Milan with distilled water? And do you have any recommendations for how I can restore the hat to its original softness?

 

[DougC]

I think the white stuff was stiffener and getting it wet probably just reactivated it. Give the hat time and it will soften up again,

 

[cookie]

I just sent mine to Optimo for a reblocking and downsizing from Porkpie to Fedora.

 

[gtdean48]

I've never heard of using just distilled water on straw, only fur felt. Any straw reshaping I have attempted was using steam. Palm leaf hats get dunked in tap water.

 

[1961MJS]

I think the white stuff was stiffener and getting it wet probably just reactivated it. Give the hat time and it will soften up again,

Hi

Do manufacturers use the same stiffener in Milan's as Felts, or Panamas?

Later

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

They use different products for different types of body. They also need to be set on a Straw hat block to dry.

That is why most send them off to be reblocked.

 

[Joshbru3]

I recently purchased a milan off the bay (genuine straw), and I wanted to modify the way it was creased. I sprayed it with distilled water, then tried to work it into the shape I wanted. I was surprised to see kind of a milky white, sticky liquid come out of the hat where I wet it, but I finished reshaping it and left it to dry. I was happy to see that the weird liquid absorbed back into the hat, but the hat is now rather stiff where I wet it, instead of being nice and soft the way it was before I wet it. Does this normally happen when you try to reshape a Milan with distilled water? And do you have any recommendations for how I can restore the hat to its original softness?

I have worked on several vintage milans. Check out this thread:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?62616-Milan-Porkpie-to-20-s-30-s-Style-Tall-Center-Dent

The milky liquid that you saw was a combination of water and the stiffener that most vintage Milans used. You also tend to see this same liquid when steaming or wetting many vintage panama straw hats as well. Don't worry, its natural to see it. As far as the stiffness, any time you heavily steam or soak a vintage Milan, once the straw and stiffener set back up, the hat becomes very firm. You can simply work the straw a little to make the hat less stiff but I must honestly say that from experience, you might want that milan straw to stay fairly stiff. Milan straw tends to be VERY floppy and flimsy without stiffener and the more stiffener you have, the better it will retain the shape of the hat block.

 

[Marshall]

Thanks for the input guys, I'm very glad that the liquid was just the stiffener. I'll probably work the straw to soften it a little bit, glad to know I haven't damaged the hat or anything (it was my first time reshaping a straw lid). Thanks again guys, I appreciate it!