Western Hat Shaping

[msm007]

I thought that I would start a thread about western hat shaping as I could not find anything on the site. Here is a link to YouTube with Sean Ryon shaping a western straw cutter's hat. Looks like nice technique http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TheXerbm6K4

 

[150719541]

Any hat, fedora, western or other can be alined like one self want, only wich the hat must be a good quality hair, steam is the answer. Cheers ¡¡

 

[Sam Craig]

Well, not to put too fine a point to this, but, steam is AN answer, but it's certainly not the only answer.
With the heavy felt of a western hat, spritzing with cold water will leave the hat easy to shape and you can either wear it dry ... which many of us are willing to put up with because it allows the hat to conform to your personal head shape ... or you can let it set and dry
Either will allow you to reshape the western hat

Sam

 

[150719541]

Well, not to put too fine a point to this, but, steam is AN answer, but it's certainly not the only answer.
With the heavy felt of a western hat, spritzing with cold water will leave the hat easy to shape and you can either wear it dry ... which many of us are willing to put up with because it allows the hat to conform to your personal head shape ... or you can let it set and dry
Either will allow you to reshape the western hat

Sam

I am agree ¡¡¡¡

 

[msm007]

Nice tip, thanks.

 

[BanjoMerlin]

Some of my western hats can be shaped with cold water, some of them cannot. It depends on how much stiffener/water-proofing stuff is on them.

If you can use the hat as a step stool you're probably gonna need some steam.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

I found that some of my westerns had to be soaked for a good long time to get shapeable. But I didn't have to use steam necessarily. I just needed to get them good and wet!

 

[gtdean48]

Steam will reactivate the shellac that wetting seems to weaken. I've had western hats that got soaked in the rain & got a bit floppy. Hitting them with steam snapped them back into shape. I've used distilled water to soak a hat for major reshaping then once getting it where I wanted it, steamed it to set it in & hold on. JMHO...

 

[Chinaski]

I enjoyed the video, too. That guy's shaped a cattleman's crease a time or two!

 

[msm007]

I enjoyed the video, too. That guy's shaped a cattleman's crease a time or two!

Thnaks - I agree with you, it seems hard to find good videos on hat shaping.