Fedora Care, Tips And Tricks

[Eric Renderking Fisk]

Here's a thread that I think is a long time coming... what are you own hat care tips or tricks.

Here's mine... I used Pecard's Motorcycle Leather Lotion on the sweatband on one of my fedoras that was fitting too snugly and riding too high on my head. I let the lotion soak into the leather on both sides, then used an old cloth to wick away the excess.

Now it fits the way it did when it was brand new.

I also keep the humidifier close to my hat rack in dryer months.

How about you?

[Irish Fist]

Tip Number 2 - Know when to use naptha.

Naphtha ( /ˈnæfθə/ or /ˈnæpθə/) normally refers to a number of flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the lightest and most volatile fractions of the liquid hydrocarbons in petroleum. Naphtha is a colorless to reddish-brown volatile aromatic liquid, very similar to gasoline.
In petroleum engineering, full range naphtha is defined as the fraction of hydrocarbons in petroleum boiling between 30 °C and 200 °C.[1] It consists of a complex mixture of hydrocarbon molecules generally having between 5 and 12 carbon atoms. It typically constitutes 15–30% of crude oil, by weight. Light naphtha is the fraction boiling between 30 °C and 90 °C and consists of molecules with 5–6 carbon atoms. Heavy naphtha boils between 90 °C and 200 °C and consists of molecules with 6–12 carbons.
Naphtha is used primarily as feedstock for producing high octane gasoline (via the catalytic reforming process). It is also used in the bitumen mining industry as a diluent, the petrochemical industry for producing olefins in steam crackers, and the chemical industry for solvent (cleaning) applications. Common products made with it include lighter fluid, fuel for camp stoves, and some cleaning solvents.

This bunk will get out any stains - Human blood, animal blood, menstrual fluids, semen, motor oil stains, pine tar, tree sap, most inks, Vaseline, gravy, chicken fat, the smell of another woman's perfume, dirt, chocolate sauce, KY Jelly, Honey, Frank's Buffalo Sauce, egg yokes, pancake batter, sunblock, most hard liquors, and coffee.

[Super Ordinary Guy]

TMI

I now know more than I ever wanted to know about Irish Fist's personal life by the list of stains he knows naphtha will take out of your Fedora....

[n11pilot]

This bunk will get out any stains - Human blood, animal blood, menstrual fluids, semen, motor oil stains, pine tar, tree sap, most inks, Vaseline, gravy, chicken fat, the smell of another woman's perfume, dirt, chocolate sauce, KY Jelly, Honey, Frank's Buffalo Sauce, egg yokes, pancake batter, sunblock, most hard liquors, and coffee.

And that was just one party.

[davidg]

Seriously! Keep that stuff AWAY from any open flames!

[Eric Renderking Fisk]

Uh... how did this go from "G" to "Triple X" in just one post?

I got to echo what David G said. And make sure you get the right stuff. I got this can of stuff because I got some dog snot on the crown of one of my fedoras and the can says "Dry Cleaning Fluid." I wonder if it's pure Naptha.

[davidg]

HEY! I've always loved playing with fire, but there is a time and place for everything..

[DanielJones]

If you want good naptha, you can get a huge can of it at your local hardware store. Basically its Colemans camp fuel. And, Just don't smoke around it and be sure to do it outside. If you are soaking a hat in it be cure to use a covered container outside. Usually a standard 5 gallon paint bucket works well. In serious cases it takes a couple of days of soaking and you need to periodically move it around to get an even soak. then just take it out and let evaporation do the rest. Again no smoking around the hat. I've had great results with the stuff, especially getting cigarette smoke and that yellowish tint that comes with it out.

Here is a good reference book for any dedicated hat wearer to have around.
Scientific Hat Finishing and Renovating
by Henry Ermatinger, Hatter. c.1919


I think it can still be had on ebay fairly cheap too. It is basically a spiral bound reproduction but they did a good job of it. Plus being spiral bound the book will lay flat for reading and instruction while you do that voodoo that you do on your chapeau.

Cheers!

Dan

[The Oracle]

I found a link where you can read it page by page, very cool!

http://archive.org/stream/scientifichatfin00erma