Reshaping the brim

[dixharp]

Apols if this has been gone through before. I have a Brixton Hats Bison pork pie .. http://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/Brixton...-Grey-P138912/ - which started life with a raised brim all round the edge (see link if you can). I then snapped down the front, and eventually ironed the entire brim flat to give it a fedora look. But it doesnt really work as it's quite a soft brim and needs the upturn round the edge to keep it stiff. Can anyone suggest how i can put the upturn back in, all the way round, so it looks nice and even (and not all lumpy like it does if i do it with my fingers..)?
and why do all the references to using water say it must be distilled???

[1961MJS]

...
and why do all the references to using water say it must be distilled???

Hi, well I know this part. Distilled water has fewer impurities in it, therefore when it dries it won't leave a water ring like on a bar top, wooden end table etc. If you spray your hat with hard water it will leave what resemble sweat rings.

Later

[The Wiser Hatter]

This hat is 100% wool which means it can not be reshaped successfully. A wool hat has its shape set at the factory by a hydraulic press and once set does not take to reshaping well. Normally a brim form in used to make a smooth brim form.

A piece of cloth is placed over the hat brim in this form the the sand bag weight is placed on the hat and let too sit.

As Mike says water may contain minerals which can discolor your hat.

But on these are for FUR felt hats not WOOL felt hats. That is why most here wear Fur and not Wool.

[dixharp]

harrrumph. i think i'll just turn it into an attractive plant-pot holder then.. many thanks for yr prompt and most helpful replies. At least the hat in my profile pic is fur felt.. so i'm not that much of an amateur! but now i know for the future.
maybe wool explains why the brim is so soft and floppy and i keep having to try and starch it from time to time.

[gtdean48]

Have you tried ironing it over the edge of an ironing board to cup the brim edge the way you want it?

[1961MJS]

Hi

You can read this in 16 places at this site minimum, but don't wear a wool hat in the rain. They SHRINK A LOT. Emphasis. Ask me how I know? I HAD a British WW@ bush hat (replica) that I can't wear anymore because it got SOAKED.

later

[John in Covina]

harrrumph. i think i'll just turn it into an attractive plant-pot holder then.. many thanks for yr prompt and most helpful replies. At least the hat in my profile pic is fur felt.. so i'm not that much of an amateur! but now i know for the future.
maybe wool explains why the brim is so soft and floppy and i keep having to try and starch it from time to time.

There is hat stiffener used on cowboy hats, comes in a spray can and is a type of shelac. A hat that has shelac in it as a stiffener can be reactivated with moist heat sometimes, but the spray can will do the job. The stiffener actually shatters overtime so that is why it gets redone.

Don't know if it will work on wool. Go with fur felt next time if you can.

[dixharp]

I'll try the ironing board thing at the weekend... but i think this one's destined for the Oxfam shop (dont tell the missus). I have a suspicion the shellac stuff my only be available Stateside..
and yes, i'm a fur felt man from now on. Thanks for putting me straight.

[A bomb]

My first hat was wool. It got drenched one day and shrunk, but oddly, it wasn't the felt. Instead, it was the hat band that got smaller. I removed the band, rewet and restreched the hat and sewed a new band on.

I have since reblocked a couple of fur felt hats. Seemed like I used gallons of hard, tap water and I never got one stain on either of my black or dark brown hats. To get a nice brim curl, first wet the brim generously. Then choose an appropriately sized metal spoon to help mold the brim. With the convex side of the spoon on top of the brim and your hand holding the brim from the bottom, drag the spoon in the direction from the outside edge to the crown, then back the opposite direction. This stretches the middle of the brim so the outside edge is smaller in circumference, so the brim curls. If the brim is a bit wavy when you're done, let it dry several hours at least. Usually the waves smooth out after drying completely. You might have to do this a few times to get the brim perfect.

To stiffen the brim, I sprayed the bottom of the brim with a mixture of water and alcohol. Then I sprayed it with a can of shellac. A light dusting with the shellac is all you need to give the brim some body. You can do the top of the brim to make it more stiff if you like, and the crown too, to give it a bit of weather resistance.

It can't hurt to try. Good luck.

[Lean'n'mean]

I've shaped many a brim, including wool felt,with good ole steam. A kettle is best as you can get a small concentrated gush of steam from the spout making it easier to control.