gave my vintage Stetson a naptha bath...

[BigDawgBarkin]

and now I wish I hadn't. It didn't appear dirty to begin with but there were two semi-circle spots around the tack stiches on the grosgrain ribbon that I was trying to to get out. I tried a cotton swab with alcohol first to no avail then I tried the wetting the whole ribbon trick - that didn't work either so into the bucket of naptha it went. When it came out there was no appreciable difference in the spots and the hat shrunk. Now instead of fitting perfectly it fits pretty tight. Any ideas on how to loosen it up besides getting a hat stretcher? I will say the liner does look a little brighter. I also thought the felt looked lighter but my wife says it doesn't so it's probably just psychological. The ribbon also looks a little duller but that could be psychological as well. If you have any "light" stretching tips send them my way!

BDB

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Sounds like what happens to all my shirts at the dry cleaners. :eusa_doh:

Did you try steaming your hat over the tea kettle? Sounds counter-intuitive, but I've gotten hats mostly back to their original shape just by steaming them, and then letting them cool off - nothing else.

Joel

 

[deanglen]

I've drenched a hat in plain old warm water and pushed it down onto an upside down plastic sand pail to bring back the room I needed inside after it had shrunk. Improvisation: An American art form.

dean

 

[ideaguy]

ergo the name of my company: AD HOC

 

[RBH]

You really cant go wrong with one of these for around 20 bucks.

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/6355/hatstretcher150rs8.gif" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" /></a>

 

[deanglen]

ergo the name of my company: AD HOC

NOW I get it! Very Good, M!

dean

 

[Pilgrim]

One option is to spray water on the crown base and hatband, jam it on your head for an hour and let your noggin stretch it out. May not be the most comfortable option - but it has worked for me before.

Dean's option may work - but do consider buying a hat stretcher. It's such a good basic tool that no one who owns a number of felt hats should be without one. Mine is almost constantly in use tweaking one hat or another. i've considered buying another.

 

[deanglen]

One option is to spray water on the crown base and hatband, jam it on your head for an hour and let your noggin stretch it out. May not be the most comfortable option - but it has worked for me before.

Dean's option may work - but do consider buying a hat stretcher. It's such a good basic tool that no one who owns a number of felt hats should be without one. Mine is almost constantly in use tweaking one hat or another. i've considered buying another.

He's right, a stretcher is the best!

dean

 

[aliados]

Another vote for a hat stretcher. It's a necessity, sort of like shoe tees. I find that most hats shrink slightly over time, especially when wet. After one has been thoroughly soaked, if I let it dry with the stretcher in place (set to the size I know is perfect for me), the hat fits perfectly once it's dried.

 

[BigDawgBarkin]

A stretcher it shall be then! It has loosened a little from me wearing it, but it's still not back to it's pre-naptha bath fit yet.

BDB

 

[RBH]

A stretcher it shall be then! It has loosened a little from me wearing it, but it's still not back to it's pre-naptha bath fit yet.

BDB

You wont regret it. Be sure to get one that is the right size, the first one I picked up was to small. You will need one that lets out to a bigger size than you wear.

 

[Kevin Popejoy]

Regarding the hat stretcher, it's really a requirement if you do much renovation and cleaning. The naphtha bath will normally cause some shrinkage. Sometimes that's a good thing if your hat is a bit too big. I picked up a very nice antique stretcher with a beautiful patina for not much money. I'm a 7 3/8 and I bought a size 7 stretcher which is about right. It allows me to buy 7 1/4 hats and get them up to size. I haven't tried it on one smaller than that...not sure that would be a good idea...shrug. You should be sure and use a leather treatment (pecard's or lexol) on the leather sweat after the naphtha bath and before stretching. I fold the sweat out and treat the back unfinished side. I also place a strip of heavy paper like poster paper inside the hat when I fold the sweat back in for stretching. That protects the felt and liner from soaking up any excess leather treatment. Maybe not really necessary but a good practice I think. Steam or dampen the hat before you put it on the stretcher and try not to over shoot when you put on the pressure. It's a bit frustrating when you stretch one too big...been there. Not really a problem if you do however. The lamp shade trick will correct it. Ain't felt cool?

Kevin