Easing a Snap Brim's Break

Hi all!

Can anyone help me? I have a Bailey snap brim "Gangster", and the brim "snap" seems a bit exaggerated in front. Is there anything i can do? I could live with it, but if it's possible, I'd rather ease it a bit. Thanks!

Are you saying it snaps down too far? With enough wear, it will soften up and ease on its own, but you can always hit the brim with a little steam from the tea kettle and work it to where you want it.

Brad

Brad's right. Here's the trick:

Pop the brim UP all around and then use steam or water (water takes longer to realize results but gives me better control) to soften the felt. Then actually manipulate the bowl shaped brim to be a little flatter, especially in front. You'll be pushing down on the brim to try to take some of the flange out of it and attempting to increase the outside radius of the brim some. Might take a few passes with the steam and then placing the hat on the counter to work the brim. The less it is UP when you do this process, the less it will snap down once it cools/dries.

HarpPlayerGene said:

Brad's right. Here's the trick:

Pop the brim UP all around and then use steam or water (water takes longer to realize results but gives me better control) to soften the felt. Then actually manipulate the bowl shaped brim to be a little flatter, especially in front. You'll be pushing down on the brim to try to take some of the flange out of it and attempting to increase the outside radius of the brim some. Might take a few passes with the steam and then placing the hat on the counter to work the brim. The less it is UP when you do this process, the less it will snap down once it cools/dries.

Click to expand...

Sweet! I thought it might be something like that, but I wanted to make sure before I started doing anything. My thanks to both of you gentlemen!

OK then, I want to do the opposite

How about this:
I have several federations that I "bashed" myself (is that still the in word for styling the crown?). Anyway, the brims came rather flat and I want more snap down in the front and up in the back (similar to the way the brims on my Akubra Fedora and Sydney came).

The reason is that when I'm wearing the hats the brim is barely snapped down and may not stay that way, at which time the hat makes me look like Art carney on the Honeymooners.

Thanks,
Mark

You can do this fairly easily yourself using a clothes iron with steam, spray starch, and a good, heavy-duty ironing board.

First, make sure the iron has no rusty water in it, and the face plate is free of any rust or starch build-up.

Fill up the iron with distilled water. Never use tap water because it may leave residue in the iron as well as what you iron. Adjust the heat setting on the iron to just get into the steam zone, which is usually about 3/4 to 4/5 the way, often labelled cotton, but not all the way to linen, the hottest setting. Let it heat up fully.

Next, lay the hat flat on the ironing board and go all around the brim to get it impregnated with hot steam. Spray a light coat of the starch into it right away while the felt is still hot and moist and steam-press it in all the way around. Be careful to not let the iron touch the ribbon--which is often rayon and will literally melt--and move quickly so that the steam does not linger over the leather sweatband beneath.

"But this is flattening the brim, the opposite of what I want to do!" you're probably screaming about now. Bear with me; we're not done. You need starch in all of the brim for it to have any snap.

Pick up the hat with your weak hand and place it so that only the part of the brim you want to shape is on the board.


For the front brim to be bent down, only that part would be on the board while the rest of the hat is held in one hand off the edge, tilted down towards the floor, and press down on the brim with the fingers of your strong hand until the brim is at the angle you want it.

Pick up the can of spray starch and shoot a bit more into the front of the brim, and then use the iron snorting steam to press firmly down on the brim.

To angle the rear brim up, turn the hat around and upside down, and do the same thing.

Then hang the hat on a knob so that the brim is not touching anything and let it dry completely before handling or wearing.

You can do this without starch, but the brim won't stay in place long, as it's the starch that does that and gives all hat brims their snap. More starch means more snap, so do this a time or two more if you want more rigidity, but don't try to put all the starch in in one step because it's much harder to get out than put in if you over-do it.

This will work fine. I've done it many times.

This is the weirdest thread in the history of The Fedora Lounge since I've started reading it.

HEY BARTENDER!!!

Our friends in the bartender corps will clean this up.

They're kind of like the "Men in Black". Zap, and it all disappears.

johnnyphi said:

Our friends in the bartender corps will clean this up.

They're kind of like the "Men in Black". Zap, and it all disappears.

Click to expand...

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap there's a few threads needing cleaning.

I never thought of using starch, I use hat stiffener, but whatever snaps your brim....

Where are those bartenders with the snazzy little diddly-whopper with the bright light?

No personal attacks guys... I've deleted some posts and am asking you all to keep this on topic from turning into a battle royale

Vintage and modern hats use felt stiffener, many times you can find vintage hats that are a bit cardboard while other times you can find ones that are as pliable as a soft blanket with a memory that takes the back into position... anywho, the brim curl (snap) that you want less of has to be stretched out of it a bit and that means loosening it by hand if you don't want to take it to a hatter or take the chance of doing your own steam work.

carter said:

The Bailey Gangster has so much stiffiner in it that you can esily soften it up by working the brim vigorously back and forth (up and down) by hand. You definitely will not need more stiffiner of any kind. Steam will make this easier.

I bought one years ago and did this while watching TV. Don't worry, you won't hurt it.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I think that I have enough confidence now to get started!