New member here, an introduction and questions...

[Bluesman61]

Hello all, my name is Jay and I just joined the forum today. I recently purchased my first Fedora back in January from Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans, LA. I bought a nice olive Biltmore and love it! However, at the time I knew nothing about felt hat care so I wore it out of the store and into the rain. Now from reading a few posts on here, I don't think that is a problem but I think that the sweatband may have shrunk slightly. Also, on the back of the hat I have the brim snapped up, but it is uneven from one side to the other. I'll post pics as soon as I am able to illustrate what I mean. My question is how to I get the bend to be uniform again? The felt seems to be lightweight and very soft so it doesn't tend to stay in the shape I want for very long. I have a jiffy steamer that I use for clothing so should I apply a little steam after setting it or spritz with cold water? Sorry for the long first post, but thanks in advance for any advice you can share. I look forward to getting to know you all better and learning more about this hobby, or should I say addiction?

Sincerely,
Jay

 

[zetwal]

I don't know the answer to your question but am happy to welcome you to the Lounge. It's good to have you on board.

 

[Bluesman61]

Thanks for the welcome zetwal!

 

[Cane Rod Maker]

Welcome to the Lounge

Bluesman,

Welcome to the lounge, enojy the stay, you'll like it here.

I am sort of new to this but might be able to help and I am sure there will be other responses to this post.

I would assume you got a fur felt, and yes, you should be able to expose it to the elements; and what I have been told is when wet/soaked, to set your wet hat on a white terri type towel and upside down, liner up, to allow it to dry; others might also suggest hanging it.

Not sure if it shrunk, someone else might field that one.....my understanding is fur will not shrink; now I don't know if perhaps the sweat itself may have shrunk...? None the less, you can get a hat jack from Harbor frieght's web site for 6.99 however the cost to ship is an equal amount.

Put the jack in the hat and slowly open it up against the sweat; give it a few days and try it on again; if still tight, put the jack back in and open it back up to where it was, and then crank it open a tad more and let it sit. It may shrink back at some point; if so repeat. You can also leave the jack in the hat; I do that with 2 of mien.

The uneven brim, you should be able to apply steam to the hat and while plyable, shape the brim; as to make it how you want it; my understanding is do not over apply steam; others might be able to better answer as well as to why that could pose a problem...

Hope it helps.

Tim

Hello all, my name is Jay and I just joined the forum today. I recently purchased my first Fedora back in January from Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans, LA. I bought a nice olive Biltmore and love it! However, at the time I knew nothing about felt hat care so I wore it out of the store and into the rain. Now from reading a few posts on here, I don't think that is a problem but I think that the sweatband may have shrunk slightly. Also, on the back of the hat I have the brim snapped up, but it is uneven from one side to the other. I'll post pics as soon as I am able to illustrate what I mean. My question is how to I get the bend to be uniform again? The felt seems to be lightweight and very soft so it doesn't tend to stay in the shape I want for very long. I have a jiffy steamer that I use for clothing so should I apply a little steam after setting it or spritz with cold water? Sorry for the long first post, but thanks in advance for any advice you can share. I look forward to getting to know you all better and learning more about this hobby, or should I say addiction?

Sincerely,
Jay

 

[John in Covina]

Up at the top of this Hat section are some "stickies" one contains a good amount of info on fur felts and will give you insights as to the proper care and handling.

Fur felt varies in quality and can at some levels be adversely affected if soaked by rain. Some hats may need a reblocking to regain their shape. If a felt is floppy you might consider using Cowboy hat stiffener spray to shape and hold it.

 

[RBH]

Welcome to the Lounge!
John said it .. check out the stickies and get you some Scouts stiffener.

 

[Greyfox]

Welcome and enjoy the Lounge.:eusa_clap

 

[Bluesman61]

Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming! I'll be busily reading the stickies.

Jay

 

[johnnycanuck]

Good day Bluesman61 and welcome to the lounge. I own a Biltmore dress hat as well and have been cot in the rain. The sides curled up like a cowboy hat. I used a spritz bottle, got the brim damp again and man handled it back into shape. Keeping an eye on it while it dried to make sure it kept its shape.

If you want a hat that you can wear in any weather. I don't think Biltmore is great for that. If you want a Sunday/fair weather hat, it top notch.

If you want it stiffer you can buy scout felt stiffener. As for weather proofing you can try scotch guard spray.

My two cents worth.

Johnny

 

[Bluesman61]

Thanks Johnny! That's great insight and advice. I'll try spritzing the brim and reshaping.

Jay

 

[Bluesman61]

Tim,

We have a Harbor Freight here in Montgomery that I plan on visiting soon. Hopefully they will have the hat stretcher you mentioned. I do think that the sweatband might have shrunk slightly. I can still wear the hat comfortably, but it's just not exactly right you know?

Thanks for the reply,

Jay

 

[Cane Rod Maker]

Jay,

You're welcome. The strecher will come in handy for future lids.

Welcome to the addiction.....lol

Tim

Tim,

We have a Harbor Freight here in Montgomery that I plan on visiting soon. Hopefully they will have the hat stretcher you mentioned. I do think that the sweatband might have shrunk slightly. I can still wear the hat comfortably, but it's just not exactly right you know?

Thanks for the reply,

Jay

 

[TomS]

Hi there:
I'm can't offer any advice, as I'm new to hats/the forum as well. However, from one newbie to another *welocome*.
Best,
Tom

 

[Pilot99]

Hi there:
I'm can't offer any advice, as I'm new to hats/the forum as well. However, from one newbie to another *welocome*.
Best,
Tom

Ditto lol. Welcome to the forum!

 

[fluteplayer07]

Welcome to the Lounge! I don't have much advice for you, since everyone else pretty much covered everything. Hope to see you round--I think you'll enjoy yourself here. It's a good place.

flute

 

[Hereward]

Welcome. I'm new too but I've discovered that anything you want to know pretty much is here somewhere, and a lot of good folk to boot.

 

[Old Jake]

New Member too

Welcome! I just joined this month too! I've been wearing fedoras for some time and reading the Fedora Lounge for a while. Always good! Anyway the Cowboy spray (above) sounds good for me. I have a nice brown borsalino which is quite soft and hard to keep the brim straight despite my best efforts with steam. I plan to chase down some Cowboy spray....and, of course, I will report back!

 

[fluteplayer07]

Welcome to you, too!

flute

 

[Mr E Train]

Welcome, Bluesman61! I, too, have a Biltmore that I got recently, a pork pie, and I love it. We've had some snow and rain lately, and it's held up really well, although I haven't gotten it completely soaked. I did give it a spritz of Scout Rain & Stain Protector before letting precipitation get to it, just to be on the safe side. I would recommend it instead of Scotchgard, mainly because it's designed specifically for use with hats.

 

[Bluesman61]

Thanks Mr. E Train,
I'll give it a try.

Thanks for making me feel welcome everyone.


Jay