Shapeless Beehive

[CARY MEADOWS]

All,
I purchased a "beehive style" hat from an old approved vendor some years ago, and it has begun to lose its shape. I love the hat and have worn it to many events including BGR in 2007. I do not want to get rid of it, but the hat brim is starting to lose its shape, looking like one of those hill billy hats associated with mainstreamers. How can I get it back to its original "upward curved" shape?

Cary Meadows

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

Hallo!

Kinda, sorta.

I did not look if the old posts here and on the Szabo board are archieved on hat treatments, but...

You can use a heavily diluted solution of alcohol and shellac "painted" into the felt of the hat to wet it uniformly, then shape it, and allow it to dry.

There are some downsides, such as uneven concentrations of shellac causes "whitish" spots, and on some cheaper wool felt hats the wool fibers that stand up appear whitish against the darker "background" of the hat itself.

And sometimes, it is just time for a new hat. ;) :)

Curt

[Pat.Lewis]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

Cary,

I was always of the opinion that a well broken-in/broken down hat only added to certain impressions, these fellows from Five Forks, for example. I've noticed that a lot of us tend to wear our hats too little to achieve that veteran "field look." You can certainly tell the difference between a drooping hat that was (at one, long ago time) constructed correctly and one which was cheaply made. My opinion, though.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

I bought a sorta bee hive hat in 1982. It was hard to find authentic hats then and I had it made using a article in NS Trader as a guide. It now is soft, faded, has wear holes and I wouldn't trade it for 10 new ones. It is on my head in my avatar but I pimped the brim up a bit for the picture.

[Pvt.Tyler]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

I have reshaped the brim of my beehive by getting it wet and folding to the desired shape. It works very well. Hope this helps.
Tyler McHone
_____________
Liberty Rifles

[Edwin Carl Erwin]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

How can I get it back to its original "upward curved" shape? Cary Meadows

Cary,

If the hat body is wool felt, consider retiring the hat. The configuration they leave the factory in, once lost, is gone forever. A wool felt hat cannot effectively be reshaped. That's one of the reasons why wool felt hats are so much cheaper than a fur felt hat. Ask your retailer if the hat is wool or fur felt.

If the hat body is fur felt, then a quality hatter can properly reshape the hat for you. Stetson: www.stetson.com/faq.php provides, "a list of hat renovators that we know of. Stetson does not recommend any one company".

Regards,

[10TnVI]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

Cary-the original stiffness in your brim was provided by a starchlike substance called size. Like starch, it breaks down over time, especially with heat and moisture. To a certain extent you can rejuvanate the size by soaking the hat and reshaping it or by steaming it(you can do this at home with a tea kettle or a good steam vaporizer) If the size is so broken down as to be unuseable, I'd suggest you check locally for a good hat shop or western wear shop. Both should be able to reblock your hat and return it to a like-new condition vis-a-vis the rigidity of the brim or provide you with a local source.

[Mike Willey]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

I have made up a shellac mixture to solve this problem in the past. The only caveat is that a little bit goes a long way. I mixed the shellac with water...and put in in a spray bottle. A very light spray will get you the effect you desire.

Mike Willey
Late of the 49th Ohio and Coffee-coolers

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

Hallo!

Don't use corn starch, wall paper paste, or Elmer's glue.... they run white in the rain. ;) :) :)

Curt

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

Cary,

Any chance you could post a pic of the hat here for us to view? I'm kinda with Pat Lewis on this one:
A beat up hat adds tremendously to many impressions, especially some CS impressions.

If you post a pic, we could give some better advice as to whether to try fixing it up or leave it alone.

Take Care,

[Rev]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

If the hat is fur felt it can be reblocked. One of the best around is Mike Moore. Mike is the commander of the AoT for the NSA. I'll post his hat link later.

[Rev]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

His website is www.buckaroohatters.com

[CARY MEADOWS]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

All,
The response to this post has been great with many fine suggestions. Thank you all. Due to my present circumstance, I am unable to post pictures of the hat. In more than one of the reply's to this topic some have mentioned fur felt and wool felt. How do you tell one from the other?

Cary Meadows

[Edwin Carl Erwin]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

In more than one of the reply's to this topic some have mentioned fur felt and wool felt. How do you tell one from the other?

Cary,

Take your hat to a local, quality hatter & have them show you the difference in appearance & feel between a wool & felt hat. The distinction is one you really need to see & touch. A Google search produced the following results for "hats, San Diego":
Village Hat Shop - www.villagehatshop.com - (619) 683-5533
Village Hat Shop - www.villagehatshop.com - (619) 233-7236
Hat Works - maps.google.com - (619) 231-8434
Hatworks - maps.google.com - (619) 234-0457
Covered Wagon - maps.google.com - (619) 688-1100
Lids - www.lids.com - (619) 239-2657
Designer Millinery By Diana - maps.google.com - (619) 239-4287
Lids - www.lids.com - (619) 291-5719
Ahead Productions - www.aheadproductions.com - (619) 987-9920
Lids - www.lids.com - (858) 535-1452

If you ever get to Houston, I'll reshape your hat gratis (providing the hat is fur felt). I work as a craftsman for a 3rd generation, Texas hatter that's been in business for 101 years. Thanks for your service to the country!

Regards,

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Re: Shapeless Beehive

All,
I purchased a "beehive style" hat from an old approved vendor some years ago,

We could probably answer all your questions just by knowing the vendors name who made the hat.

You mentioned that your hat was made by an old approved vendor a few years back, correct? I think we only had two approved vendors here on the AC who made "beehive style" hats, Tim Allen, and Tim Bender. If your beehive was made by either one of these vendors, then your hat is probably made out of fur felt. It's also probably worth keeping around, and reshaping depending how much life is left.

For fur felt, just use water to help shape the brim. Hell, sometimes you can reshape a good hat during a campaign event, especially in the morning after it's been sitting out all night.