My hat stiffening project

[TommySalieri]

I was hesitant to work on my current set of hats, thinking that I would somehow ruin them.

Growing tired of the flimsy look of my hats and after seeing other Loungers with their hard-as-a-rock lids, I took it upon myself to add a little life to my hats. Here are the results.

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=552048737

Unfortunately, the Barclay is so old that it couldn't handle the work. The sweatband came apart and snapped.

 

[DanielJones]

I dig on the green one Tommy. Very nice! What is the hat maker on that one?

Cheers!

Dan

 

[TommySalieri]

It's a Barclay. I could never find anything else like it. Judging from the interior, it's probably from the 40's. But that's just my uneducated guess. lol

Edit: A little help on tracking down the year of production and assistance on determining the hat's quality would be much appreciated. lol

 

[Fedora]

What type of stiffener did you use? Fedora

 

[TommySalieri]

I just sprayed it with hairspray.

 

[Fedora]

I just sprayed it with hairspray.

Lacquer. Now, that stuff works ok if applied lightly. If you use it too much, or apply periodically to keep the felt stiff, you will have a felt that looks and feels like cardboard. I found this out on my own, then mentioned it to JW of JW Hats and he confirmed it. Do not use hairspray. Get yourself a can of Scouts. Your felt will thank you, and you won't eventually ruin a good hat. What will take out lacquer? Lacquer thinner, but your felt will suddenly shrink up like an appendage in ice water. Fedora

 

[BellyTank]

Won't the effect of Hairspray be more on the surface- the nap of the felt, rather than the desried effect of stiffener, which is probably more one of penetrating the 'stuff' of the felt and in doing so, adding substance?

How does the felt brush-up with the hairspray..?

B
T

 

[Fedora]

Won't the effect of Hairspray be more on the surface- the nap of the felt, rather than the desried effect of stiffener, which is probably more one of penetrating the 'stuff' of the felt and in doing so, adding substance?

If you spray shellac, or lacquer on a felt hat, it will sit on top of the nap somewhat, depending on how long or short the nap is. On real smooth felt, there will be some abosortion. If you are using a shellac based formula, it really helps to rub it into the felt before it can dry. Hair spray, or lacquer is very fast drying. I seldom use stiffner, but I buy mine by the gallon. I am particularly fond of Proberts, that was made in the UK, but almost impossible to find today, probably due to hazardous chemical not being allowed on mail flights. The directions on the jug said for a light stiffening to just spray it on. If you are looking to get the hat cowboy stiff in the brim area, brush it on with a paint brush. I can attest that brushing it on will give you a brim stiff enough to repel small boulders. The felt suffers non the worse, where lacquer would give you a cardboad appearing hat if you used this amount. Never use hair spray unless you are gonna do it just once, and lightly apply. There are far better alternives. Fedora

 

[jamespowers]

Stiffener is massaged into the core(center) of a vintage hat body. You really shouldn't have to use stiffener if there is enough stiffener left in the hat body. All you have to do is hit it with enough steam to revive the stiffener and that should do the job. Only if you want it stiff as a board should you use excess stiffener. I suppose it depends on the original manufacturer and how much stiffener was in the original hat body though. [huh]

Regards,

J

 

[TommySalieri]

Prior to applying hairspray, I attempted to stiffen both hats by steaming them. It worked on the brown hat to a certain extent but it then quickly lost it's shape after a month or so. On top of that, there was one side of the brim that refused to stay up when the front of the brim was snapped downwards. Needless to say, it looked quite goofy and sloppy. The green one was just way too old. Whatever original stiffeners that were present on the hat were almost non existant. Unfortunately, the leather sweatband snapped from the steaming. :eusa_doh:

The brown hat is cardboard-like in terms of hardness but the felt is just as smooth as ever. The same goes for the Barclay. I probably won't be using hairspray again anytime soon but I suppose, like all things, it's good in moderation.

 

[jamespowers]

Sounds like it is time for a reblock if it is getting that hard to keep the shape. A professional cleaning and reblock will stiffen it up---likely without stiffener added. If not this time then the next time they start looking wonky.

Regards,

J

 

[DanielJones]

It's a Barclay. I could never find anything else like it. Judging from the interior, it's probably from the 40's. But that's just my uneducated guess. lol

Well it's a great lookng hat Tommy. Would love to see a picture of it paired with an outfit to see how it works.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Twitch]

Someone here mentioned that spray-on Scotchguard will stiffen them too.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Someone here mentioned that spray-on Scotchguard will stiffen them too.

I thought that stuff was banned by the EPA. Man, I used it all the time.