Stretching

[colinlyne]

After reading several helpful posts here on stretching, I wonder, when steaming before the stretch, if this should be on the inside (on the band as well as the felt) or the outside. Any help or other ideas on stretching one size would be most welcome.

 

[gtdean48]

I've always been told to avoid heating a sweatband. Wetting it is usually for shrinking, so steaming seems bad all the way around. I steam the crown on outside around the base next to the brim, apply some leather conditioner to the sweatband & apply my stretcher. Steaming from the outside should be enough. IMHO...

 

[colinlyne]

That seems a good start. Thank you for that.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

If you steam the inside the leather band will likely shrink from the heat and moisture. Steaming outside hasn't been an issue for me. That being said, I leave the section I'm working under steam for just 5 or 10 seconds at a time.

 

[Michaelshane]

How about shoe stretch on the sweatband?

 

[Akubra Man]

Do not steam a leather sweat band ... I tried this once and destroyed the leather sweat band in a Snowy River and ended up having to learn how to replace a leather sweat band ... learn from my mistake and keep the steam to the outside of the hat and away from the inside.

 

[Dewhurst]

The instructions that come with your average "Hat Jack" specify:

"Direct steam evenly to outside of band area"

 

[Woodfluter]

I've steamed & stretched several newer and vintage hats; mostly just the outside, but sometimes also the inside including the sweatband when intensively stretching them (over my head). Never any problems. However, we might be talking apples and oranges here.

When I say "steaming", I mean no more heat than you'd experience on a hot day in the sun, and maybe 15 seconds of moisture exposure tops at a time. That's all I ever do. And I wouldn't attempt even that with a sweatband that seemed fragile or brittle at all. Plus, I've always treated older leather first, then waited several days or a week.

I don't think wetting leather makes it shrink all by itself, per my experience. If you keep it stretched while it dries, it can end up permanently larger. YMMV of course. And none of this applies to rawhide! So keep that steamed hat on your head for an hour.

- Bill

 

[Dewhurst]

I don't think wetting leather makes it shrink all by itself, per my experience.

My experience is the same. Have not had a leather sweatband shrink from exposure to moisture alone.

 

[dostacos]

shoe stretch {if you mean the liquid used to stretch shoes} that should work. I would think it would be best to wet the leather then steam and stretch. the shoe stretch liquid will allow the leather to lengthen and when dried, be longer.

I have used that stuff to make bunion bumps on shoes for years {as a job, not my own shoes}

 

[dostacos]

I've steamed & stretched several newer and vintage hats; mostly just the outside, but sometimes also the inside including the sweatband when intensively stretching them (over my head). Never any problems. However, we might be talking apples and oranges here.

When I say "steaming", I mean no more heat than you'd experience on a hot day in the sun, and maybe 15 seconds of moisture exposure tops at a time. That's all I ever do. And I wouldn't attempt even that with a sweatband that seemed fragile or brittle at all. Plus, I've always treated older leather first, then waited several days or a week.

I don't think wetting leather makes it shrink all by itself, per my experience. If you keep it stretched while it dries, it can end up permanently larger. YMMV of course. And none of this applies to rawhide! So keep that steamed hat on your head for an hour.

- Bill

having made leather molded braces I would say yeah it will shrink if it is wet, been there done that. {now when I say wet I mean dripping soaked through and through}

dan 3rd generation orthotist

 

[colinlyne]

Thanks

Thanks everyone for your ideas. I used a wooden stretcher, liquid stretcher for the band and steam for the felt. Combination did exactly what I wanted. Thanks for your imput.

 

[daizawaguy]

Just out of curiosity...how much did you manage to stretch? Did it spring right back to the original size after being unworn or overnight?

 

[colinlyne]

Just out of curiosity...how much did you manage to stretch? Did it spring right back to the original size after being unworn or overnight?

A good size. However, I don't yet know if it has gone back to the original size, this is the next step. I'll let you know soon.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

That's been my experience with stretching - it's great at first, and then it goes back to it's original size. Mind you, I didn't have any shoe stretched on the leather band, maybe that would have helped.

 

[colinlyne]

That's been my experience with stretching - it's great at first, and then it goes back to it's original size. Mind you, I didn't have any shoe stretched on the leather band, maybe that would have helped.

Just tried the hat and it has remained around the (stretched) size. At least it fits now, which it didn't before. It may have helped with the shoe stretcher, and it is a 50s Borsalino, so even this might have helped if the leather of the day allowed a bit of a stretch! I must say also, that the Hat Jack is a great piece of equipment even though very simple, and it is so easy to use!

 

[ScottF]

I'm probably going to have to stretch a bit more in the morning, so...

...Is there a definitive hat-stretching thread? This was the most recently active thread on the topic, so I decided to bring it back to life.

I had one of the small vintage hat-stretchers with the piece of iron in the middle that you turn. I used it for a while, but since it was only about an inch thick, it left a 'ring around the sweatband'....so I purchased one almost exactly like it, but it is the same thickness as a sweatband, so no ring. But I still was getting a small amount of unwanted crown taper.

I'm looking to improve the following process that I picked up from bits and pieces of threads on this forum, so please give any advice you have:

1. Lexol the outside and then inside of the sweatband.
2. Place strip of foil between sweatband and felt.
3. Dip cloth in water and get ribbon and felt above ribbon wet. Probably should just steam the area instead?
4. Place on the small stretcher and stretch about 1/2 size. Leave for 1 hour.
5. Stretch up another 1/2 size. Leave for 2 more hours.
6. Remove and place on full-size stretcher to help with crown taper. Leave overnight. (Should I wet the outside of the hat again before doing this?)
7. Send to Optimo for re-block and new sweatband.

* Step 7 can be moved up in front of step 1.

Here's a pic of the small stretcher, and a hat getting stretched on the full-size stretcher.

 

[daizawaguy]

7. Send to Optimo for re-block and new sweatband.

* Step 7 can be moved up in front of step 1.

Nice photo. Yep. I`ve found that hats have memory...they don`t really get bigger no matter how much you try...