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Step 1
Remember that homemade concoctions are fun to experiment with, but depending on the ingredients, they are known to leave residues on the felt. The quick and easy way to stiffen a felted hat is to send it off to a hat repairer and await it’s return, but for the do-it-yourselfer, there are ways to stiffen a felted hat on your own.
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Step 2
Go to the local western store, hat maker or men’s fine clothing store and buy container of their recommended felt hat stiffener product. Even though it’s commercially made, chances are it is a product that is specifically designed to be applied liberally and does not leave visible residues. No matter what though, always test a small area of your garment to make sure you like the results, this will help avoid unnecessary destruction of your favorite felted hat.
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Step 3
There are commercial hat blocks available in the hat maker’s shop or online, but if none of those are within your price range or you prefer to make one yourself, plan ahead. For the hat circumference, find a bowl in your kitchen that is the right diameter for your hat before it is in need of reshaping. When you are ready to use it as a hat block, cover it in plastic wrap so the stiffener product doesn’t ruin the bowl.
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Step 4
Spray your hat as per the instructions on the stiffener product, fit it over your bowl, and begin shaping the brim. The stiffener will start to keep its shape so plan every 15 minutes or so to reshape the brim. As it stiffens, the hat will keep the shape you have been working it into.
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Step 5
After the hat dries, use the very tip of your hot iron and smooth out the wrinkles everywhere on the hat, brim, hat band, crown, etc. As felt is re-wetted and re-dried, it will take on many lumps in the felt and ironing will help to smooth them out again.
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Step 6
Felt is just a bunch of hair but hairspray is not a long term fix for your hat. Use it only for quick fixes but plan to restiffen your hat every time it gets wet or looses it’s shape.
