Brim "shaping"?

[T Smith]

Now that I've aquired a few fedoras I'm starting to look at all the styles of brims, bashes, creases, etc. So far all of my lids have 2 1/4" - 2 1/2" brims and I notice that they naturally want to curl up all the way around and when I put them on I must "shape" the front of the brim like I want it. Can I steam the brim or something for it to maintain that shape? If so, how do I go about it?

 

[Sam Craig]

carefully

The answer to everything on a vintage hat is the same as how porcupines make love ... very carefully.

Are these wool or fur felt?

Bound or unbound brims?

Do the hats all fit appropriately? That is, are they comfortable, but not too snug?

If they are fur felt, steaming ... carefully ... or dampening with cold, clean water will work well. You need to let them set, if you use water, until they dry, or wear them in the desired shape.

Don't use steam on wool felt and be careful with water, but you can get some improvement with cold, clean water on the brim. Just don't over-do it.

What works best is to use more TLC than anything else, especially with older hats.

 

[T Smith]

To answer your questions

More details....


Hats fit properly

Fur Felt

Only unbound brims so far

And these are new hats, nothing vintage so far. My Dobbs Golden Coach is not new but I don't think it is old enough to be considered vintage. I have a supposedly 50's Stetson on the way that may be considered vintage?

 

[jimmy the lid]

Now that I've aquired a few fedoras I'm starting to look at all the styles of brims, bashes, creases, etc. So far all of my lids have 2 1/4" - 2 1/2" brims and I notice that they naturally want to curl up all the way around and when I put them on I must "shape" the front of the brim like I want it. Can I steam the brim or something for it to maintain that shape? If so, how do I go about it?

Yes -- you absolutely can steam the brim to give it the desired shape. Here's a post I made some time ago on this topic, in case it helps. Of course, we can always discuss live and in person at Monteagle...

From time to time, I find that the front of the brim rides up a bit high and flat, and doesn't really swoop down the way I would like it to. Here's what I do:

1. First, you are going to need a source of steam and proximity to a mirror -- all at once!

2. I have a hand-held steamer, so I make a few passes around the underside of the brim (keeping the steam away from the sweatband), as well as the topside of the brim -- just the front part of the hat. I use just enough steam for the felt to soften a bit -- but not enough for the brim to really lose its shape and become droopy.

3. Once I have done the steam, I quickly put the hat on my head in front of a mirror. Then I take both hands and grab both sides of the brim, just above my ears. Fingers are flat and extended on top of the brim. Thumbs are fully extended under the brim. Using light pressure, grip the brim between the extended fingers on top and the extended thumbs underneath (forming a kind of vise across the brim).

4. Now, in one smooth motion, simply slide both hands toward the front of the hat (each hand travels from the ear to halfway around the front of the brim on either side). While you are doing this, you are looking at the hat in the mirror and swooping the brim just as you would like to have it. I generally repeat the sweep of the hands around the brim two or three times to kind of train the felt.

5. If the brim isn't quite where you want it, then repeat the process. I find that, after a couple of times, the brim swoops perfectly. And, because you have shaped the brim while looking at yourself in the mirror, you have shaped it just the way you want it to look.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[T Smith]

Great information in your post, just what I was looking for, thanks a million!

Of course, we can always discuss live and in person at Monteagle...

I'm gonna hold you to that!!!

 

[Sam Craig]

Jimmy

Great advice, and well laid out, too.

The hand steamers can be available in discount stores, or a good old tea kettle, the type where the spout can be left open, show up at thrift stores and usually aren't too expensive, though the suggestion about the mirror is a good one, and the tea kettle ties to to the kitchen.

Still, I've steams many hats with just an old steam kettle.

Either one is a good investment.

 

[KY_RudeBoy]

That's a great Step-By-Step on how to shape a brim. It's good to see that I've been doing it right.
So far, shaping the brim has been a fun part of getting a new hat.
Thanks!

 

[Sam Craig]

crown too

It's also a blast to figure out what bash you'll use.

 

[scottyrocks]

Im gonna pipe up for the spray bottle crowd. Put some room temp distilled water in a good spray bottle, and shpritz (3 or 4 squeezes do it for me) the area you want to shape until its completely covered with water. Then shape using steps three and four from above.

Mold it into shape, and set it down to dry. If youre doing the brim, make sure its sitting on something that will allow the brim to be suspended in the air so t will retain the shape youve just given it (I use a fez). Its that simple. And with water, you have way less of a chance of overheating your hat and shrinking it.

I generally do this at night before bed so that its ready to wear in the morning.

 

[jimmy the lid]

And with water, you have way less of a chance of overheating your hat and shrinking it.

Using the method I outlined above, the chances of overheating and shrinking the hat are zero.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[hatsandcanes]

Hello all,
I bought this hat a few months ago and after wearing a few times a week, I noticed the brim became wavy. I usually like to wear my fedora with the brim up but it does look a little odd with all the waves. It has not been in any rain. What can I do to smooth the outer un-bound brim?

Thanks much,
Randy

 

[hatsandcanes]

Also, I am a long time hat wearer and have many modern and vintage fur fedoras. I also have other Stetsons but have never had a wavy brim like this one. The pictures really don’t show how uneven and wavy the outer brim is.
Much thanks!

 

[Hurricane Jack]

View attachment 160486 View attachment 160487 Hello all,
I bought this hat a few months ago and after wearing a few times a week, I noticed the brim became wavy. I usually like to wear my fedora with the brim up but it does look a little odd with all the waves. It has not been in any rain. What can I do to smooth the outer un-bound brim?

Thanks much,
Randy

Since it has not been in any rain it looks like the flange has been pressed out of the brim, making the outer edge wavy. You might have to take it somewhere to have the brim reflanged. But try taking a padded pot holder like grandma used to make, from the kitchen. Soak about half the pot holder with boiled water so that the padding is holding plenty of water. You can soak it by dipping into the water after if has cooled a bit. Use a hot iron on a flat surface that you can iron on; I use a glass carousel plate from a microwave. Place the hat on the surface upright, keep the hotpad on the outer edge of the brim where it is wavy, & iron on top of the hotpad only, being careful not to iron off the pad or go too deep into the brim. This will put hot steam & some moisture down into the brim below the hot pad. If you iron too deep into the brim toward the crown you will iron out what flange is left. Iron all the way around the brim a few times, & it may take more than one session. You may no longer have enough flange in the brim to wear it snapped up but you should be able to remove the waves so the hat is presentable.

Hope this helps.

 

[belfastboy]

If Hurricane's suggestion does not work perhaps contact Humanshoes. He is a hat maker here on the lounge and he is located in your neck of the woods....well Tennessee at least. It would be a quick fix if you have the proper flange. I picked one up cheap on Ebay and it sure came in handy the few times I needed to correct a brim.

 

[hatsandcanes]

Since it has not been in any rain it looks like the flange has been pressed out of the brim, making the outer edge wavy. You might have to take it somewhere to have the brim reflanged. But try taking a padded pot holder like grandma used to make, from the kitchen. Soak about half the pot holder with boiled water so that the padding is holding plenty of water. You can soak it by dipping into the water after if has cooled a bit. Use a hot iron on a flat surface that you can iron on; I use a glass carousel plate from a microwave. Place the hat on the surface upright, keep the hotpad on the outer edge of the brim where it is wavy, & iron on top of the hotpad only, being careful not to iron off the pad or go too deep into the brim. This will put hot steam & some moisture down into the brim below the hot pad. If you iron too deep into the brim toward the crown you will iron out what flange is left. Iron all the way around the brim a few times, & it may take more than one session. You may no longer have enough flange in the brim to wear it snapped up but you should be able to remove the waves so the hat is presentable.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much. I will give this a try,

 

[scottyrocks]

One of my first hats was a Chatham that bought new in the early '80s.

And yes, the brim did not hold its shape very well after only a short time. It's like the flange just kind of disappeared.

What I used to do with that hat (and some others) was to steam the brim, put the hat on my head, put the undersides of my fingers on the bottom of the brim, push up so that my fingers pointed up, and run my hands from front to back. If you try this you will have to experiment with how far up you push and how close to the edge or brim break you put your hands.

What this did was recreate the curl in the brim so that it would regain its 'one swoop' nature, and it usually lasted for a while before I had to do it again.

As a caveat, I wore this hat, as I wear 99% of my hats, with the front of the brim pushed down. I don't know that my Chatham would lasted more than a few minutes with its brim up all around. For that I have the best luck with hats that have some sort of edging or binding on the brim.

 

[hatsandcanes]

One of my first hats was a Chatham that bought new in the early '80s.

And yes, the brim did not hold its shape very well after only a short time. It's like the flange just kind of disappeared.

What I used to do with that hat (and some others) was to steam the brim, put the hat on my head, put the undersides of my fingers on the bottom of the brim, push up so that my fingers pointed up, and run my hands from front to back. If you try this you will have to experiment with how far up you push and how close to the edge or brim break you put your hands.

What this did was recreate the curl in the brim so that it would regain its 'one swoop' nature, and it usually lasted for a while before I had to do it again.

As a caveat, I wore this hat, as I wear 99% of my hats, with the front of the brim pushed down. I don't know that my Chatham would lasted more than a few minutes with its brim up all around. For that I have the best luck with hats that have some sort of edging or binding on the brim.

Thanks Scotty, I will give that a try!