O.T. Any Western Hat wearers out there? Hat question.

Yvsa

Yvsa

Joined
May 18, 1999
Messages
15,395
My son wore his cowboy hat over to the village we went to, common thing among us skins, and I would've worn mine but it was forgotten at home again.:(
After talking about our hats, mine's more ndn style than my son's, I was telling him I was looking for a really nice hat band and he gave me one with two horsehair tassels that hangs on the back of the brim, perfect and just what I would've bought myself!!!!
And it fits my hat perfectly!!!!:D
Just the thing to hang an Eagle Feather from!!!!:D :cool:

The problem is that since loseing the weight I have my hat doesn't fit me anymore.:(
It's too large and the crown sits on top of my head without it being snug at all and it would blow off in the slightest wind.
It may not be all that good of a hat, but it is 100% wool, made by the Turner Hat Company here in the good ol USA.
My question is........

Can it be taken to a hatter( is that right?) and shrunk a bit?:confused:
 
Haberdasher...I'm not sure about shrinking. I know that they can stretch a hat. I'll bet they can put an insert inside or around the sweatband.

Ben
 
Don't shrink the hat...!! :eek:

Have a band inserted. There are many kinds to choose from too. A good hat shop can make a recommendation regarding felt, neoprene, terrycloth, etc.


Having the extra space will be to your benefit.

Unless we're talking about some significant change in head size - more than 2" circumference.

Of course, now that you posted the pics on your AK tools...

Sure you'll still need that hat shrunk?

:eek:

:D

oh my...

:p

:footinmou
 
Yvsa, I shrank a fur felt hat two sizes with steam. It still looks good. Dry heat will work as well, leave it in your car on a hot day with the windows up. Use a hat jack to be sure it doesn't shrink too much.
Cheers, Mark
 
You can steam a felt hat and stretch it one size. Don't know about shrinking though. Last time I was in Oklahoma City, I got a hat at Sheppler's. They had a steamer and were set up to block and shape hats. There's probably plenty other places out by you can do the same.
 
Originally posted by MadMark
Use a hat jack to be sure it doesn't shrink too much.
Cheers, Mark
Click to expand...

What's a hat jack? Maybe I could just wear it into our Sweatlodge and shrink it to fit? ;)

Dan, why wouldn't you shrink the hat? Being proud of my 18" AK's tools notwithstanding.:p :rolleyes: ;)
 
Yvsa, a hat jack is a device to stretch a hat or keep it from shrinking. It's two curved pieces of wood with threaded rods and a turnbuckle to push the pieces of wood apart. Richard Hill in Colorado makes them(1-888-428-5297). Actually, wearing your hat in the sweatlodge would probably work.
Cheers, Mark


edited for clarity
 
Yup. I think it could be done. I have a relatively cheap wool felt hat, and it shrinks when I come in out of the rain.

The sweat lodge thing would probably work, but if it's a good hat you'd be better off going to a good hat store and have them do it for you - maybe free, maybe $20-$40, depending on the store.
 
The steam method of shrinking a felt hat works great, but be careful. Last time I tried that I ended up with a little hat that would fit a monkey.

I always remove the sweatband so the sweat will be absorbed by the hat instead of running down my face or making the inside of the hat slippery. It also makes the hat more comfortable and fit snug so it won't blow off.

To get it to fit perfectly after taking out the sweatband, I wet the hat good, put it on and wear it out in the sun.

You can probably tell that I don't wear a hat for looks, but for utility.
 
Yvsa,

Shrinking the hat might not solve the problem and could just leave you with a hat that now doesn't fit. And then, if you got caught in the rain, it might swell back up again.

Materials have a way of returning to their natural state if allowed. It'd be better to line the rim, then to shrink the hat.

Speaking long-term of course and assuming the hat has great personal value.

Dan
 
Try putting a little folded newspaper in the exhisting liner to see if this takes up the slack. If it does, consider the expense of a new liner. Or just run with the newspaper. Just make sure you use the part of the paper with the date so when you change paper you can say, " Wow, I haven't changed this in 5 years. June of 2003." :eek: :D :eek:

Brian
 
I left a Brown Resistol in the car night before last, and yesterday was a hot day. It had been a comfortable fit, but now it's tight. It should stretch back out, but from what happened, Yvsa, I'd try leaving your's in a closed and windows up car a day at a time and see what happens. Two or three days might just do it. Just be sure to check every day.

I also have two black Bailey's, One fits just right, and runs 7 1/8th, and the other's smaller at a 7 even and has a smaller brim. I wear that one on windy days, say above 40 mph.
 
P.S.: The phase "mad as a hatter" came from working with the felt. Before a new process was developed, they used mercury in some way to create the felt hat material. That lead to a form of heavy metal poisoning IIRC After the new process was found, they switched over, but by then, everyone knew that hatters were all crazy.
 
Yvsa-

What size do you wear? Got a nice buckskin colored Stetson that is about a loose 7 1/4 to a tight 7 3/8. It was given to me years ago, & is too small for me. Beautiful hat. Local yokals around here don't know much about streching or much of anything else related to headgear. If it will fit, I'll ship it to you.......it needs a good home where somebody will appreciate it. I still occasionally wear my grand-dad's 1955 Silverbelly Stetson.
 
Sorry Yvsa, can't be of any help on this one. I look plumb silly in a hat, then again, I look plumb silly anyway.

Sarge
 
Originally posted by DKP
Yvsa-

What size do you wear? Got a nice buckskin colored Stetson that is about a loose 7 1/4 to a tight 7 3/8. It was given to me years ago, & is too small for me. Beautiful hat. Local yokals around here don't know much about streching or much of anything else related to headgear. If it will fit, I'll ship it to you.......it needs a good home where somebody will appreciate it. I still occasionally wear my grand-dad's 1955 Silverbelly Stetson.
Click to expand...

DKP, thanks for your most generous offer, but even if it did fit it's the wrong color for an ndn. We either wear straw or a black hat, nothing in between.
The styles can be highly varied though.

I guess I need to get to a real Western Store and check out my hat size though.
It seems it was 7 1/8 while I was in the service, but the last time I tried one on that size it didn't fit.:confused:
 
Originally posted by Rusty
I left a Brown Resistol in the car night before last, and yesterday was a hot day. It had been a comfortable fit, but now it's tight. It should stretch back out, but from what happened, Yvsa, I'd try leaving your's in a closed and windows up car a day at a time and see what happens. Two or three days might just do it. Just be sure to check every day.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bro, et al:
It shrank a little bit after I used really hot water and a hot hair dryer on it, but I'm realy thinking about what Dan said and will probably just line the band with something and forget about it as it's not a really "good" hat anyway. Just one I really like and that everyone says looks good on me, otherwise I'm like Sarge.:rolleyes: ;)

One of my other Bro's sent me this website that he gets his hats made at. I was surprised at the excellent prices for such an excellent product.
Guess I will be saving my pennies for another project. Bro says I can take pix of my hat that I like from several angles and that Tim can duplicate it.
And it will be made from real fur felt and fit properly!!!!:D
 
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