This could be dangerous

[Stoney]

tony,

the toughest thing from my meager experience about resizing is getting the hat well centered on the block. This is , IMHO, the most critical step of the process. If you are off center you will end up with more brim on one side than the other. It normally takes a few attempts for me to get the hat centered on the block. This is really not an issue when making a new hat from a hat body as the brim is trimmed even all the way around after the hat is blocked.

Making and repairing hats is not rocket science. If you can see how it was put together when you disassemble it, you should be able to put it back together. However, patience and practice make all the difference in the results that you achieve. It takes a lot of both to get as good at this as Gus, Jimmy or Art. ect. Those guys really know what the are doing and it shows.

 

[tonyb]

tony,

the toughest thing from my meager experience about resizing is getting the hat well centered on the block. This is , IMHO, the most critical step of the process. If you are off center you will end up with more brim on one side than the other. It normally takes a few attempts for me to get the hat centered on the block. This is really not an issue when making a new hat from a hat body as the brim is trimmed even all the way around after the hat is blocked.

Making and repairing hats is not rocket science. If you can see how it was put together when you disassemble it, you should be able to put it back together. However, patience and practice make all the difference in the results that you achieve. It takes a lot of both to get as good at this as Gus, Jimmy or Art. ect. Those guys really know what the are doing and it shows.

Yet more sage advice there, Stoney. I must have had some intuitive sense for the potential for an uneven brim width, as I was quite careful to stretch the body over the block as evenly as I could.

Had I not pored over Marc Kitter's pictorial on how he makes the Adventurebilt Deluxe, which is posted over at COW, I would have been alarmed by how this process can produce a quite wrinkly brim, at least while the hat is still on the block. But Herr Kitter says don't worry, enough ironing on the brim in the flange will smooth it out. I can verify that it indeed does. (Oh, and yes, Stoney, I draped an old white towel over the brim and secured it by cord to that groove in the flange put there for this very purpose, so the iron never came into direct contact with the brim.)

As to puller downs and whatnot ...

Steve Delk posted here quite some time back that he uses a brim flange to pull the crown down over the block. Frankly, I don't see why a person shouldn't. It does indeed give you something to grab on to. I hold the brim section of body material to the downward facing side of the flange and push down on the whole works. That seems to be quite effective at really getting that body down into position. After that, it's a matter of removing the flange, smoothing the crown over the block with the palms of one's hands and tying a cord just above the brim break line. This seems to work best if you use a brim flange a size or two larger than the block, so the flange fits over the block easily and nothing hangs up during the process. I happen to have surplus flanges now, so this method works for me. If there's a good reason NOT to do it this way, please let me know, before I do something I regret.

So far this Lee is coming along as well as I hoped it would. The brim is a quarter of an inch narrower (it's within a whisker's width if 2 and 1/2 inches all around) and the crown is about half an inch taller, which is a bit less than my initial measurements indicated it would be. No taper to speak of, either, but that's to be expected. It just came off a straight-sided block, after all. Throwing a quick bash into it and dropping it on my head, sans ribbon and sweatband, indicates it will be a sharp-looking lid. And it'll fit.

 

[tonyb]

OK, here's the Lee.

The first photo was taken quite some time back, shortly after the hat arrived in the mail. As I recall, I cleaned it in naphtha and stretched it more than I should have. The photo doesn't show just how tapered the crown appeared when the hat was plopped on my noggin. Note how much brim it has in this shot, and how relatively little crown.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/tonyb56/IMGP0626.jpg


On the block. Here's what can happen when you turn brim into crown. Wrinkly brim, for sure. Again, thanks to Marc Kitter, I expected this to happen, and I trusted his assurances that a flange, an old piece of white cotton, an iron and elbow grease would straighten it all out again.

A careful look shows where the ribbon was originally. Pouncing made that line disappear.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/tonyb56/IMGP0985.jpg

Sorry, no shots of the hat on the flange. But here's the end result.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/tonyb56/IMGP0992.jpg

Steps along the way included ironing the crown on the block, flanging the brim, pouncing the felt, stitching it all back together again.

This one was easier than the one before, which was easier than the one before it. Another five-buck hat arrived in yesterday's mail. I ripped it down last night. Ribbon band is faded and stained beyond salvation, but the body is free of bug damage (or anything of the sort) and shows very little fading. The edge binding and sweatband are still in solid condition. Liner is pretty funky, but I bet it'll clean up OK. We'll see.

 

[Stoney]

Quite a dramatic change

and one for the better. The hat now looks like a 1930s model and I'm diggin it.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Woodfluter]

Wooo Hooo!

I liked the hat before you started, TonyB, but you've definitely made it better! Considering I'm a longtime fan of the straight-sided block. I have to admit that the wrinkly-brim, intermediate stage just might have made me give up right then. An amazing transformation. Congratulations - you have a great hat there!

- Bill

 

[astaire]

This thread is indeed dangerous.

After experimenting not-so-successfully with an old block i found at a nearby estate sale, I finally decided to purchase a block number 52 from ebay yesterday.

So I am ready to follow your lead.

My question is: how do you get the felt ready for the blocking? Steam it first before you put it on the block, spray with water, or dunk the whole hat in cold water?

Thanks for the great info so far!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

This thread is indeed dangerous.

After experimenting not-so-successfully with an old block i found at a nearby estate sale, I finally decided to purchase a block number 52 from ebay yesterday.

So I am ready to follow your lead.

My question is: how do you get the felt ready for the blocking? Steam it first before you put it on the block, spray with water, or dunk the whole hat in cold water?

Thanks for the great info so far!

He explains that in the initial post.

 

[astaire]

I am a bit hesitant in submerging the whole hat in water. the water that would drip from the wet felt could potentially damage old wood. Unless this is a necessary step, I opt for a less "invasive" prep.

Any further thought?

 

[J.T.Marcus]

I am a bit hesitant in submerging the whole hat in water. the water that would drip from the wet felt could potentially damage old wood. Unless this is a necessary step, I opt for a less "invasive" prep.

Any further thought?

After removing the completed hat, the block may well look awful. Apply a coat of baby oil and let it soak in. The block will look like it did before you put the "wet" hat on it. This will also help prevent the wood from cracking.

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

BRILLIANT!

 

[martin576]

I am a bit hesitant in submerging the whole hat in water. the water that would drip from the wet felt could potentially damage old wood. Unless this is a necessary step, I opt for a less "invasive" prep.

Any further thought?

Yes - cover the wooden block with clingfilm/saran wrap then stretch and pin the felt over that.