Making Your Hat Fit Your Head

[Delmonico]

One thing I have noticed in my job is that hat sizing is not well understood.  We get hat sizes from the circumference of the head divided by Pi.  It is of course rounded to the nearest 1/8th.  But most the time it is just as easy to use a chart.

Circm.          Hat Size

20 1/4........6 3/8
20 5/8........6 1/2
21..............6 5/8
21 1/2........6 3/4
21 3/4........6 7/8
22..............7
22 1/2........7 1/8
22 3/4........7 1/4
23..............7 3/8
23 1/2........7 1/2
24..............7 5/8
24 3/8........7 3/4
24 7/8........7 7/8
25 1/8........8
25 1/2........8 1/8

To measure the head for size you need a tailors measuring tape.  Reading many explinations of where to measure on websites can be confusing.  Some say 1/8 inch above the ears some say as much as 1/2 and then around to the middle or lower part of the head.  I like to measure to where one is comfortable wearing the hat, mine is best at about an 1/8th above the ears, but some are better at a 1/2.  What you need to do is figure where you like to wear your hat and measure to there.

If you are in between sizes like many, folks are you will have to decide on if you want to pad a larger size or stretch a smaller size.  Both have their advantages and dis advantages, but more on that in the next post.  Of course another option is a custom hat and having it built to the size and the shape of your head. 

[Delmonico]

Ok now you have measured you head and determined what size hat you need, so you've picked on out and it is the right size, but it don't feel right, what next?  First it might not be a bad idea to run the tape around the inside of the hat to make sure it is the size it is marked.  I have seen a few mis-marked.  If it measures right then the opening of the hat does not fir the shape of your head,  not uncommon.  What you want to do now is find out where it is tight and where it is loose.  Most often it is tight at the front and loose at the sides.  This means your head it a long oval, very common, some makers make hats in Long Oval, Regular Oval and Round Oval.  If the hat is not marked it will most often be a Regular Oval.

The picture at the bottom shows where to check, a person with a head that is longer oval for the hat will be tight at the front where the red arrows are, one that has a round er oval will be loose at the red arrows and tight at the green.

There are to things one can do and this also works for folks with an in-between size head.  You can get the next size bigger and pad it under the sweat band where it is loose.  A foam weather strip or felt weather strip works well for this.

A better way  to do it is to stretch the hat to fit the head, this is simple and I'll have instrutions and pictures in the next post.

[Delmonico]

The amount one can stretch the opening of a hat will depend on the quality of the hat, a wool felt is best just to reshape the opening longer or wider, but a fur hat can often be stretched at least a size or two bigger so if you find that nice old 100% beaver at a garage sale for $5 and it is a a size or two small, it can be stretched to fit the head with some care.

There are different kinds of hat stretchers, the one in the first picture is the one I use a work, I don't know how old it is, but it at one time had a cord to run a heating element, the cord is cut off and it has cloth insulation on it.

The second one is the kind most folks will own, this one is wood, but most are now plastic, they will do a good job and sell for $20 dollars or so.  So get your tea kettle hot and steaming, they work as well as the electiric ones we use at work or even get a spray bottle of water and go to the next post, we are going to stretch a hat.

[Delmonico]

One needs to either get the hat hot and damp with steam or to get it good and damp with the spray bottle.  You then apply some pressure to the hat in the direction you want it to go.  Mild pressure will reshape the opening, it will take more to stretch to opening, go slow and let the hat dry before trying it, better to have to stretch it more than to go too much.  The last pictures show both kinds in use.  A hat that has been stretched a lot and is not wore often will benifit from having one of the small home type hat jacks put in place when not in use.

Custom hatters who build off a conformer will also offer in most cases offer a wooden block the right size and shape to store the hat on, these are the same as the form the hat on when building.

I have unlocked this so any questions?

[Silver_Rings]

Del, thanks for the very informative post.  I enjoy how to post.

SR

[deucedaddyj]

I've got a question for you Del. I've got an old Stetson that I reshaped into a telescopic crown with a flat brim. It fits fine when I'm wearing it, but if I take it off for a few hours it'll be too tight in the front and the back. Is there a way I can keep it from doing that? Should I just get one of those wooden hat stretchers?

[Major 2]

I made my stretcher... for next to nothing

I took a piece of clear white pine 2X4 (scrap) ...  And cut two D shaped half moons
size,  Approx, 6 7/8 for my 7 1/8 hat....
at the center of each straight side , I drilled a 3/8" hole in one a 7/16" hole in the other.
I cross pined a 3/8" bolt (head cut off) with 1/8 piece of welding rod (coat hanger will work)
the other end with a nut  and washer is allowed to slip fit in the 7/16 " hole.

some female Velcro tape to pad the rounded edges , fit it in the hat and tighten the nut , voila a streacher and hat last all in one, for pennies 

Works great 

[Delmonico]

DD, get one or build one and steam it with a tea kettle and tighten it up enough to give it some long oval shape and let it sit overnight.  That should work.  But never leave a hat in a hot car, it does bad things to them.

[Camille Eonich]

If your head is a real LONG oval you may need to store it on the stretcher thingy to keep it from spring back to round.  Depends on how much you wear it.

[Delmonico]

Thanks Cammie, I had forgot to meantion that, the quality of the hat will often be the factor in that.

[Fairshake]

Thanks for the info Delmonico, You have given me much info on hat buying, wearing, and many other tips. You are one good person to know. Later David

[Delmonico]

Glad to help any time, you now know where to find me.

[Texas Lawdog]

Del knows his hats!

[Major 2]

Del.
I emailed you, but I'll also ask here.
Now that the fir felt hat shaped, I need to find a hat ribbon for the crown.
The hat is shape like the one Del used in his photo's ...A bowler crown.
I'd like med. brown as the hat is some what lighter brown for some contrast.

I've searched the net for Millinery supplies ...with little success.

[Delmonico]

Sorry, had a computor problem till late last night, early this morning.

With out sending it to a custom hatter, the best bet is just go to a fabric store and see if they have the ribbon you need, then make the knot and sew it on.  Thats what I have done.

[Professor Marvel]

My Dear Monsieuir Del and Other Chappeu Experts -

I find myself Having acquired several fur felt hats at obscenely cheap prices, which thus gave me free reign to molest  reblock and resize them with no terrible feelings of awfulness.

I have Followed Del's advice in resizing & etc, and have had some small success, but now am up against two small issues.

The first is the amazing aroma. Since I have not yet installed Her Majesty's laundry tub in the garage, I must temporarily avail myself of my Lovely Spousal Unit's precious stainless sink and granite countertop (which I did get installed ) in the kitchen. Unfortunately if I wet down the hats too much I get a smell somewhat like wet dog .... is this supposed to happen?

Secondly the latest 4x fur felt hat I acquired (for only $2.50!) has several holes and small slits. Is there a correct way to repair these?

Lastly, (yes, I cannot count) on this same hat if I use my  hat brush finger nail brush too firmly I start to get fur coming off. I assume this is not good. Any advice?

with thanks in advance
yhs
prof marvel

[Delmonico]

As for the smell, wet sheep, wet rabbits, wet any animal with hair smells about like a wet dog.

Holes and slits, not much, wear it as a beater, kind of like this one:



Yep a POed cook telling someone where to go, I was set-up I found out.  Don't ask for no capp-chino in my camp.

Get some of those sponges that are made for hat cleaning, thebrush is to stiff, do sandpaper them sometimes.  If yer local Western store don't have the sponges hollor and I'll see about sending you some, but the shipping will cost more than the sponges.

[Professor Marvel]

Why thank you very much Del, You sir, are a pip

Btw your form looks perfect  for casting a spinner!

yhs
Prof Marvel

[GunClick Rick]

They will smell better after they dry,and i still get a little fur felt of mine when i brush em.I guess you could stitch the holes with wax thread and put all kinds od pins or patches on it.I had one like that for years,stuff stuck all over it,the hat finally gave up the ghost.

By the Del,WHERE'S MY CHAIR??? SCOOT OVER AND COVER THAT PAN SO DA NIEGHBORS DON'T SMELL IT,LOOKS TO BE JUST ENOUGH FOR MOO AND YEE