Straw Hat Repair

[Christopher_NY]

I have a Tesi straw hat which got caught in a torrential downpour. I have blocked and reshaped it as best I can, but the brim seems to have lost all its stiffness. What product/products can I use to restore some stiffness to the now floppy brim?

Thanks,

Christopher

 

[scotrace]

Leads me to wonder...

.... as I look out the window at 30 minutes to closing time at a major thunderstorm, and here I am with a Panama and no umbrella (not to mention a silk sport jacket), how much rain can a Panama or other straw take without being FUBAR?

 

[Brad Bowers]

how much rain can a Panama or other straw take without being FUBAR?

Check out this post from me last year. A good Montecristi can take a beating and be reblocked without problem.

Christopher, I don't know what to add to the brim to stiffen it. Maybe Art or Robert can answer this.

Brad

 

[android]

a good pressing with a steam iron has worked for me.

Be sure to put a handerchief or ironing cloth between the iron and the hat.
And make sure everthing is clean. You don't want to press in any dirt.

 

[Panamabob]

Yucca or other natural starches...like they do in Ecuador and Peru.

A good hot iron will do the trick for a while...cloth in between.

Good luck!

 

[Andykev]

How Wet Did You Get?

DO not get your very nice Montecristi wet. It will require a reblock. A good, good Montecristi has very little sizing or stiffner in it (don't lie hatters - you all have to add some!). Unfortunately, water dilutes it and the hat looses the shape. I'm not talking like you accidentially walked briefly under a restaurant "mister" that they turn on on hot days for outside dining or someone's lawn sprinkler that barely puts drops on the hat...I mean RAIN that soaks the hat!

I went to Waterworld with one of my lesser priced Cuenca's. Went down the water slide not realizing that it really slams you into the pool at the end..under I went. Hat got soaked, and looked like a Harpo Marx hat very quickly. I hand blocked it ...by hand.... on the spot. Still looked like crap, but I didn't get fried or sunburned. Got home and flanged and ironed it, but I eventually had to visit Art. He re stiffened the hat (it orig. hat too little to begin with). Now the hat is back to it's old self. You need a flange and block to do it correctly.

So Panamabob is right, wet does not hurt the straw, just requires reblocking.