Shape a Cowboy Hat

In spite of all those movie Western images, the cowboys of the Old West wore their hat brims flat, to keep out the sun. Rolled and folded brims came into fashion much later, when ranch workers had to pile into pickup trucks without taking up too much space. Today, there are countless ways to shape a cowboy hat brim. You can buy your cowboy hat pre-shaped, or you can do it yourself. The method for shaping depends on the material your cowboy hat is made from. This article describes how to shape a cowboy hat made of fur felt, or straw or palm leaves.

Steps

To Shape a Fur Felt Cowboy Hat

  1. Decide on the shape you want.
    • Many fur felt cowboy hats are made with flat brims, so you can shape your own to the style you prefer. Brims can be rolled on one or two sides or all around. They can be folded up softly or sharply.
  2. Boil water until it steams in a large pot or a kettle with an open spout.
  3. Hold the brim of the hat carefully over the steam until the fur felt softens.
    • Work with one section at a time to keep the felt soft.
  4. Use your fingers to gently shape the steamed portion of the brim.
    • For a gentle roll, hold the brim with your fingers on the upper side and your thumb on the bottom and curl the brim within even pressure.
    • For a crisper fold, press the steamed brim against your stomach, crown out, and use both hands to sharply bend the brim outward.
    • Repeat the shaping motion until the felt cools and sets.
  5. Continue working on the next section of the brim.
  6. Spray the finished hat, if you wish, with a hat stiffening spray (available at Western stores or online) to help maintain the shape.

To Shape a Straw Cowboy Hat

  1. Check to see that your straw cowboy hat has a shaping wire inserted at the edge of the brim.
    • Straw cowboy hat brims are either pre-shaped or made with a shaping wire. You won’t be able to shape a pre-shaped straw hat made without a wire, as the methods used for other materials will damage the straw.
  2. Feel for the shaping wire in the hat brim. It may be woven into the straw or covered with a decorative edging.
  3. Bend the wire gently to shape the brim as you want it to look.
    • The shaping wire is made to be reshaped more than once, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different looks.

To Shape a Palm Leaf Cowboy Hat

  1. Fill a basin, tub or large container with lukewarm water.
  2. Immerse the brim—or even the whole palm leaf cowboy hat—in the water and let it soak until the fibers are softened.
  3. Lift the hat out of the water, let it drain, and use your hands to gently shape or reshape your palm leaf cowboy hat.
  4. Allow the hat to dry to set the shape.
    • You may wish to set the hat on a hat stand or wig head while you are shaping it, and while it is drying.
    • Repeat the reshaping and drying process as needed after you wear your palm leaf cowboy hat in the rain.



Tips

  • Cowboy hat crowns are usually pre-shaped by the maker. They can be flat, round, conical or creased. You won’t ordinarily need to shape the crown unless you want to exaggerate a crease; use steam on a fur felt hat or soak a palm leaf hat, and gently pinch the sides of the crease together. More complicated reshaping or re-blocking of a damaged crown should be done by a hat maker.
  • Wear latex or vinyl gloves when shaping a light colored fur felt cowboy hat to avoid soiling it with skin oils.
  • Study cowboy hat retailer catalogues or online sites to see the many ways brims can be shaped. You can also create your own custom shape.

Warnings

  • Never lay your cowboy hat brim down, as this will quickly ruin the shape. Hang it on a hat rack or lay it crown down.
  • If your felt hat has a wire sewn in the edge of the brim, it's an inexpensive light-weight wool felt. It's not intended for shaping over steam. Instead, shape the wire will help the brim hold the desired shape. Steamed wool felt acquires a lumpy, uneven appearance.
  • Never leave your western hat in a vehicle during the day. The sun's warmth will cause the leather sweatband to shrink within about 20 minutes, even on a cooler day. And you'll have to take the hat to a hat maker to professionally stretch it to the original size for a proper fit.
  • Work very carefully around steam to avoid burns. Only shape fur-felt or quality straw hats--not wool.
  • Always steam the brim with the crown-side of the brim facing the steam. Never steam the hat brim from the underside--you'll risk permanently damaging the leather sweatband. Steam will cause it to distort, pucker and shrink in a split-second. You'd need to pay a professional hat maker to remove and replace the sweatband.

Things You'll Need

  • Hat stiffening spray (for fur felt hats only)
  • Hat stand or wig head

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Shape_a_Cowboy_Hat&oldid=362735"