“Quick-Stiffen" a Stetson Western or Felt Hat Or Fedora HAT SHAPING TIPS!

[@joscram1129]

This most important thing I seen and noticed in this video is that the dude enjoys his job. Bravo dude!

[@KTGHATS]

Thanks 🤓

[@tboyd2210]

Jos Cram he takes pride and I love it! Good stuff

[@rocky1pa]

Kevin you are flat too much to watch....a true MASTER at this craft! I have learned so much from you! Cannot thank you enough for sharing!

[@KTGHATS]

Thanks for the support and viewership 😎 appreciate it!!!!!! Kev

[@davidchereneimmel8820]

yaaa your back love your hat videos, I seen this oobe and was like cool! thanks and welcome back!!

[@lesliewilliams3386]

Thx Kevin glad to see you in action again !!!

[@KTGHATS]

Leslie Williams I'll be in full force soon, I had a technical issue w my camera, but I'll be back up before spring

[@John-jk4ev]

Shaping and stiffening: Cheap, quick, easy, and perfect. I bought a 1/2 pint ($3) of clear shellac, used 91% alcohol ($1) and a mixture of 4:1. I took 8 oz. of 91% alcohol and 2 oz. of clear shellac mixed in a spray bottle. Brush hat clean, then sprayed several coats until damp on upper and lower side of a 3 yr. old mink color fur felt Stetson Temple ($229) which would no longer hold shape. Sprayed lower side first. After approximately 30 minutes when lower side was no longer tacky, I sprayed the upper side of brim. Drying time was approximately 30-45 minutes. I shaped the brim as it dried and let it set overnight. The stiffness of the brim was absolutely perfect as was the shape with NO discoloration. I could not have been more pleased. NO problems, quick, easy, worked perfect, at a cost of ONLY $4. Cheaper than any other product sold or advised (shellac chips).

[@KTGHATS]

Glad it worked out, I’d never brush a liquid onto felt myself, I leave that to the hat,asker. It’s risky, u need very good technique, and need to cover the hat band etc?. I’m really glad it worked out, I use super hold hair spray at $4 a can it goes a long way, and it’s a lot more foolproof. The problem is…your technique requires a lot of skill,If I suggested your method, I’d get a dozen folks attempting it, and half of them would screw something up,ruining their hats,blaming me..

[@blondemommyvomit]

Had to watch again. Lol. You're a Rock Star..

[@willieclark2256]

Specifically Lou Reed 🤣

[@blondemommyvomit]

@@willieclark2256 Shot a vein in my neck and I coughed up a Quaalude.

[@yarekim5932]

Now thats a Steamer ! Thanks for the vid Kevin .

[@KTGHATS]

Michael Ray it's a very old pedal steamer, with a hot water boiler under the cabinet, and thank you!

[@user-mt4zr5kp7h]

Lol beats the hell out of the tea kettle that I use lol

[@phil6025]

I actually really like your hat videos because they've got a great ASMR sensibility without any of the contrivance of deliberate ASMR channels.

[@KTGHATS]

Phil thanx 😎

[@blondemommyvomit]

Lol, said the same thing about a video put out today. I'm feeling it too.

[@alexislarcher8619]

Thank you for this video! What solution do you use if you want to burn the excess felt off of the hat?

[@KTGHATS]

Alexis Larcher if you’re talking about hat making,I’m the wrong guy to ask, I’m not a hat maker...but I’ve seen our hat maker doing that burning thing, I think he uses isopropyl..but again, that’s not part of my skills.. when I’m cleaning a hat I’ll use a flexible, sponge sanding block to remove the top layer of felt. But as far as using any solution and “burning excess felt off” that’s only something I’ve seen a hat maker do while manufacturing a hat. I can’t comment on that, love never done it...different guy,different job😃

[@madhatterjones4781]

How do you flatten a bound fedora brim?

[@KTGHATS]

The binding doesn't really matter, here's some instructions kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWbJZKOIitN6Z7s

[@moonlitmatt3241]

Hey brother thanks for the reply. One more question will this keep a straight brim on a bolero?

[@KTGHATS]

Yes,stiffen and put it flat on the tabletop with a bandana/cloth on top, then some books and heavy weights let it sit overnight.

[@unkleskratch]

is there anything like watching a practiced expert at work

[@blondemommyvomit]

Your boss ever kvetch about moisture build-up on the ceiling from the steamer? Such a beautiful shoppe.

[@KTGHATS]

Doesn't happen,the space is HUUUUGE. and the steam doesn't really fill the room in any significant way..

[@moonlitmatt3241]

Is ultra the brand of hairspray? And how do you clean it off to re-apply

[@KTGHATS]

U don't clean it off, it just wears off,it'd invisible. Any brand is fine, use the strong super hold type

[@TheravadaMarine]

Thanks for the new video!

[@dianaseif8135]

Kevin, love your work man! Any recommendations for a place to reshape my vintage royal stetson stratoliner? Ive been tryin to do my own tear drop crown, but its AINT easy =/

[@KTGHATS]

David Constantino send it to me, (attn. kevin) I'll hook it up on video if u want..😎 No charge, $14 50 to mail it back to u in a hat box,double boxed etc.. JJ Hat Center 310 5th ave new York NY 10001

[@KTGHATS]

It's impossible without goid steam, stiffener spray.. I'm glad to do it for ya. Mail it to JJ HAT CENTER 😁

[@gabrielcr78]

Hello Lev, are the stetson boss man water resistant? And what spray do you recommend for making water resistant the wool hats like that one?

[@KTGHATS]

They're different degrees of water repellent..u usually worry more about the hat losing shape and drying funny,not the amount of water it'll repel, I'm not familiar w the Boss Man, but thicker felt is always good, avoid thin hats, long,soft Brims, longer Brims w raw edges, and soft,thin,wool. Wool needs stiffener to hold the weight if the snow and rain. If it's just wool,o suggest it to be very stiff,not soft,(unless it's litefelt,that's good soft,rain proof wool) U can use some thin costs of ultra hold hair spray to beef up water repelency on felt hats or straws. Fur felt is best, good thick felt.. western felt.. wool is so-so unless it's litefelt,which holds it's own in rain.

[@gabrielcr78]

@@KTGHATS Thanks Kev! in that case, which hat from Stetson would you recommend for bushcraft... maybe the Pawnee? BTW thanks for your answer and i love your videos! keep up the great work!

[@Detman101]

Good info! Thank you for showing us the way. I have a hat with a telescoped crown that I am interested in stiffening to keep the telescoping from stretching out when I put the hat on. The hat is too big for my head and I have the sides under the leather sweatband lined with a strip of window weather seal to shore up the gap and socket the hat onto my head. It works, but the large size of the hat allows for me to pull it down on my head too much...thereby punching out the telescoping at the top if I put it on too fast. Ultimately, the solution is a smaller size hat...but I can't get another for another month or so... Soooo...until then, I'll stiffen the telescoped part to keep it from punching out. =]

[@KTGHATS]

Detman101 that won’t work if it’s still too big, u will keep punching the crown out. Take the weather stripping out of the sides, that does nothing, put it in the back,behind your head,like a horseshoe shape, the whole back.. then do the front.. same way. We have huge gaps on the side that are too big to pad, just stuff the back, if u need more..do the front. If that isn’t enough I double the back up..put it on the back of the actual sweatband itself so the back is doubled up. It’s easy, it’ll work. Been there many times. Good luck, 🍀 kev

[@Theodorevonz]

Thanks for the great videos! Subscribed! Do you need to stiffend fur felt too or is it only for wool ? Thanks!

[@KTGHATS]

It’s primarily for fur felt, but u don’t NEED to stiffen it, that’s only some when the felt or straw is too soft to hold its own weight up, you need to add stiffener for the reshaping process to work. If your hat already has stiffener in it,it doesn’t require any more, it’s mostly done for older,overly soft, floppy hats.. also, a lot of the times the steam will reconstitute the stiffener inside of your hat,making a soft hat stuff again, so many times u don’t need stiffener, even with a soft hat,it’ll perk up once u steam it. But the whole reshaping process is done with the stiffener, the steam melts it, and then it cools into place.. So if a hat is overly soft and just flops down, because of gravity, then it’s too soft.. for instance.. if u have a flat brim, the stiffener is holding it in shape to be flat, without the stiffener, it will flop down. Like a floppy hippy,Woodstock hat., once u stiffen it, u can then heat up the stiffener, flatten the brim, and that hard coating will hold the brim up,flat,,so it doesn’t drop anymore.

[@Theodorevonz]

@@KTGHATS brilliant, more than I could ask for.. my first block is coming soon and I'm ready to do hats and oretty surr couple of mistakes too on the way to learn more. Thanks, take care !

[@trigunnn2]

What was that to stiffen it

[@KTGHATS]

TRIGUND I use either ultra super hold hair spray or Scout hat stiffener, this was hair spray Y

[@Toxicalserver]

My Wool Fedora has went flimsy and I hope this works!

[@scottraymond1789]

Kevin, I'm going to be in NYC to visit family at the end of March. Will you be in the store between March 28 and April 2? I am looking to buy a specific hat and get some work done on my current one.

[@gearzilla4112]

Scott Raymond my pleasure , I am off on Tuesdays and Thursdays. a good day to come would be: Monday, Wednesday Friday Saturday or Sunday. Hours: Weekdays 10-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 12-5 Thx, kev😎

[@scottraymond1789]

QUADROGONG Awesome. Wednesday the 28th would be perfect. I look forward to it. Thanks!

[@scottraymond1789]

Aaaaand... just got home with my new Magill Homburg with a Lords Hat crown pinch. www.jjhatcenter.com/collections/formal/products/magill-homburg Kevin also did some cleanup work on my Bailey Jett pork pie that I reshaped into a gambler style hat. Thanks, Kevin! Great to finally meet you in person.

[@gearzilla4112]

Scott Raymond pleasures all mine,Sir😎

[@scottraymond1789]

QUADROGONG And here's the final product: photos.app.goo.gl/uTynEu777sKN8SBt2

[@grandthemes5972]

Where you been?

[@gearzilla4112]

Drinking Water honestly?.. my recording rig broke, and I only have smartphones and iPods to video me now, I'll be all set up this spring, and more quality vids will return,with a bigger,better steamer too.

[@Melo_McQ]

Hi Kevin, I've been watching your videos a lot lately as I just bought my first fedora. Unfortunately I bought a medium, 57cm, and realised my head measurement is 58cm. It's a brand new wool fedora with leather band, do you think stretching it only 1cm would be doable?

[@KTGHATS]

Alistair McQuade not easy, no.. it will show a lot of side effects from the stretch, always safer going larger and padding it down. Now, if u have no choice, and have to stretch it, u can.. but if u do it, or if most folks do it, it’ll show stretch marks, the brim will get all cockeyed and it’ll just look ill fitting.. stretching a full size is something I can do with all this gear,good steamers,tools..etc..and even with my 24 years of experience,with all this gear, it’s still challenging. I’d say most folks do a pretty lousy job, most are too afraid to stretch it enough, and the stretch lasts a few hours..like 75-90% of he stretch jobs are like that.. Stretching is a little tough, it shrinks back..so u need to over stretch it a lot to compensate, stretch the heck out of it, basically distorting the hat,the brim, the band..then after u stretch u go and fix all that stuff, rub away the stretch marks, reshape the brim,basically..if u want to make any kind of decent stretch, u need to GO for it, and stretch like crazy.. Then u go and steam out all the stuff the stretch distorted..sounds like a perfect idea for the next video. I

[@KTGHATS]

Alistair McQuade I can do it free if u want, u would need to pay for shipping, and the hat box..total of $14.50 to get it back to u in a nice box..the work is free though, my advice is this..if u can exchange it, u should, stretching is only good if u HAVE o do it. Always better going with bigger hats,and pad it down..I can stretch it if u want..but u should exchange it if possible. Stretching is odd, when u add size somewhere, u take fabric away from another place..so if I make it a cm bigger around your temple,the depth of the crown will get shallower, or the brim will get shorter..or a bit of both, the extra room comes from someplace else getting shallower or misshapen..in other words.. a stretched hat always LOOKS stretched. It isn’t really actually stretching the fabric, it has no elasticity, u widen the sweatband area and something else always is affected. I’d never buy a new, expensive hat and stretch it..almost never. I go bigger and pad it down. I can do it if u have no choice, I’m glad to.. I’ve found most folks stretch hats and it’s never enough,but if u want to try it locally first,maybe it’ll be enough. if u have another alternative, stretching isn’t that great.. if there isn’t any other choice, bring it to me in NYC if u are in town, it’s 100% free to steam, clean up, reshape, size, stretch any hat here..all the time, no matter where u purchased it, we will never ask.. it’s a service we are providing here for over 100 years, completely free of charge. Folks think there’s a catch, but it’s just a courtesy , maybe a reason why we are still around after 107 years

[@BEARDED_VATO]

Oooooh Yeeeeeeah🤘🏼

[@LittleCrippledBoy]

Thanks, mate. My son has stolen all of my old hats and looks much better than I ever did in them.

[@KTGHATS]

Bob Walter yeah, my prettiest Italian fedoras in the best colors all go straight to my wife, if one comes into the shop in aqua or a cool color like orange or lavender, it’ll go to her

[@sahilpop2182]

Halp Me Sir