Steamer or kettle?

[Stan]

Hi,

Well, steam at standard pressure is going to be 100 deg C always. The teakettle and the Jiffy build no pressure, so they're both 100 C. The difference is the volume only.

The espresso pot is supposed to build pressure, which would raise the steam temperature. The idea there is that the hotter water passing thru the coffee extracts more flavor with less of the bitter oils than 100 C water does.

Now, the question is how much pressure is it under when using the steam port? That ought to drop the pressure from what it is when making espresso, but by how much? I don't know, but I'd say that the steam from the machine is still under some pressure and so the temp is higher than from the other two sources.

But I can't say by how much. If you remove the nozzle, then it will let out more steam and lower the pressure even more, so it ought to be close enough to the other choices to not matter. Plus, the steam would have less velocity and that ought to help as well.

later!

Stan

 

[JimWagner]

As soon as the steam is released it's at whatever the pressure is outside the vessel, isn't it? And therefore at the same temperature as steam from a kettle? At least more than a fraction of an inch away from the nozzle.

 

[donnc]

As soon as the steam is released it's at whatever the pressure is outside the vessel, isn't it? And therefore at the same temperature as steam from a kettle? At least more than a fraction of an inch away from the nozzle.

Well, to be precise about it, what you're looking at there, is not steam - you can't really see steam. What you can see is the water vapor condensing out as the steam cools. That's my very possibly confused understanding.

My suspicion is that in that billowing cloud of "steam" I get, there probably isn't much real steam past more than a fraction of an inch from the nozzle, if that. So the theoretical temperature of steam doesn't have much to do with what reaches the hat ... unless it really wants to be boiling hot, in which case I guess I should get right up to that nozzle.

 

[150719541]

Style and clean

A stream machine is necesary for any hat owner, to change style or lined it.
To clean and wash felt is fabulous. Get and fix one is easy to work in home.

 

[navarre]

Right now I'm using a hand held steamer for clothes ands cleaning that I found at goodwill for $5. Works great. I have used an old Jiffy before and found the water spitting problem with it. Worked at a place with a full size Reimers boiler, that was awesome. Tons of steam, so you have to be careful. If I could afford one I would by one to build hats with, super overkill for just shaping though. I agree with the concensis, Kettle, no contest.

 

[Stan]

Well, to be precise about it, what you're looking at there, is not steam - you can't really see steam. What you can see is the water vapor condensing out as the steam cools. That's my very possibly confused understanding.

My suspicion is that in that billowing cloud of "steam" I get, there probably isn't much real steam past more than a fraction of an inch from the nozzle, if that. So the theoretical temperature of steam doesn't have much to do with what reaches the hat ... unless it really wants to be boiling hot, in which case I guess I should get right up to that nozzle.

Hi,

Of course. Unless you're right at the nozzle, the temp has dropped below the boiling point. The espresso pot might not get to that point for several inches from the outlet and so might have too much heat if you put the hat right at the outlet, which is what I was thinking. At least my Krupps in the kitchen doesn't form a condensate cloud until about three or four inches from the nozzle. It also has a lot of velocity, more than I'd want to subject a hat to.

For hat shaping, it's the warm condensed water you want, anyway. It's the water that allows the hairs in the felt to move relative to each other and so form the shape you want.

Later!

Stan

 

[SgtRick]

Hat steamers....Who has one?

I have just bought a Jiffy hat steamer (J1) I was wondering who has one and how often do you use it. It seems to be handy when you want to re-crease a crown. Do you get alot of use out of yours?

 

[monbla256]

I have just bought a Jiffy hat steamer (J1) I was wondering who has one and how often do you use it. It seems to be handy when you want to re-crease a crown. Do you get alot of use out of yours?

Have had one for around 30+ years now. Bought it at a Western wear store that was going out of business in the early '70s. I mainly use it when I get a new felt and at times to rework a wonky Panama brim. If you are not a hat maker, DON'T store it with water in it for long periods of time. I store mine empty and only fill it about once every 2/3 mo's to run it then empty it and put it up. They DO make creasing and brim shaping SO much easier

 

[SgtRick]

So if I have a crown to shape how do I do it?

 

[HatsEnough]

I have a table top Jiffy steamer. Bought it on ebay for $50. I usually use it when I get a new acquisition that needs some work. But I don't re-shape hats all the time. Usually I shape a hat once and leave it that way.

 

[Seth Hawkins]

Does a kettle count?

 

[Oldsarge]

This has been a very educational thread! My Delonghi espresso machine has a variable steam spout and I have a hat that I bought but have never worn because I don't like the crown. It's also a bit too large but that's fixable. I'm going to have to give this a try.

 

[Oldsarge]

So if I have a crown to shape how do I do it?

That's what I want to know. I once reshaped a hat by soaking the crown in boiling water and then wearing it until it was dry, reshaping it as I went along. I don't think that's recommended with a really decent hat. So I hope someone answers your query. I'll be kibitzing.

 

[T Rick]

Wondering how this one would work for a hat? It's gotten great reviews for silk clothes, and I have thought of buying one for travel (I wear a lot of silk shirts, and they tend to wrinkle badly when packed). If it would do decently for hats, more of a bonus and I'd be more likely to pull the trigger (been buying a few vintages lately, and some could use a touch up or even re-bashing).

 

[HatsEnough]

I used a kettle for a while. It just doesn't kick out enough steam. I bought one of those Jiffy table top steamers and it works wonderfully. A nice large plume of steam giving more time between steaming and shaping to work the felt.

 

[bowlerman]

kettle doesn't work for me either, but I've had more than satisfactory results spraying a hat with a spray bottle of water and holding it over a shallow pan of boiling water. If it needs extra, I throw it on my recently acquired block and hit it with steam from a clothing iron, maybe even iron it a bit on the block with a t-shirt in between. That always seems to open the crown evenly enough to start a crease from scratch.

 

[Oldsarge]

Well, I tried the kettle on my wool felt Indy and tried re-bashing it into a safari. Worked pretty well, though I'm sure the experts on this forum would roll their eyes. Still for a beginner who has only rebashed two hats in his life, I'm pretty content. Hat block, hmm? Maybe I'll look into that.

 

[TheBeak]

just wanted to add to to this thread that I have a Conair garment steamer (the sort with the long hose, I forget the model number). It came with 2 attachment heads for regular use, or for steaming in creases. The plus to this is the heads are removable, so you can use just the hose, which delivers a nice 1" diameter flow of steam that works great for hats!

This steamer with out the hose makes a super hat steamer. doesn't spit water, and if you wedge the hose in the clothes hanger it allows you to work with both hands, at any height from floor to shoulder. The other plus is form the time you switch on, to when its fully making steam is about 90 seconds, so if your impatient like me its a plus.

It also does a great job getting out wrinkles in clothes and curtains.

so... worth a buy if you want something more than a tea kettle, that is useful for non hat reasons around the house too

 

[Omne]

I've got a Jiffy J-4000 Proline that works great. I bought it a couple of years ago for my suits and to touch up shirts on occasion. A little pricey but it pumps out a lot of steam and was well worth the cost to me.