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Stretching a hat - advice please....

Art Hat1

One of the Regulars
Messages
227
Location
Winter Garden, Fl
It’s certainty come in handy with my other hats, they never get too tight-except perhaps when in desperate need of a hair cut- but it is nice to loosen them back up on occasion. I just hope it’ll loosen this new one up a little so it doesn’t shrink too far on me. Though it is new and stiff so just wearing it everyday for a few weeks and nudging it with the stretcher at night should hopefully do it.
 
Messages
10,847
Location
vancouver, canada
It’s certainty come in handy with my other hats, they never get too tight-except perhaps when in desperate need of a hair cut- but it is nice to loosen them back up on occasion. I just hope it’ll loosen this new one up a little so it doesn’t shrink too far on me. Though it is new and stiff so just wearing it everyday for a few weeks and nudging it with the stretcher at night should hopefully do it.
A hat stretcher set to your size is a great tool to keep the hat from shrinking. Hats can't really be 'stretched' but the hat jack works well as a band block to hold the hat's size and shape.
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
It’s certainty come in handy with my other hats, they never get too tight-except perhaps when in desperate need of a hair cut- but it is nice to loosen them back up on occasion. I just hope it’ll loosen this new one up a little so it doesn’t shrink too far on me. Though it is new and stiff so just wearing it everyday for a few weeks and nudging it with the stretcher at night should hopefully do it.


I think a band block works even better than a hat stretcher. If you’re handy with a jig saw, you can use one you buy as a template to make as many as you might need. If you can fit a finger between the sweatband and your head at the temple it sounds like you’re a long oval so work out your head shape before you buy a band block.
 

glider

A-List Customer
Messages
389
If a hat needs to be stretched around half a size you will probably be ok with a hat stretcher. A full size or more and the stretcher isn't going to produce the result you want. You need it re-blocked, in other words completely rebuilt in the size you need. Unless you can do that work yourself it would probably make more sense to just buy a hat that fits. There are a couple guys on the forum that rebuild hats and actually do beautiful work but they don't do work for other people.
 

Art Hat1

One of the Regulars
Messages
227
Location
Winter Garden, Fl
Thanks for all the advice, it’s very appreciated! The stretcher is in so we’ll see what happens, I don’t need it to really even go up a half size, just relax the fit if that makes sense. Always the danger with factory made hats, the sizing can get a little hit or miss sometimes.
 
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Messages
10,847
Location
vancouver, canada
If a hat needs to be stretched around half a size you will probably be ok with a hat stretcher. A full size or more and the stretcher isn't going to produce the result you want. You need it re-blocked, in other words completely rebuilt in the size you need. Unless you can do that work yourself it would probably make more sense to just buy a hat that fits. There are a couple guys on the forum that rebuild hats and actually do beautiful work but they don't do work for other people.
Yes, I do work for anyone that wants a hat rebuilt. I love to restore vintage hats, or making a favourite hat fit.
 

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