Forming a "paper straw"

[donCarlos]

I just bought a very nice straw hat, made of something they call "paper straw".

From the name, I guess it will be even more vulnerable to water than regular straw. Does anyone have any experience with this material?

Why I need it? The hat is supposed to have snap brim, but the brim snaps up randomly - it´s just not heavy or stiff enough. It would surely help if I wet it just a little on the sides and let it dry in the desired position.

But I´m afraid that I´ll ruin the hat by even closing it to water. The material seems just too "paper like".

What do you think?


P.S.: I love pictures in threads, so...

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

That's an interesting hat. Works on you.

If it were mine, I'd get the ol' tea kettle going BUT rather than really bathing that hat in the steam flow, I'd just pass the front brim through the steam quickly and coax it into shape. I'd do it again if it hadn't fully taken to it on the first quick pass. Sneaking up on it, y'know, without really exposing it to harsh heat or water vapor. I'd treat it like it were my own hand and as if I wanted to feel some heat and moisture but not nearly enough to burn me. I'd allow plenty of time between passes and tweaks for it to cool and dry and to see if it has set. My instinct is that the hat will cooperate very easily due to its make-up.

NOW, I do not own such a hat and have not done what I have written. It is merely what I would try - and I would try it at risk of wilting the hat.