wonky brim.

[John M]

Howdy ya'll.
I have started out making my own fedora's but seem to be having a bit of trouble getting the brims the way I would like them.
I made the blocks myself and the hats are a little to big. to remedy this I took apiece of para cord and tied it around where the ribbon goes. It makes the hat fit much better but it makes the brim crease by my right brow and the left back of my head. I have tried ironing out the crease but it returns. I realize that squeezing the hat is going to deform the brim.
Does any body have any suggestions about how I can manipulate the brim into a flatter shape. I'm currently trying wetting it and placing steel weights on it to see if this will flatten the warp.
Anny help is greatly appreciated.
John M

 

[1967Cougar390]

Howdy ya'll.
I have started out making my own fedora's but seem to be having a bit of trouble getting the brims the way I would like them.
I made the blocks myself and the hats are a little to big. to remedy this I took apiece of para cord and tied it around where the ribbon goes. It makes the hat fit much better but it makes the brim crease by my right brow and the left back of my head. I have tried ironing out the crease but it returns. I realize that squeezing the hat is going to deform the brim.
Does any body have any suggestions about how I can manipulate the brim into a flatter shape. I'm currently trying wetting it and placing steel weights on it to see if this will flatten the warp.
Anny help is greatly appreciated.
John M

I’m sure there are members that could answer better than I. The first thing I would suggest is uploading a picture of the issue you are having. The second thing I would recommend is listing the material you chose for the hat body. That might determine the proper course of action to mitigate your issue.

Steven

 

[belfastboy]

My experience as a fairly new hatter is that it is critical to get it right from the outset. If you don't get the size right off the block, if the sized sweat doesn't just drop in perfectly then you are fighting an uphill battle all the way and it will be vexing. A hat is actually under tension in two planes so it seems to me that you are attempting to fix the problem in just one plane and your results are not likely to be satisfactory. Because the hat is under tension any one dimensional flattening attempts will eventually be pulled out of shape by that tension. I think the only adequate/permanent fix it to get your block sized right then reblock and reflange the hat. If you have patience you could try placing the hat between two pieces of plywood....I use 2'x2', 5/8" ply. Cut an oval slightly larger than the crown in one piece then clamp the hat between the two. First give it a good steam, clamp it and leave for 24 hours or so.

 

[John M]

I’m sure there are members that could answer better than I. The first thing I would suggest is uploading a picture of the issue you are having. The second thing I would recommend is listing the material you chose for the hat body. That might determine the proper course of action to mitigate your issue.

Steven

Thanks for replying, I'm just dipping my toes into hat making and am very green. The material I'm using is wool felt (I think).
And I'm going to try to upload some pics of the hats I have made so far.
I'm not very good with computers or mobile phones (more nuts and bolt than bit and bytes). But I look forward to hearing from you and more from the fedora lounge.
Cheers
John M

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks for replying, I'm just dipping my toes into hat making and am very green. The material I'm using is wool felt (I think).
And I'm going to try to upload some pics of the hats I have made so far.
I'm not very good with computers or mobile phones (more nuts and bolt than bit and bytes). But I look forward to hearing from you and more from the fedora lounge.
Cheers
John M

The wool felts could be a big part of your issue. What have you used as stiffener on the brim? Check out TheTrimmingCompany out of the UK. I have purchased decent quality fur felt capeline seconds for about the same price as wool. They are out of stock now but said by this autumn they would be back in stock. I used them as practice felts.

 

[John M]

The felt hoods I got are from the trimming company UK, I got them from E-bay.
I didn't use stiffener at first because I thought the felt would stiffen with steam and shaping.
After, I use a mixture of PVA glue and water, about one pva to two water.
The first hat I used FAR to much and now it literally as stiff as a board. DOH! But looked cool.
On the second one I used less and it turned out OK. For the third I tried using Hair spray and it was less stiff than the PVA, water solution, and it smelled nice.
I think that its the resizing that's making it go wonky, I might try and make another block but this time a wee bit smaller. Trial and error I suppose.