Stretching a hat - advice please....

[Belegnole]

these three combined barely went for more - and they all sold within the past few days

I believe I snagged that one....was doing chores and missed the second one.

 

[ScottF]

these three combined barely went for more - and they all sold within the past few days

$26

I have one just like the one above. Notice it's 'rounder' than the others - it's actually a little bit too wide, but I am going to try to make it work, and if it won't, I'll sand it down some. Mine was marked 7 1/4

 

[Bill Greene]

Newbie here. Question for you pros. If a person finds a hat they want and it's 1/8th too small, how reasonable is it to think that hat can be stretched enough to stay at the new size...without having to resort to replacing the sweatband, etc. Just curious.

I've found a 7 1/4 hat that I would like to fall in love with, but I'm a true 7 3/8s. I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

 

[Aureliano]

I've stretched a 7 to a 71/8 using a hat jack and steam. It has kept the new size ever since. Though, I have to say. I do the process gradually meaning: steam, jack a little and leave overnight. Next day, steam, more jack and leave over night. Next day wear! good luck!

 

[Cigarband]

I do the process gradually meaning: steam, jack a little and leave overnight. Next day, steam, more jack and leave over night. Next day wear! good luck!

I have stretched two 7 1/8 hats to a snug 7 3/8 using the above method, not forgetting lots of leather conditioner on the sweat. Took about a week each, but they turned out fine
and have kept the new size for over 8 months. Good Luck.

 

[gtdean48]

... I do the process gradually meaning: steam, jack a little and leave overnight. Next day, steam, more jack and leave over night. Next day wear! good luck!

I've done a couple of 7 1/2s to 7 5/8. Same process & when I wear them & sweat on the sweatband some, I have to use the hat jack. I also have a vintage hat stretcher that goes well beyond just the sweatband like a Hat Jack does. HTH

 

[Dewhurst]

I am one of those for whom hat stretching is incredibly difficult. I have tried to stretch two different fur felt hats and have had no luck whatsoever. It is a gradual process and it does need to be redone sometimes (the people who can stretch a hat once and leave it forever are very lucky).

You could give it a go, but it is much easier to just find a hat in your size OR find one a size too large, and pad out the sweatband. Either of these is easier than stretching it up a size in my experience (which is limited).

 

[Aureliano]

You could give it a go, but it is much easier to just find a hat in your size.

Hmm... not if it's a vintage hat [huh]

 

[Bourbon Guy]

Uh. Heresy alert. My favorite hat is an old beater 1/8 smaller than my size, but the stitches on the back of the inner band were cut to loosen it up, and it just slides on like butter on toast. Home surgery. It's what's for dinner.

 

[Dewhurst]

Hmm... not if it's a vintage hat [huh]

I would like to point out that the quoted sentence was modified rather than truncated [huh]

Just for future clarity, in case the quoted quote is quoted.

 

[Aureliano]

I would like to point out that the quoted sentence was modified rather than truncated [huh]

Just for future clarity, in case the quoted quote is quoted.

I don't get it.[huh]

 

[zetwal]

Just for future clarity, in case the quoted quote is quoted.

I would never dream of quoting this quote without quoting myself in so doing. But I say go with a hat that fits right without having to stretch it. Even wonderful vintage hats are readily available in your size. Of course, if you enjoy playing around and experimenting, then go for it. There's no harm in trying. Just don't quote me on that!

 

[Stan]

Hi,

Yes, I've had good results with a vintage hat stretcher and the steam trick. I'm referring to the taller wooden stretchers which are made for a specific size and form a complete oval. I'm not talking about the modern ones that only form the ends of the oval.

I'm a 7 1/6 semi-long oval and so no vintage hat fits me quite right. A 7 is a tad too tight and a 7 1/8 is a tad too loose. What I do is buy vintage hats and use the stretcher on them. I have two of these, one is a 6 7/8 and the other is a 7. Sometimes vintage hats have shrunk to the point where the 7 won't quite go in, and then it's time for the smaller one first.

It's a process of setting the stretcher to minimum and inserting. Then, I steam around the base of the crown for a short time and give the turnbuckle on the stretcher a half turn. I then set the hat aside for a few hours and then repeat until I get the built-in size ruler to the correct point.

In less than a day I can stretch the hat out that half size and it will stay put after that. I've managed to pull a hat out one whole size (from the starting point, not what the tag said) using this trick.

The more I got into reworking hats, though, I found I really needed a hot block. This is one of those domed aluminum things you see with the vise handle on it. They have a pair of heating elements inside that heat the domes up, allowing for both sizing and opening the crown back up.

But, once you go past the simple wooden stretcher, things are not quite so simple any longer. I've managed in the past two years to get all the way to full cleaning and blocking and rebuilding. I'm starting to think about the next step where I build my own hats from the body up.

later!

Stan

 

[Bill Greene]

Stan: Thank you greatly. That was most informative.

 

[Cracker]

Is it possible to stretch a hat a full quarter, i.e., 7 to 7 1/4? I have my grandfather's old Resistol, and would like to wear it but it's too small.

 

[Stan]

Hi,

Well, yes, but that would call for a full reblocking, not just a stretching, I think.

You're going to have to find some extra felt, I think, and that means reducing the brim size. I have taken a hat from 6 7/8 to 7 1/16, not quite a full quarter, by stretching just the felt on the hotblock. I had to replace the sweatband and ribbon anyway, so that was no big deal. The leather would never have taken the strain.

It was quite a stretch, though, and I could see where I would have to pull in some extra felt from the brim into the crown if I wanted to go any further.

I'd certainly not try this trick on any hat I truly cared about, though.

Later!

Stan

 

[Lloyd]

I'm working on a Western conversion right now. First step, mostly completed, is to stretch it from a 7 1/4 to a 7 1/2. SO far so good and just a tad more stretching required. Of course y the time I'm done it's almost certain I'll need a new sweat and the liner is already history.

 

[Cracker]

Well, yes, but that would call for a full reblocking, not just a stretching, I think.

Can anyone recommend a place in Houston that can do this? Does Miller's do it? I hope so, I only live a few blocks away...

 

[frussell]

Try Gary at the Hat Store

I used to live right down the street from The Hat Store on Richmond at Chimney Rock, in the Galleria area. Gary took over for American Hat Co., and used to stretch hats and re-block them for me. Whether it's in-house or not, I don't know, but I always got good service from them. Frank

 

[wgiceman]

Can a hat sized 7 1/8 be stretched to fit a true size 7 1/4? If so, is the quality of the hat affected in a negative way?