reducing a hat size by 2cm

[dragonaxe]

would 'tape' be capable of reducing internal circumference by 2cm?

the one im thinking of is 61cm and im a 59cm.

or is there a better way of reducing it?

 

[Rick Blaine]

Lampshade trick... if you can still find an incandescent bulb, that is.

 

[rlk]

would 'tape' be capable of reducing internal circumference by 2cm?

the one im thinking of is 61cm and im a 59cm.

or is there a better way of reducing it?

You may get it to stay on your head but the base width of the crown's exterior will be wider than your head and so look too large(which it is). A re-block is the only way to do it properly and proportionally.

 

[danofarlington]

You may get it to stay on your head but the base width of the crown's exterior will be wider than your head and so look too large(which it is). A re-block is the only way to do it properly and proportionally.

I don't know. It seems to me that using sizing tape to take a hat down on the interior by a little bit, would be absolutely imperceptible from the oustide.

 

[rlk]

I don't know. It seems to me that using sizing tape to take a hat down on the interior by a little bit, would be absolutely imperceptible from the oustide.

Doesn't matter-its still proportionally too wide for the head with or without the tape-its not the tape that does it(though it can also make a slight bulge at the band on thin felts).
Stuffing only the front and back will lessen the oval width a bit from the front view. 1 size is possible- 2 and the hat is usually out of proportion for the face.

 

[danofarlington]

Doesn't matter-its still proportionally too wide for the head with or without the tape-its not the tape that does it(though it can also make a slight bulge at the band on thin felts).

Maybe so, I can't say. I have hats one size too large and I don't notice anything disporportional. Two sizes too big, may create a problem, but I am skeptical. The degree of being too large is just a smidgeon. I can't believe it would be noticeable. I don't really know, but that is my guess.

 

[dragonaxe]

what classifies as one size...7 1\4 to 7 1\2?

 

[Mulceber]

I agree with what's been said above: 2 cm may seem like "just a smidgeon" to you, but it's two hat sizes. I'm a 7 1/2, and I know that a 7 1/4 would be way too small, and a 7 3/4 would be way too big! -M

 

[danofarlington]

what classifies as one size...7 1\4 to 7 1\2?

Yes, or one centimeter up.

Again, I really don't know. But let's do a thought experiment: Imagine two guys going into a hat store, and one guy tries on hats of different sizes which are altered by tape to fit the head on the inside, while the other guy guesses what centimeter the hat is, or at least "right" or "too big." Naturally we couldn't go lower in size, because that would be obvious. I'm just saying that the guy guessing the hat sizes, would be hard pressed to identify the right size and the sizes that are too big.

I'm just arguing that you wouldn't notice the difference unless it was many sizes too large. And if you can't notice it, it doesn't matter.

 

[Lefty]

7 1/4 to 7 1/2 is 2 hat sizes. 7 1/4 to 7 3/8 is one hat size.

My regular size is 7 1/2, but I've got hats that are 7 3/8, 7 1/2lo, 7 5/8, 7 3/4, and 7 3/4lo. If I like it and I can make it stay on my head, I wear it.

 

[rlk]

Oval dim's of the hat, tapering of the crown and width of your head and face will all effect chances of acceptability. Never hurts to try and see how it looks.

 

[scottyrocks]

Ive never been able to make a 61 looks like it fits my 59 head. Too much padding. Looks like Im 10 wearing my dad's hat. One size up? Yes, but not always. A new hat will most likely shrink down, but not two full sizes. YMMV.

 

[danofarlington]

Ive never been able to make a 61 looks like it fits my 59 head. Too much padding. Looks like Im 10 wearing my dad's hat. One size up? Yes, but not always. A new hat will most likely shrink down, but not two full sizes. YMMV.

I am hoping a master hatter can make it work. I ordered a hat that was already made for someone else, a couple of sizes too big, from a hat shop, and it should arrive in a month or so. I am hoping that hatmakers can engineer the hat somehow so it won't look big. It will fit on the inside, I am sure. So I went into it assuming the look of it won't be obviously too big. I'm not that worried about it, but we shall see.

 

[Mulceber]

Oh I'm sure a master hatter could make it work - without much difficulty in fact. We're just saying the lampshade trick wouldn't work for 2 cm. -M

 

[Undertow]

Yes, one size down can be cheated with tape. Anything else will look wrong, period. Even one size can look strange until the hat naturally shrinks.

 

[dragonaxe]

yeah that's the conclusion I came to.
It was a grey Biltmore on ebay (went for £16 + £5 postage). very tempting but I always figure, if I had reservations about an ebay item...then its better to let it go and wait for a really special item to turn up

 

[zetwal]

[...] I always figure, if I had reservations about an ebay item...then its better to let it go and wait for a really special item to turn up

Yes, and go ahead and get the correct size as well ...

 

[dragonaxe]

either that or find a head enlarger

 

[danofarlington]

either that or find a head enlarger

Overmuch praise accomplishes that easily.