Steam Wins!

cooncatbob · Dec 19, 2008

I steam with a kettle too.
I insert one of my vintage stretcher in the hat and just snug it up, this not only protects the sweat but give me a nice handle.
I work the brim from both sides.
I also steam a hat when I stretch it, give a good dose of steam and tighten the stretcher, let it sit over night and check it, if necessary do it some more.

KatintheHat · Dec 20, 2008

Think about what the point is.

It's to get the hat wet. Steam can shrink it. So, I shy away from it. I can shrink with a hair dryer.

Steam's great for minor fixes but... It's a lengthy process, over a tea kettle, for a major revamp.

Spritzing is quicker.

D.W. Suratt · Dec 20, 2008

Bolthead I have made up my mind to buy one of the jiffy steamers right after Christmas. With the money I now have tied up in hats it's an investment. I don't know who to give credit to for the tin foil, but that's what I used. I got the idea here at the lounge, but can't remember in what thread I read it in.

D.W. Suratt · Dec 20, 2008

KatintheHat said:
Think about what the point is.

It's to get the hat wet. Steam can shrink it. So, I shy away from it. I can shrink with a hair dryer.

Steam's great for minor fixes but... It's a lengthy process, over a tea kettle, for a major revamp.

Spritzing is quicker.

I have to disagree with you Kat on the speed. With the tin foil putting out a good amount of steam it is very fast. You can feel the felt go soft and get firm again within seconds of removing the steam.

ideaguy · Dec 20, 2008

I've got a "Jiffy" steamer, been using it for years, and it does a fantastic job of pumping steam out-just have to be attentive to what's going on (or you'll do something like shrink the sweatband on a super Stetson 25, like I just did this week); I've done searches for the steamer under clothing supplies, cleaners, tailor's supplies, Googled Jiffy-and always try to find one that has a slight "problem"-get it at a discount. If you have a decent number of hats, or have to buy hats a tad smaller & do a bit of stretching, the money in is really worth the quality hat when done. My 2 cents...make it 3-economic meltdown

KatintheHat · Dec 20, 2008

Maybe if I had a Jiffy steamer I might agree.

Tea Kettle? Forget about it.

bolthead · Dec 20, 2008

ideaguy said:
I've got a "Jiffy" steamer, been using it for years, and it does a fantastic job of pumping steam out-just have to be attentive to what's going on (or you'll do something like shrink the sweatband on a super Stetson 25, like I just did this week); I've done searches for the steamer under clothing supplies, cleaners, tailor's supplies, Googled Jiffy-and always try to find one that has a slight "problem"-get it at a discount. If you have a decent number of hats, or have to buy hats a tad smaller & do a bit of stretching, the money in is really worth the quality hat when done. My 2 cents...make it 3-economic meltdown

I did see one quite awhile back that had no bottle with it.....it was going fairly cheap, but I didn't know if or where I could find a bottle for it, so I passed on it. I probably should've gotten it but I felt it would be useless if I couldn't find another bottle. [huh]

HatDoc · Dec 20, 2008

KatintheHat said:
Maybe if I had a Jiffy steamer I might agree.

Tea Kettle? Forget about it.

I use the steam wand on my espresso machine. The machine stays on standby all the time, so it's just a matter of pushing the "Boiler" button and I have steam in about 8 minutes. Probably not as handy if you have a very small espresso machine.

I did some research on the Kahl & Sons tea-kettle-steamer-adapter-thingie, but couldn't find it.

Here's a nice article from 1992 that talks about vintage hats, hat-making, etc. It discusses the hat stiffener made by Kahl & Sons and mentions the steamer-adapter: HERE.

After researching the company, it looks like Kahl & Sons may now be defunct. The Kahl Hat Stiffener is now made by Bickmore, a division of Excelda manufacturing.

Hope this helps. If anyone has any current info on the steamer-adapter, please post it here, or PM me.

Thanks,

Randy

D.W. Suratt · Dec 20, 2008

They have the small model at $99.00 that's less than a lot of hats out there.

zetwal · Dec 21, 2008

Some have advised care with steam so as to not shrink the sweatband. But what if you DO want to shrink the headband a little? How do you do this without wrinkling or otherwise damaging something? Can it be done safely with steam?

Also, someone else (and I don't think it was answered) asked how many times you can apply steam and mold felt before it begins to cause structural damage. Let's say we're talking about good quality fur felt. Any ideas on that?

Eric

zetwal · Dec 21, 2008

So you just steam the sweatband directly from underneath and it will shrink? E

zetwal · Dec 22, 2008

I just formed a crown to my liking using steam. Wow! it was SO easy to do. I wrapped some foil around the top of a small pot of water and formed it into a tube. The steam came out of the opening in a nice smooth jet and the hat molded like butter with a gentle touch. Eric

zetwal · Dec 25, 2008

I just did another by spritzing. No problem there either. My experience is limited to just two hats. But as far as I can tell the only difference is that steam cools immediately and water takes longer to dry. Happy Holidays ~

elsizzle2000 · Feb 10, 2016

gtdean48 said:
found the package...

From my earlier reply...
"I have this attachment that goes into a tea kettle, rubber stopper with a brass pipe coming out."
This is a STEAMER ATTACHMENT from Kahl & Sons. It is part of a kit called "The Original FELT HAT RECONDITIONER". It & a "DUAL PURPOSE HAT CLEANING BRUSH" came together. I've seen Kahl Stiffener spray on Hat Care pages of some of the vendors.
This is by Col L.D. Kahl from Corvallis, Oregon, Item No. KSH 101
A really neat attachment to a standard teakettle, really concentrates the steam. I tried to google it but no luck... gtd

resurrecting an old thread but anyone know how to get ahold of one of these attatchements for a teak kettle? Or something simiilar?

hatsRme · Feb 10, 2016

No, but I now plan on fashioning a steam "nozzle" on my tea kettle using the aluminum foil idea.

This sounds like a simple and effective approach. When I got up this morning, I said to myself, "you're probably NOT going to learn anything new today..." but this changes all that. Not too old to learn some new tricks!

Hurricane Jack · Feb 10, 2016

elsizzle2000 said:
resurrecting an old thread but anyone know how to get ahold of one of these attatchements for a teak kettle? Or something simiilar?

A place that sells glass laboratory equipment would probably have rubber stoppers of all diameters with nipples thru them. Or just take a cork of the right diameter to fit your kettle and bore a hole thru the center just big enough for a small diameter copper tube from a hardware store.

Frunobulax · Feb 10, 2016

Hurricane Jack said:
A place that sells glass laboratory equipment would probably have rubber stoppers of all diameters with nipples thru them. Or just take a cork of the right diameter to fit your kettle and bore a hole thru the center just big enough for a small diameter copper tube from a hardware store.

Also brewery supplies.

TheDane · Feb 10, 2016

Made this some years ago:

It's made out of a thin sheet of copper, shaped as a cone funnel with a little copper wire soldered around both ends to make it more rigid and stable.

I used a piece from a sheet 4" wide - which became the length of the funnel. I formed it over a broom stick and widened one end. A few alligator clips held sheet and wire in place while soldering - which wasn't done anywhere close to nice ... but it works!

The sheet was about 0.1 mm thick - I would recommend between 0.1 and 0.2 mm (42 to 35 SWG). The 4" length is okay, but an inch or two more wouldn't hurt

Hurricane Jack · Feb 11, 2016

Now that's interesting, Ole. If you buy a bottle of Strananhan's Colorado Whiskey it comes with this tin cap to cover the cork. I never knew what to do with the darn things!

TheDane · Feb 11, 2016

Hurricane Jack said:
Now that's interesting, Ole. If you buy a bottle of Strananhan's Colorado Whiskey it comes with this tin cap to cover the cork. I never knew what to do with the darn things!

There you go, Jack! If we never had a good excuse before ...

I didn't know that specific brand, but I wonder if the tube symbolizes the end of a fireman's hose?
http://www.stranahans.com/history.php

If you have a kettle, it'll fit over, it's an obvious solution

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