Altering a felt or fur hat's color?

[Doc Glockster]

Some weeks ago while in Tombstone Arizona I bought a Serratelli hat with a telescope crown and a stiff flat brim. In the store, the hat looked like a dark charcoal gray, almost black.

When I got it home, though, and got it out in the sunlight, the color was more of a "blue gray".
(Serratelli listed the color as "granite").

Obviously, I'm not going to drive all the way back to Tombstone to try and return it. I really love the hat's shape and I'm totally satisfied with the stiff flat brim. I just don't care for the color.

Is there a way to dye or otherwise alter the color of the felt without major disassembly of the hat or otherwise ruining the blocking and shaping of the hat?

Really at this point I've actually considered spray-painting it black or something.

 

[gtdean48]

Heard of folks using Rit dye but that means tearing out sweat, liner, hatband & soaking the felt body. Nothing less intrusive...

 

[great white]

Some weeks ago while in Tombstone Arizona I bought a Serratelli hat with a telescope crown and a stiff flat brim. In the store, the hat looked like a dark charcoal gray, almost black.

When I got it home, though, and got it out in the sunlight, the color was more of a "blue gray".
(Serratelli listed the color as "granite").

Obviously, I'm not going to drive all the way back to Tombstone to try and return it. I really love the hat's shape and I'm totally satisfied with the stiff flat brim. I just don't care for the color.

Is there a way to dye or otherwise alter the color of the felt without major disassembly of the hat or otherwise ruining the blocking and shaping of the hat?

Really at this point I've actually considered spray-painting it black or something.

I'm no expert, but "spray painting" sure doesn't sound like a good solution.

you might get away with a spray on fabric dye. I've seen it used on items like vehicle carpets and whatnot.

Best be prepared to toss the hat away if going that way though.....you may very well end up with a ruined mess.

 

[TheDane]

In the first place it's hard to get the felt dyed all the way through the body. Some suppliers even do it under pressure to secure total soaking. Note, that dying is done before stiffening - after stiffening it's even harder to get the felt soaked - so de-stiffening would very likely be necessary before dyeing. Dyeing of felt is done at pretty high temperatures - often beyond 140F - so you'll probably also have to block, iron, pounce and stiffen the hat after dying. A trip to Tombstone may actually be the easy way to get another color.

 

[Mystic]

Hey, Doc

I understand personal dissatisfaction with a feature of a hat that most people wouldn't think a big deal.

If the hat hasn't been worn much, hasn't been damaged and is recently purchased. Perhaps, Serrateilli will let you return the hat via mail for a credit on another hat of the same model in a different color.

Wouldn't hurt to inquire before spray painting a new hat.