Hat shaping:

[History36]

Hi,

Just curious if anyone knows of a shop in the Gettysburg area (other than Dirty Billy) who can help with shaping a hat, by chance? The hat is a new Goober Grabber slouch.

Thank you for any and all tips,

 

[BillO]

The very best and authentic way to shape a slouch hat is to wear it. Rain, snow and sun are great.

 

[captaindrew]

Yeah wearing it in the elements is the best. What kind of hat and what look are you going for?

 

[bankerpapaw]

Same with leather gloves. Put them own, wet them, let them dry on your hands.

 

[History36]

Well, I was hoping to have it shaped like the 'Buford' hat as seen in the film, Gettysburg. I reached out to Dirty Billy's and they had great communication up until I shared that it wasn't made in their shop. Then, they either became too busy (in mid-January, surprisingly) or no longer interested, lol....

There's a country / western shop nearby too that can steam / shape hats. Perhaps they could be a 'plan B.' My first intention was to, naturally, take it to a shop more familiar with CW styles in general. But, with enough photos, I'm sure the western shop can get pretty close. We'll see. Thanks again for the chats.

 

[7thWisconsin]

Shaping a hat is really easy. You can hold the hat in the steam over a pot of boiling water for a few seconds until it softens. then mold it with your hands. Let it sit for a few minutes and it will stiffen up again. You can also use a steam iron, too. The good news is there is virtually nothing you can do when shaping a hat that you can´t undo simply by doing it again. I´ve shaped or re-shaped probably 4 hats multiple times over the years. It´s a very satisfying and short project.

 

[History36]

Thank you for the info and yes, I've played around with hat shaping and may do it with this one as well. I was just wondering if they could get it more exact than I could. I did receive a reply from Dirty Billy's and they indicated that since I purchased elsewhere, they would not shape it / I would have needed to buy from them. Thanks again.

 

[Rhea Cole]

There is nothing like watching someone who knows what they are doing.

Link:

reshape-a-hat-using-steam?srsltid=AfmBOor7JJrEDXtiFIsNP_dOHrzN9R7Qce8JmD9rmr_YT0CL_uCCGCYl

 

[History36]

I'll check it out - thank you!