My poor Stetson Sovereign

[Bebop]

I "won" a Sovereign twenty that was soft, pliable and a pleasure to touch from ebay and sent it to my local hatter to get it reblocked and cleaned. Yesterday my wife picked it up and when I opened the box I was insulted by a hat that was as stiff as any new Stetson cowboy hat :cry: . I did not want to have stiffener applied to the hat. I did not even think I would have to tell this guy that but I guess I should have. I am not that experienced with hatters. Is this a normal thing to do when reblocking a hat? Why do they stiffen a hat when not requested to do so?

 

[Matt Deckard]

It's the hatter. I've had that happen too with the random local hatter. They usually know little about hats. Unless he is a custom hatter with experience with dress hats, he or she usually is working in alien territory when it comes to soft felt dress hats.
They are different!

 

[riccardo]

...at least you've an hatter in your town...

Hi.
Riccardo.

 

[jamespowers]

Hmm... The Sovereign was a homburg or a fedora?
I have seen some hats stiffen up when they are cleaned and reblocked due to the reactivation of the stiffener at the core of the felt but they were not cowboy hat stiff. The only hat that will do that is the Akubra but maybe not as stiff as a modern cowboy hat.
Do you think he added extra stiffener on top of that? I am sure that would have made it very stiff.
My bad experience was with a Whippet that ended up coming out lavender and smelling to high heaven of cleaning fluid. It started out gray and I have worn it very little after that. PU! :kick:

Regards to all,


J

 

[Sefton]

Now that is sad. Sorry for your loss. Have you tried anything yet in the way of breaking down the stiffener, say like repeatedly hitting your hatter over the head with it?

 

[Bebop]

Now that is sad. Sorry for your loss. Have you tried anything yet in the way of breaking down the stiffener, say like repeatedly hitting your hatter over the head with it?

What a great way of softening the hat. I will put it on his head and smash it until it is just right.
This is a fedora not a homburg. It did smell of something like dry cleaning. I have not talked to this hatter yet. I just wanted to confront him with some information to back me up. I guess it could of stiffened up during the cleaning. I wonder if there is something I could do to soften it up without having to send it to another hatter.