By the way.....

Posted by Michaelson from em12-686.utsi.edu on July 19, 1999 at 10:50:27:

In Reply to: Re: Using hair spray on your fedora....Michaelson posted by Michaelson on July 19, 1999 at 10:45:38:

: : Hope your trip was satisfactory. We have a daughter starting college as well. I was reading some past post from the archives and came across one involving using haer spray on fur felt hats. I have done this as well, that is until my local hat designer told me not to. He was apalled that I was doing it to my stetsons. He told me that over a period of time this would turn the fur felt into something resembling card board. I didn't argue the point with him since one of my hats had acquired an appearance akin to this. Of course the hat in reference was pretty weathered as I had used it on all of my backpacking trips, even using it for a dipper at water sources. Anyway, he offered me some of his hat stiffener that he uses in designing cowboy hats for his customers. This stuff works great and can be steamed later on to reshape it. It is not a lacquer based product and he buys it by the gallon. You can use it on the brim or the crown, although when you do use it on the crown, spray only the inside. I always use this product on my new hats, even my White repro. I have discovered that as time goes by my hats gradually lose their shape, becoming dimpled in places I would rather they not be. This stuff definetly helps alleviate this problem, or at least postone it. It makes the crown alot firmer with less tendency to mishape, especially atfer repeated drenchings. Just thought I'd pass this on, realizing that I may be repeating what has already been said. Steve

: Hello! I had the same experience regarding the "stiffner" at a cowboy hat shop in Tallahassee many years ago, and it is indeed nothing but hair spray. Just don't use it on the crown, as it will set up like concrete, and you're stuck with a very nice fur felt hardhard. I am telling you this from personal first hand experience. I find the old car engine touchup trick of using a piece of cardboard to shield the ribbon to work great as you lightly spray the brim after shaping to your design. You only lightly spray, as overspray with make it as hard as a board. Doing this once every 6 months or more usually works wonders. I've done it for many years now, and have had no problems to date after my terrible experience with the crown spraying. Oh well, you live and learn. Regards. Michaelson

....if you could get the brand name of the stiffner you have access, that would be a great help. I've checked with two hat shops near here (Tennessee being the country music mecca, everyone thinks they HAVE to wear cowboy hats) and they too use hairspray. Maybe they're just getting by on the cheap and not wanting to buy the correct fluid. If you could find that out, it would be greatly appreciated. Regards. Michaelson

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: : :     Hope your trip was satisfactory. We have a daughter starting college as well. I was reading some past post from the archives and came across one involving using haer spray on fur felt hats. I have done this as well, that is until my local hat designer told me not to. He was apalled that I was doing it to my stetsons. He told me that over a period of time this would turn the fur felt into something resembling card board. I didn't argue the point with him since one of my hats had acquired an appearance akin to this. Of course the hat in reference was pretty weathered as I had used it on all of my backpacking trips, even using it for a dipper at water sources. Anyway, he offered me some of his hat stiffener that he uses in designing cowboy hats for his customers. This stuff works great and can be steamed later on to reshape it. It is not a lacquer based product and he buys it by the gallon. You can use it on the brim or the crown, although when you do use it on the crown, spray only the inside. I always use this product on my new hats, even my White repro. I have discovered that as time goes by my hats gradually lose their shape, becoming dimpled in places I would rather they not be. This stuff definetly helps alleviate this problem, or at least postone it. It makes the crown alot firmer with less tendency to mishape, especially atfer repeated drenchings. Just thought I'd pass this on, realizing that I may be repeating what has already been said.       Steve

: : Hello! I had the same experience regarding the "stiffner" at a cowboy hat shop in Tallahassee many years ago, and it is indeed nothing but hair spray. Just don't use it on the crown, as it will set up like concrete, and you're stuck with a very nice fur felt hardhard. I am telling you this from personal first hand experience. I find the old car engine touchup trick of using a piece of cardboard to shield the ribbon to work great as you lightly spray the brim after shaping to your design. You only lightly spray, as overspray with make it as hard as a board. Doing this once every 6 months or more usually works wonders. I've done it for many years now, and have had no problems to date after my terrible experience with the crown spraying. Oh well, you live and learn. Regards. Michaelson

: ....if you could get the brand name of the stiffner you have access, that would be a great help. I've checked with two hat shops near here (Tennessee being the country music mecca, everyone thinks they HAVE to wear cowboy hats) and they too use hairspray. Maybe they're just getting by on the cheap and not wanting to buy the correct fluid. If you could find that out, it would be greatly appreciated. Regards. Michaelson

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