making a forage cap 'smaller'

[bplvr]

I have a really nice forage cap that came included with a jacket
I bought here.However the cap is a 7.5 / needs to be a 7.375.

What can I put inside the sweatband to drop it down a size
that will stay put ? {sewing is not an option}

Thanks in advance .

[bill watson]

1. paper or cardboard
2. leather
3. cloth

It will all go in the hatband.

[Ephraim_Zook]

Get it wet? Sweat in it a whole lot?

My forage cap (made by a well-regarded hatter) shrunk so badly I have to jam it on my head and hope it stays there.

The sweatband was dyed red, and at a G'burg NPS Living History a few years ago I scared the heck out of Bill Watson because I was sweating so profusely it caused the dye to run, leaving him, and others, to think I was bleeding to death from my eyes as the dye ran down into and then out of my eye sockets.

I'm glad I didn't have a mirror handy.

[Justin Runyon]

Scrap cloth?

Newspaper? (try to use a period reprint)

Toss it in the dryer? (Check often)

Wear it anyway?

Buy a new one?

[Rob]

I stuck a four-inch piece from a musket sling behind the sweatband. After the first sweaty 90-degree day, I didn't need it any more.

[crowley_greene]

Get it wet? Sweat in it a whole lot?

My forage cap (made by a well-regarded hatter) shrunk so badly I have to jam it on my head and hope it stays there.

Those words were refreshingly informative to me. Back in 2001 I paid about $85 for a Clearwater Hat -- I picked it up at an event after ordering it beforehand. They had to put a couple of foam blocks in the inside band because it tended to slip around some.

By the time a couple of years had passed, I didn't need the foam blocks any more.

And now six years later the hat is really tight on my head, I have to pull it on with a little extra force. I think Bob and Kay Burton are going to be at Mill Springs. I'll take the hat with me and see if they can stretch it any.

Murray Therrell

[Spinster]

Murray,

What you need in between events is a 'hat jack'. It has two wooden pieces with a turnscrew in between them. After use, brush the hat and place the jack inside, set the size and store it. If its a bit damp from wear, so much the better.

http://www.villagehatshop.com/jack_stretcher.html

You can also accomplish the same thing by finding a wooden hatmakers mold in the size and shape you need, and consistently storing the hat on the mold.

[7thNJcoA]

I agree I just bout a new forage cap and it was a tad to large and I used an end of a leather belt that was too long ( always good to keep scraps laying around ) and after an even that was 93 and very humid I had to remove it. You can skip waiting if you run hot water on it and let it sit; I know alot of folks that have done that not too hot though if its new the dye will run and will fade awkward.

[Ephraim_Zook]

Murray,

What you need in between events is a 'hat jack'. It has two wooden pieces with a turnscrew in between them. After use, brush the hat and place the jack inside, set the size and store it. If its a bit damp from wear, so much the better.

Mrs L --

Thanx for the tip. I have shoe stretchers (one of my ancestors was a cobbler) but it never occurred to me to look for a hat stretcher.

regards
Ron

[NoahBriggs]

Tim Bender sells a hat stretcher. Mine works wonders when I buy a new hat.

[1stTexas]

You can make a hat/cap larger with a stretcher but not smaller. If you get a hat wet it will shrink the cloth or wool but will not shrink the leather sweatband proportionally and the cap would look like it has been through the seige of Vicksburg. Just wear it until you get tired of it blowing off then bite the bullet and buy a new cap that fits properly.

My head is 24" just above the ears before a haircut, and that is in between a size 7-5/8 (23-7/8") and a size 7-3/4 (24-1/4") hat size so when I buy a hat it is just a crap-shoot if I get a well fitting hat. If a hat is too tight, it will give you a headache and if it is too loose, the wind will keep blowing it in the creek.

[Rob Weaver]

Several years ago, I lost a bunch of weight. When it was all said and done, I lost a couple hat sizes! I know that on the average person, there isn't much fat on the head, and it doesn't make any sense, but one of my hats that didn't fit before (a stylish 6 7/8) fit like a glove. I had to put stuffing in the 7 1/8 that I had been wearing. I guess everyone who thought I was a fathead is right.

[Rob]

If you get a hat wet it will shrink the cloth or wool but will not shrink the leather sweatband proportionally and the cap would look like it has been through the seige of Vicksburg.

It may depend upon the quality of the hat. When I got my first NS forage cap, I wore it in the rain. This particular storm produced two inches of rain and severe flooding. The cap shrunk some, but it was fine. No wrinkles or anything like that.