Ever Iron the Brim ???

[akaBruno]

I'm thinking about trying this...

"If a hat brim's floppy with no body, here's the secret: spray starch and an iron. You can't do the crown, but you can flatten a brim, stiffen it and shape it the way you want it. Be careful: If your iron's too hot, you can scorch or burn the felt. This requires a soft touch, and sometimes the starch is sticky, so I use a tea-towel as a press cloth."

Picked that hint up here-->> http://www.westernhorseman.com/stories/03202006/per_20060320004.shtml

BRUNO

 

[aliados]

Ironing hats

I've ironed felts and straws both -- with a handerkerchief between the iron and hat, loow setting for panamas, wool setting for felt.

And I've ironed the CROWN on a panama, as well (using a piece of cardoard as a templace, turning a fedora crwon into a flat-topped optimo . . .

 

[J.B.]

What I've Found...

"If a hat brim's floppy with no body, here's the secret: spray starch and an iron. You can't do the crown, but you can flatten a brim, stiffen it and shape it the way you want it. Be careful: If your iron's too hot, you can scorch or burn the felt. This requires a soft touch, and sometimes the starch is sticky, so I use a tea-towel as a press cloth."

I have done this three times using the above-mentioned technique. The tea-towel is the perfect "buffer" and leaves a minimum of residue on the brim -- but I recommend you keep the actual contact time of the iron to an absolute minimum!!

It will not, however, restore a brim to its original form unless you are doing the technique with the hat on a true brim-flange. So, unless you are seeking a "Boss of the Plains" or an "Amish" type flat brim style -- you will need to keep the crown moderately tilted, quickly iron several inches, move the tea-towel, roll forward, iron several more inches, move the tea-towel, etc. (I'm sure it's quite a "visual" for an uninitiated observer?!)

Do not under any circumstances use a terrycloth towel as a buffer for this adventure! ...Unless you delight in picking tiny pieces of towel residue off your brim for several hours!

This technique works well if you use Scout Felt Hat Stiffener according to directions beforehand -- (but this is not necessary). The real trick is finding a point low enough on your iron's temperature control that will allow steam to just begin exiting the iron's plate without getting too hot to scorch the material beneath. Sometimes you will just have to pass entirely on the steam in favor of having a low temperature so that you aren't rushing through the process like a fool.

The technique is primitive but effective in removing that nasty deforming "ripple" that occurs over time on heavily used raw-edge felt hat brims.

 

[akaBruno]

Thanks guys.

BRUNO