Tips for rebashing?

[sulla]

Have you steamed or pressed the brim with a steam iron lately? Wear & the elements, mainly moisture, breakdown shellac over time but steam seems to revitalize it.
When warm, the felt is shapeable but as it cools the stiffener "wakes" up & holds the shape. Even if I use a spray bottle to shape a crease or brim, I hit it with steam to set the shape.

I did steam the brim with distilled water near the end of last February (no pressing). It helped a bit, but there is still significant 'floppiness' to it.

 

[Bad Co]

Here is what I did to my older Federation and Fedora
It worked for me and they came out looking new and stiff and have been holding the shape for well over a month now
Mist it with water, Hit it with steam ,Brush it ,Let it dry for an hour
or so , Mist it again,
Hit it with spray starch then steam and brush. Shape it to your liking
let dry
Worked for me

 

[scottyrocks]

When you say floppiness, do you mean floppy to the point it won't hold any shape, or that it just moves around in the wind?

I'd want the brim to have some floppiness to it. That's what keeps my hats from sailing off my head in a stiff breeze. Your brim will eventually stop getting floppier. In other words, it won't keep softening up until it just hangs, at least in my experience with Fed IVs.

 

[sulla]

Well, I didn't get that block for Christmas after all. I toyed with getting one, but for just one hat... I decided to take the plunge without it.

After some distilled water and a bit of steam late last night, here it is this morning at work. I'll take better pix in the light and post them later.

 

[sulla]

Oh, and the steam from my iron really stiffened up the crown holding the new lower and wider pinch with no troubles. It didn't really stiffen the brim much, but that's OK.

 

[Hoyt Clagwell]

Well, I didn't get that block for Christmas after all. I toyed with getting one, but for just one hat... I decided to take the plunge without it.

After some distilled water and a bit of steam late last night, here it is this morning at work. I'll take better pix in the light and post them later.

Looks to me like you did a nice job.

 

[gtdean48]

Looks to me like you did a nice job.

+1

 

[Lt.Tom]

I looks like you did an outstanding job on the bash. Of course, we're going to need a noggin shot of that...................

 

[sulla]

Thanks all!

I looks like you did an outstanding job on the bash. Of course, we're going to need a noggin shot of that...................

You'll get one this weekend when I see some sunlight. At this time of year I go to work in the dark and go home in the dark.

 

[sulla]

Finally got some shots of the new crease in action this afternoon. First I show it with a shallow pinch. The next post will be a deeper pinch. I can't decide which I like better.

 

[sulla]

Here's the deeper pinch with them both side by side at the end.

 

[sulla]

I think I am going to settle on the shallow pinch - I can always make it deeper later.