I reshaped my hat.

[Stoney Pete]

Several weeks back I reshaped the brim of my hat to give more curl than what you see in the above photo.  That worked for a while.  Then while watching tombstone I became enamored with the style warn by Sam Elliot.  Some patience and time with the tea pot and I think it came out good.  Gonna need to get a phont or two put up soon. 

[Silver Creek Slim]

Way to go, Stoney. Reshaping hats are part of the fun of CAS. 

Slim

[Micheal Fortune]

   And a fine looking hat it is too!

   A little patients and a little steam and a brush is all it takes to keep your head gear up to speed.

   While you can do it at home we are fortunate around here to have a local western wear shop that has been selling hats, well it seems like forever.  Mike that works there has been working on hats 5 days a week for 26 years and does magical things in seconds that takes me hours with a tea pot.

   The thing is to buy a good hat to begin with.  A cheap hat might look good but as soon as it starts raining it goes to heck.  A good hat will take that rain and with a little T.L.C. keep your head covered in style for years.

[Delmonico]

A spray can of hat stiffner from a western store will help also if the hat tends ta get soft from use.  Most modern hats use stiffer ta keep it's shape.  A good fur felt hat with out stiffner, with sweat stains really looks period, but can be somewhat shapeles , but looks very period with the right outfit.  Course mine has butter, lard and cock-o-lite stains besides the sweat stains.

[Nine Toe Jim]

I have a fur felt hat with a flat brim  and I was wondering if anyone out there can tell me a way I can put a kettle curl in the brim. I'm miles away from any hat outfit that does this sort of work. In fact I can't find any business in Canada that cleans and blocks hats anymore.

[Micheal Fortune]

Well Nine Toe Jim,  (ain't going to ask how you got that name)

Just get a little water going in your tea pot, when you get the steam coming out steady like, pass the brim of your hat a few inches  away from the kettle, don't over saturate it, a little goes a long way.

Work the hat in the shape that you want it and keep working it a little at a time until it's dry.

You will get the hang of it.

Good luck.

[Delmonico]

A pencil roll or kettle curl is often done with a tool made for the purpose.  I don't have one at work, so I just start with the steam and go around the hat and do an inch or two at a time and I don't try to do the whole roll at once, just what feels right.  When the hat starts gettin' kinda damp all over I stop and let it cool and dry for a couple of hours.  When I do one for a customer I always tell them they got ta leave me the hat for 2-3 days.  I wish I had the tool ta do them, but I do so few. 

One thought, that is a style that ain't really good for anything but a dress hat.  If it rains or snows a rolled edge will fill up the brim really quickly, kinda like a house with the eaves full.

[Nine Toe Jim]

Thanks Micheal & Delmonico for your advice. I'll give it a whirl.

Micheal, I see your from the Great Falls Area. Ever get to Cody for the June shoot?

Delmonico, I have a high bowler now and it's great for catching the brass from my 66

[Delmonico]

I love it when someone who is a CAS shooter that I really don't know well asks me to clean or shape a light colored hat.  Often after a glance I got them pegged and I tell them they shoot a Winchester.  Can always tell a hat of a Winchester shooter.   

[Micheal Fortune]

No Jim, I work nights and weekend and don't get out much, but hey, who knows I might see you down there some day.  Nice hat, now they don't need brass pickers for you! 

[Nine Toe Jim]

Well Micheal,

You never know, Might even see you in your own back yard some day. We have travelled to Great Falls and Ft. Benton a couple of times after the long distance Quigley Shoot in Forsyth. Ran into one of the local CAS members about 5 years ago in Shiels (sp). It's interesting to see how the rebuilding of the Fort is coming along in Ft. Benton seeing as the Northwest Mounted Police used to get some of theit supplies there.

My name was arrived at after an argument with a cap and ball pistol about 30 years ago now. Put a 44 round ball through the big toe. Couldn't live it down so I thought I may as well roll with it. Long story.

[Micheal Fortune]

JIm,

Now sorry everyone, this is a little off the subject,

Spent years living in Fort Benton, familure with the Woop-Up trail and your neck of the woods, but haven't been there for years.

Scheels in the Mall is the same parking lot the Casino I work at is, the Holiday, (every night but Monday and Tuesday except for shooting weekends)

Shooting weekends are the first Sunday of each month so I take that Saturday and Sunday off.  Our local outfit is http://www.sunriverrangers.com  you all can go there and see how badly I shoot.   

We had a long range match last month, I haven't gotten into it yet.

Didn't know they would let you shoot guns up there. 

Well this is supposed to be about hats.  Sooooooooo

If you got a really good beaver hat, and it's to the point of being really dirty, take it in the shower with you, scrub it off like you do your self, pat it dry, set it on something round, used to have a large piggy bank, and put it back in shape with a blow dryer.

That about covers it.........

[Big Hext Finnigan]

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=238.0

Stoney, did ya get a look at these?

I've done a few more.. I'll get some pics on later tonight.
Adios,

[Delmonico]

Hext, ya be a pretty good hat bender. 

[Big Hext Finnigan]

Gracias.. sure can be fun.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Gee, Hext, you are a man of many talents! I've got an open crown I oughta let you play with. i like to wear it that way, but my Susie don't like it. don't know if its big enough to turn into a Quigley style though, but I'd sure like to have one in that style........Buck

[Delmonico]

Jump in yer car Buck, get on I-80, come to Lincon and I'll shape it if ya bring me an Essppprreeesooo.  Would be closer than goin' ta Texas.

[Uncle Eph]

Jim, I too am a vet of the Quigley Shoot in Forsyth, matter of fact I wore my pith helmet this year; of course mine had a coon bone tied to the front.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Del, It's got a 6" er. think it's a Resistol off the top of my head( no pun intended). Paid close to $90 for it when a local WW shop went out of business. Original tag had $199 on it, but they were always high on their prices! It's black...................Buck

[Big Hext Finnigan]

Buck.. if you can get a good supply of steam, that's half the battle.  When I am going to do a real re-work then I always take the hat back to an open crown.  One of these days, I'm gonna find one of those blocks, but until then, I just use towels to keep the old dents from popping back in.

I guess all I can say is do something, make mistakes.. that's how you learn and how to have fun.
Adios,