Hello Adam, I own a couple western Stores in North Carolina And South Carolina, I have been steaming cowboy hats since I was a little kid. I am thoroughly enjoying watching you learn something new that I know how to do! Something that has never happened to me while watching you since the early 2000’s! I have always been learning from you. The changing of the bottle always results in a few water surges for the first couple of minutes until all of the pressure regulates. You are definitely getting the hang of it! I always like to start completely flat and then tweak it to my liking, it’s hard to fix multiple angles at once when they aren’t equal. 200 grit sandpaper is also excellent at getting water spots and stains off of the fur felt, Sheetrock sanding shingles work great for the angles! Also, another trick of the trade is hairspray, excellent for a impromptu hat stiffener! Straw are definitely harder to do, if the straw has cracked because of a tight bend, you can’t repair that unfortunately. It also takes longer for the steam to penetrate the clear lacquer they spray on straws to seal it. You should also try to get your hands on a much higher end Stetson or American Hat co. Hat maybe 20-500x quality, the softness of the fur blend is amazing! Once you get into chinchilla Fur, the softness is like velvet! Also be aware that Stetson and resistol have different shapes for the crown round oval and long oval, it can greatly affect the comfort of a hat. Most cheaper hats don’t have that option! Keep making and learning, I will always be along for the ride. Thank you for sharing, your gift of gab, and the amazing set of skills you have. Your qualities always made me envious! Booty Brothers Western Stores
As someone in Greenville who has been wondering if there was a hat guy in SC...duly noted sir. I bought a Brixton straw hat some years back and got caught in the rain and it went all floppy. Been wondering if there was someone in SC who could fix it. By the way I got stuck at that Bojangles across the street for 30 minutes last year waiting for a sandwich on my trip through and I just remember reading all your frontage signs while I waited lol.
As a professional hat maker by trade it is truly wonderful seeing Adam learning things that I have made it my life’s goal to know as much as I possibly can about.
There are a few moments in life I will never forget. Meeting Adam and having him compliment my Pork Pie on stage at the Brain Candy Live is one of those moments.
Surprised he also didn't compliment you on your goatee and chemistry ability, unless you instead happen to be a hardboiled newspaper reporter from the 1930s.
Pro tip when shaping a hat, rubber band a rag over the steam nozzle. Also, you were right about the language of a cowboy hat shape. Every bend in the brim means something different and the crown especially speaks the most, where your from, what kinda cowboy you are, bull rider, roper, rancher, the size of the brim speaks volumes. Us in the cowboy world can tell a lot about a man by simply looking at his hat.
My Grandfather used to have a frame molded in the shape of what he liked. It had a copper or brass mesh vent. It had a second wooden piece that held the hat's shape from underneath. The hat was clamped between the two pieces and he uses a teapot kettle to steam the cap for 10 to 20 mins to loosen it up then let it cool for an hour inspecting the cap. Then heat the whole thing up again gently for 1 to 2 mins then takes the hat out quickly and puts it in another mold frame that is not vent to keep the hat shape until dry usually 24 hours. It really was neat watching him do it.
My great aunt was a milliner, and I was lucky enough to inherit one of her hat forms. It's not as complicated as the one you describe, but she was also making the smaller (women's) felt hats that were popular then. (I wore a hat she made for our engagement photos, as a matter of fact). For a felt hat, even a simple wooden hat block would be a good start for shaping post-steaming.
One of the most "human" video clips i have seen. So intuitive, and organic. What a brilliant video. I have a Miller "billy jack" hat. This video is way cool! I love learning!
Hi Adam, this is not remotely hat related, but a friend of mine and I got our hands on a few Albion made, aluminium bladed stunt swords used in the 2007 Arn: The Knight Templar movies. If you're interested we'd be happy to send you one as a token of our appreciation and as a thank you for many years of education, inspiration and entertainment. Cheers, Tobi & Chris
Heat Gun: amzn.to/3IYaE7c Hat Cleaning Kit: amzn.to/3y5Xb6R Watch Adam steam his hat in real time (Premium/Patron exclusive): th-cam.com/video/rkGuIB7TYcY/w-d-xo.html Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
My little handheld Bissell drapery steam cleaner has become one of my more used tools. I use it for raising grain or fixing dents on wood working projects, to forming and working cloth and leather around bucks and molds.
yessir. Bought several now-unworn modern stetson dress hats from Jacks... I say un-worn because they don't steam worth a crap, and I've never looked back after getting my hands on a couple Borsalino's from Jack. I also had Jack himself build a custom dress style hat from a western blank. Great store, great friendly staff as well.
I was just listening to an Olde Time radio show where a young gent went out to buy his first hat without parental input and purchased a straw one (much to his mother's displeasure.) Now here you are with your hats. They look great on you. Baseball caps are overrated. Fine hats and nice suits/uniforms make a man look grand.
You don't really need to glue in the liner. The sweatband will keep it in. They tend to rotate over time but you can just turn them back every now and then.
Real cowboy twist and disco! You immediately feel like a hero of westerns like «Colorado Territory (1949)», «The Tall T (1957)» or «The Searchers (1956)».
I really appreciate the ASMR vibes of the gently boiling steamer. This was a fun one to watch. I also hate finding a great hat that doesn't fit and I've got a MELON on me so it happens often. Last time I bought a hat that fit me was probably a leather biker cap from Mr.S a few years ago and at 7 3/4, it's even a little snug.
You're 100% right with what you say at 33:32 about needing to wear a hat for a few weeks to a month before it becomes comfortable with you. I do some IT work for a small cowboy hat company and they pay me in custom hats. You get a new hat, especially one that is more extreme in a style, and you're a little self conscious with it for a bit. For me, it was especially strong with the first cowboy-cowboy hat I got. It's completely in your head, and you won't really get a feel for how the hat works with you until that feeling fades a bit. Also, the partner liking it too is important. I have a bowler hat I love, but something about the style bugs my wife. She mind me wearing it or anything, but that bit of dislike is enough to keep it pretty firmly out of rotation.
I make hats for a living. In my shop I use an 1800’s conformateur to get the exact shape of your head so they are the most comfortable fit as soon as they leave my bench and you put it on your head.
@@ph0t0sh0pmast3r I didn't mean the hat was physically uncomfortable (the place has a conformateur too), but more of the social comfort. Hats aren't that common, so when you start wearing one, it takes a bit to get used to doing something both outside of the norm and a bit different for you. People frequently feel the same way when the get a haircut that's a big difference from their old style.
The ' "Oh, Bud, if you only knew..." whatever the thing is' moments are among my favorite and cherished nuggets of imparted wisdom. A true teacher seeks to share those and gain more for the sharing; a true student seeks to hold them high! never clutching them, so that any who cared enough to look might see the wonder. In this way the teacher and the student are the same and understanding of knowledge is preserved.
Thanks for extolling the virtues of hats. I spent a couple of months getting a new hat; from picking the right hat, steaming it to fine tune the shape, making a new hat band, and finding the perfect conchos (brass moon coins).
in buffalo we’ve got a custom hatter here that’s made hats for indie 3. got my first 100xx custom outback cowboy hat about a year ago and i get compliments on it every day
When I was in Basic training for the Australian Army, we were told to use a mirror or glass window to cool the hat down quickly in order to keep the slouch hat flat after steaming and or ironing this I find still works the best to cool down a hat quickly. I hope this helps you out in future
I believe the steamer should have come with a brass tip that has holes in it. This way the steam escapes and the water flows back down into the bottom. I work with this same model in my hat shop.
Love the video. I'm also a hat guy, going back to 1986. I've got my felt hats for Fall and Winter and my straws for Spring and Summer. My most recent addition was a custom made hat from the Texas Hatters in Lockhart, Texas.
Volunteering at a local community theatre costume shop has taught me the value of having a few sizes of hat blocks. Brims are a challenge but the crown blocks and steam work wonders from dents caused by storage.
The "glue" doesn't so much hold the fur fibers together, it's a stiffener added during the felt making process to make the felt hard. Cowboy hats typically have much more added than fedoras which have little to no stiffener. High quality vintage cowboy hats typically had less stiffener. Everyone has they're own preference but I like a felt that behaves almost like it's made of silicone. You can bend and manipulate it easily and it just bounces right back into shape.
Exactly! It's the microscopic "scales" on the hair that allow it to form in to felt and give it its strength. Synthetic fibre "felt" needs binders, real fur or hair felt does not.
i think the most important thing about getting a hat is to let the hat choose you, same for any garment, i have leather jackets i dont like but they look good on me. im not really a hat guy but now that im up in years and my hair is thinning i picked up a hat, its not a brim hat, its a news boy hat, i bought it put it on and all that day everyone complimented my hat. it feels good when someone says that hat is you.
If you ever make it to Idaho you should visit Jaxonbilt Hat Co. in Salmon, Idaho. Custom hats, cleaning, repair and some of the nicest people I've shot the breeze with! I spent about 15 minutes just chatting with Roy Jackson and he couldn't have been more friendly. They have some old beat up hats lining the wall that just ooze personal history!
That Panama hat is very nice and reminds me of the one that Hannibal Lechter wore at the end of Silence of the Lambs. I really liked the first Resistall everyday hat you showed us but, they are all good hats! Thank you Adam for showing us your hats and how to give them a tuneup!😁👍
Great video! I'm also a lifelong hat guy, and I agree that fine hats really enhance a whole look in an almost undefinable way. The right hat takes any outfit up a few notches and adds real character. I've never done any of this with my hats, but now that I've seen you do it, I might just try it. Cheers, mate!
I think one of the most rewarding things you can do as a felt hat owner is shape it to your exact liking. There's nothing like taking a hat off the rack and transforming it into something uniquely yours
Hi Adam, I feel your pain, I wear all sorts of hats, and one of my most favorite is a 1940's Stetson gun club, the color is a nasty green brown but the fit and brim is perfect. I have gone thru the tea pot steamer action on my cowboy hats and have got pretty good at getting the dropped front brim I like so much. My biggest accomplishment was to take a used Grey Stetson cowboy hat and match the hat Festus wears on Gunsmoke. Keep at it and you will get the shape you want.
Hat wearers are a dying breed. I where a bowler as a dress hat and a pork pie as a EDW. My pops wears a stetson and a fedora as a dress hat. I shape both of ours with a steam iron or a steam kettle.
i’m kinda feeling that daily hats are coming back. my hatter told me that he’s been getting a lot of business lately and also with the cowboy resurgence in film and video games i think hats are in the zeitgeist
I make leather hats . I call it the New England bush whacker. I have made and sold quite a few .I let the owner of them mold them the way they like so they get a custom look to them. So I like the steamer
Thank you for spiking my interest in doing more with my hat and the interest in acquiring more hats. They provide great cover for my glasses in light precipitation and the wool felt is good in the winter. As one who has favored the Traveller wool felt hat for a long time, with the more turned-down type of brim, I see what you mean when you say that it takes a month to get used to new hats. I will look into that later, because I am starting to appreciate the need for a manilla hat, maybe in a Trilby fashion, just to make it an easy transition. The folded up brim seems odd to me, and I don't feel comfortable wearing a cowboy hat myself (maybe it is the stereotype I dislike). Anyway, my Traveller hat is going to need a hat band replacement due to the leather separating from the textile band on its inside, so I have to see what to do about that as well.
Cowboy style says front and back should both angle downward, so if you're in the rain, the water would flow off the front and back, not pool on the brim. In profile the hat should have a nice radius from front to back. I always used my belly to help form that bend, cupping the crown around the band in both hands, with the front to my left and the rear to my right, and basically wrapping the hat around my middle with my wrists and arms. Sometimes a knee or thigh works too. Typically you want the sides to roll up smoothly, with the front narrower than the rear, but a fairly recent trend has guys bending the front almost as wide as the back, with pretty tight corners at the transition from the front's downward slope to the sides' upward angle. Too tight a corner will break the felt though, just like folding thick paper breaks those fibers and leaves a crease. A break can't be repaired. It can sometimes be smoothed over and stiffened some, but it will never be as smooth and firm as the rest of the hat, and creases will almost never disappear completely. Worse for straws. Once the fiber of the straw is bent too far, the fibers break and the creases won't come out. It's also hard on stiffer felt like cowboy hats to bend it around much without steam. Pushing out the crown and trying to shape it without steam or water separates the fibers and weakens the felt. I don't think you want to go hardcore cowboy, but you might find you like a hat with a bit more of that arcing profile to the brim. The arc also helps reduce the bellying you were getting on the brim of the felt hat, as it gives the material somewhere to go. That's what was happening at the end when you were flipping the brim of the straw and it was popping up and down. If you don't shape it to bend down, it will curl up. Fun watching you having fun with it. Have you noticed that steamed felt smells like a combination of caramel and wet dog?
Adam - I understand the moment me and my pointy hat came to terms with each other and now we go out all the time year round! A good hat becomes a part of you. Witchy pointy hats, cowboy hats, beanies, all hats!
Tea kettle plus a tin foil long spout! I love my hats, I'm partial to Canadian made Biltmores, formerly of Guelph, ON (fedoras, caps, homburgs, etc but also they famously supplied the original bearskin hats for the Beefeaters)
Biltmore may have supplied bearskin hats to the Canadian Guard. But they have never made any hats for any of the Household Guard regiments. All bearskins made for the Household Guard are made by an "undisclosed English hatmaker". By the way, the Beefeaters (Yeoman Warders) and the Household Guard are completely different. The Household Guard are all active serving members of the British Army. The Beefeaters are all retired. As for hats specifically, the Beefeaters wear a cloth Tudor bonnet.
I too love my hats. Fur fedoras and cowboy hats, leather Australian bush hats, summer canvas bush and cowboy hats, and so on. I have a lot of very nice ball caps, but I haven't worn any in a decade or more because they give me headaches, and well, it seems like everyone in the northern states that wears a hat these days wears a ball cap. It's shocking to me how many compliments I get on my various hats, because I don't really get out a ton, and I don't concern myself with that stuff, hence part of my surprise. I mean sure, you can just buy one and wear it and just be like whatever, but when you jump down the rabbit hole just a bit, and learn about shapes and sizes of brims and crowns, and different fits with different heads, and you find the right hats for you, and you are comfortable and enjoy it FOR YOU and not as a "hey, look at me," that others start enjoying them with you. Like they are surprised people wear hats like that anymore, but they are also glad you do, because a lot of people that don't ever wear hats get sick of looking at the same hats all the time too. I wear them for purpose though too, not just to cover a bald spot or whatever, as fortunately I do not have to worry about that. Sun, wind, rain, snow, etc. You can certainly wear them as just an accessory too, especially if you have a nice fur fedora or dress cowboy hat, etc. You can spend a mint on really nice hats, but you don't have to. Just do yourself a favor and don't just go buy a crappy trilby from Walmart and think you're going to look like Justin Timberlake. Visit a hat store in a city, and get measured. Try some styles. Take a few minutes to learn a little, and figure out what might interest you. The hat shop can then further narrow that down. Then if you like it, and you've learned how different hats fit, you can then order them. Different styles of hats should fit differently. Some are meant to fit loose, some snug, since most hats have one or more specific purposes. So learn a little, go to a hat shop, buy a hat, and enjoy it. Let's try to make hats make a come back. Like Adam said at 28:10 More hats in the world ! Let's get people into something other than boring ball caps. Edit: You head shape matters !!! That's why you should go to a hat shop. Looking top down at your head, our heads vary wildly, with several shapes that are most common. If your hat doesn't fit right, you will hate it and never wear it, because it will hurt or give you headaches. If it fits well and feels really good, you'll wear it a lot. You'll be more likely to grab it, even for "just in case." Remember just like you don't have to be a baseball player to wear a baseball cap, you don't have to be a cowboy to wear a cowboy hat, or fit a certain demographic to wear a certain hat!! Have fun!!!
LOL nice to see another "Hat guy". I've been wearing hats......all my life. My grandfather had several hats that I loved growing up but when I first started school I asked him if I could have my favorite one, A Fedora. He said no that his hats were too old and several were starting to fall apart. I was really disappointed but 2 days later, on my first day of 1st grade he met me while mom was dropping me off and gave me my own Fedora. I wore it every day, then Raiders of the Lost Ark came out and I became the Indiana Jones hat kid. My favorite thing was to tell people that Indiana Jones copied me. I wore that hat for about 7 years before I out grew it. That summer I mowed every yard in the neighborhood just to earn enough to buy a new hat. I dont buy expensive shoes, or clothes. I had an old junk bike I got from a garage sale. I shopped the thrift stores for things like backpacks and other school supplies, but I had my HAT. And I got another one just like the one Grandpa got me. Funny thing is the haberdasher called it an "Indiana Jones Fedora" lol. And I wore it all the way through High School. In collage, I got a few more hats. My Fedora was my everyday hat, I got a Stetson cowboy hat that I wore for gatherings (picnics, birthdays, etc). And I had a "rawhide" hat I used in bad weather. Now some 30 years later I have about 2 dozen hats. I got very lucky, when I moved out of the city and into my new home out in the boonies, I discovered that one of my neighbors has been making hats for nearly 60 years. He has no store and only makes about 2-3 hats per month, more as a hobby anymore, and only sells to long term clients. Luckily he agreed to make me a hat about 10 years ago and let me in as a client. I get a new hat about every 6 months or so. My Favorites are still the Fedoras and my current favorite is one made from Beaver. Luckily he knows what I like in a hat and he likes to experiment a little either with different kinds of furs/skins or with combining different styles, so I stopped asking for specific styles of hats and when I'm ready I just let him know and he will make one of his own design for me. He always manages to surprise me with his creations and I'm never disappointed. I'm sorry to see so few people wearing hats as anymore, so few people see hats as anything more than something to cover bald spots or "bed heads". Sometimes I long for the days when someone not wearing a proper hat was shocking and uncommon. LOL guess I'm getting old.
I have become a fedora wearer after decades of heavy outback style oiled canvas which were perfect for prospecting and horse logging. But in this my antiquity I have put away myAussie cowboy hats for the fedora of the city. Starting with the Akubra Stylemaster which has cowboy hat toughness with the vintage styling of the fedora. Jiffy makes a great steamer.
Steaming hats is an art. Lukily I live in cowboy country, Cheyenne, WY. 1 block from my office is a shop and there is a cowboy (who happens to be in a wheelchair) that is a master at shaping your hats anyway you'd like. It's cool to watch him.
AS was referring to a "hattening", the process of becoming one with a new hat. I bought my first Akubra a few months ago, and I love it to bits. It would suit those Blunnys too.
My curtain cleaner puts out about the same amount of steam and also spits but because I left the hose on the water never exits the steam hose. I like a shot glass for flattening the crown and if an iron (I have a Black and Decker iron that puts out tremendous steam) that will fit in the brim trough, that works really well for flattening the brim without messing up the edging (don't press down, though). I don't usually steam straw, I use warm water but it looks like it worked for you.
I became an upholsterer in the early 90s. I personally have a J3 steamer, but I used a J2 in school and several jobs along the way. something in the nature of the design... all jiffy steamers gurgle. they build up enough condensate on the path and steam pushes it out causing it to spit.
Hey Adam! Saw the handheld heat gun that you were using. If it didn't come with one, you should make a loop attachment for the end of it for shrinking heat shrink tubing. They are the cat's meow for the purpose!
I have a Biltmore cowboy hat and it's lovely! Biltmores used to be made about and hour and a half from where I grew up so it' feels very cool knowing they have such provenance.
I bought my dad a couple of hats, I believe they are the same brand as the Indiana Jones og hat, or maybe not haha, but I remember buying them because some Adam recommendation I read ages ago. We are in Argentina, I had to import them, weren't cheap, but nobody has them here! They still rock :D
Interesting video but I take the opposite approach. I have a Tilly canvas hat I have worn for years on many adventures. It has shielded me from rain while backpacking on the Appalachian trail and from sun while kayaking on the Florida Gulf coast. Occasionally I will toss it in the washing machine and then do a quick stretch over my knee so it fits my head. It is well worn, creased and has a few stains but to me it tells a story of all the experiences we have had together.
If you’re ever in Dallas, you should take a drive over to the suburb, Garland. Home of the Resistol Hat Factory since 1938. And, YES, there is an Outlet Store.
I, too, am a hat person... daily wear is an eBay-purchased Akubra "Snowy River" in black (also have one in fawn but still need on in glen gray). Made my own woven leather hatband... personal touch. Been using a "Eureka Hot Shot 350A Pressurized Hand Steam Cleaner" for re-blocking my hats but should look into a more professional model as demonstrated.
Dude!!! That Biltmore is a gem! I'm a little jealous over that one! I'm a huge Stetson Whippet user myself (I just have 3), but that beauty with the bigger brim is super sweet!!! Great find!
Just starting to touch "headwear" for the first time here in my mid-40s. Haven't found many hats I like yet, but I'm told I look good in a flatcap/ivy cap. Slowly breaking a couple in and enjoying them.
I have a couple of hats. A nice fedora and a nice bowler. I had a nice porkpie for awhile - until I wore it out. My fedora is for daily wear... the bowler - usually worn with my 3-piece suit (for church and fancy events).
I really like your hats. I am a hat-person myself. I have some cowboy hats (a felt 4x Stetson hat and 2 10x fur Resistol hats, and one cheap no brand felt cowboy hat) and a more "city"-style hat like you see in 50's movies. This video was really interesting, but I doubt I dare to try this with my hats as I'm not really handy even though some of the hats could need a little brim adjustment.
I’ve heard an old hatter’s trick that you can stiffen the felt by spraying it down with rubbing alcohol. Not done this myself, but it’s easy enough to try in a pinch.
I love hats. I've collected various unique hats since I was 10. I've always had a similar vibe of not wanting to mess with hats for fear of messing them up, but I've had a rain deformed Tophat since DragonCon 22 that my partner got me. This has inspired me to go get out my kettle and fix that up. Thanks Adam 😁💜
Adam do you not know about Bill Knudsen in Richmond at Golden Gate Western Wear? His building is an old horse tack manufacturer built from Liberty Ship steel! It is so cool. Bill makes magnificent hats. He is probably the last old school hatter working in the Bay Area. Check him out!
I've been rewatching the Mandalorian and currently the book of Boba Fett. There is a scene in BoBF where Fett makes his own Gaderffii. They show some detail of the process he uses, would love to see Adam make one with the same techniques (where possible/feasible).
To be the hat pedant, the Open Road is a dress western. They have smaller dimensions than that Resistol, typically 2 3/4" or less depending on the year.
Hello Adam,
I own a couple western Stores in North Carolina And South Carolina, I have been steaming cowboy hats since I was a little kid. I am thoroughly enjoying watching you learn something new that I know how to do! Something that has never happened to me while watching you since the early 2000’s! I have always been learning from you.
The changing of the bottle always results in a few water surges for the first couple of minutes until all of the pressure regulates.
You are definitely getting the hang of it! I always like to start completely flat and then tweak it to my liking, it’s hard to fix multiple angles at once when they aren’t equal.
200 grit sandpaper is also excellent at getting water spots and stains off of the fur felt, Sheetrock sanding shingles work great for the angles! Also, another trick of the trade is hairspray, excellent for a impromptu hat stiffener!
Straw are definitely harder to do, if the straw has cracked because of a tight bend, you can’t repair that unfortunately. It also takes longer for the steam to penetrate the clear lacquer they spray on straws to seal it.
You should also try to get your hands on a much higher end Stetson or American Hat co. Hat maybe 20-500x quality, the softness of the fur blend is amazing! Once you get into chinchilla Fur, the softness is like velvet!
Also be aware that Stetson and resistol have different shapes for the crown round oval and long oval, it can greatly affect the comfort of a hat. Most cheaper hats don’t have that option!
Keep making and learning, I will always be along for the ride. Thank you for sharing, your gift of gab, and the amazing set of skills you have. Your qualities always made me envious!
Booty Brothers Western Stores
As someone in Greenville who has been wondering if there was a hat guy in SC...duly noted sir. I bought a Brixton straw hat some years back and got caught in the rain and it went all floppy. Been wondering if there was someone in SC who could fix it. By the way I got stuck at that Bojangles across the street for 30 minutes last year waiting for a sandwich on my trip through and I just remember reading all your frontage signs while I waited lol.
I really hope Adam sees your comment.
Ahh, how lovely!!! An actual professional commenting, see sometimes is ok to read the comments :-) ❤
As a professional hat maker by trade it is truly wonderful seeing Adam learning things that I have made it my life’s goal to know as much as I possibly can about.
Adam, would be lovely to see you going to SC to learn more about hats.
There are a few moments in life I will never forget. Meeting Adam and having him compliment my Pork Pie on stage at the Brain Candy Live is one of those moments.
Surprised he also didn't compliment you on your goatee and chemistry ability, unless you instead happen to be a hardboiled newspaper reporter from the 1930s.
This was a lovely sentiment thanks for sharing! And while the two troll comments above, mine did kind of make me chuckle completely uncalled for. :)
Pro tip when shaping a hat, rubber band a rag over the steam nozzle. Also, you were right about the language of a cowboy hat shape. Every bend in the brim means something different and the crown especially speaks the most, where your from, what kinda cowboy you are, bull rider, roper, rancher, the size of the brim speaks volumes. Us in the cowboy world can tell a lot about a man by simply looking at his hat.
My Grandfather used to have a frame molded in the shape of what he liked. It had a copper or brass mesh vent. It had a second wooden piece that held the hat's shape from underneath. The hat was clamped between the two pieces and he uses a teapot kettle to steam the cap for 10 to 20 mins to loosen it up then let it cool for an hour inspecting the cap. Then heat the whole thing up again gently for 1 to 2 mins then takes the hat out quickly and puts it in another mold frame that is not vent to keep the hat shape until dry usually 24 hours. It really was neat watching him do it.
My great aunt was a milliner, and I was lucky enough to inherit one of her hat forms. It's not as complicated as the one you describe, but she was also making the smaller (women's) felt hats that were popular then. (I wore a hat she made for our engagement photos, as a matter of fact).
For a felt hat, even a simple wooden hat block would be a good start for shaping post-steaming.
@@GinaLikins That’s awesome! My grandfather actually hand made his own it turns out after talking with my grandma the other day
one of my favorite images from mythbusters is adam wearing several hats on top of each other... always gives me a chuckle.
One of the most "human" video clips i have seen.
So intuitive, and organic.
What a brilliant video.
I have a Miller "billy jack" hat. This video is way cool!
I love learning!
Some of my favorite edits are Adam going back and forth searching for the things he needs. I often ping pong around my space in similar fashion.
We use those Jiffy steamers every single day in the furniture factory I work in. Whenever you show a tool I have used it makes me very happy.
Hi Adam,
this is not remotely hat related, but a friend of mine and I got our hands on a few Albion made, aluminium bladed stunt swords used in the 2007 Arn: The Knight Templar movies. If you're interested we'd be happy to send you one as a token of our appreciation and as a thank you for many years of education, inspiration and entertainment.
Cheers,
Tobi & Chris
The STOMP when posing for the mirror cracks me up.
The bubbling of the steamer might be in the top most satisfying sounds.
Grandma had a vaporizer that percolated like that. Very comforting.
Heat Gun: amzn.to/3IYaE7c
Hat Cleaning Kit: amzn.to/3y5Xb6R
Watch Adam steam his hat in real time (Premium/Patron exclusive): th-cam.com/video/rkGuIB7TYcY/w-d-xo.html
Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
Hat cleaning kit currently unavailable, so you must've gotten them sold out!
@@dgenpres1 Again! LOL
Maybe you should visit Lock & CO. next time your in the UK. They might have tips on how to steam and work on hats. I feel that you'd love it there.
Thanks! What hat stiffener was used?
The walrus nailed the simplicity of wearing hat all the time, with his beret.
My little handheld Bissell drapery steam cleaner has become one of my more used tools. I use it for raising grain or fixing dents on wood working projects, to forming and working cloth and leather around bucks and molds.
I was fully expecting this to turn into a steamer modification video 😂
If Adam is ever in the Wichita, Kansas area, Hatman Jack's is a great hat shop that will do re-blocking and cleaning of hats!
yessir. Bought several now-unworn modern stetson dress hats from Jacks... I say un-worn because they don't steam worth a crap, and I've never looked back after getting my hands on a couple Borsalino's from Jack. I also had Jack himself build a custom dress style hat from a western blank. Great store, great friendly staff as well.
I was just listening to an Olde Time radio show where a young gent went out to buy his first hat without parental input and purchased a straw one (much to his mother's displeasure.) Now here you are with your hats. They look great on you. Baseball caps are overrated. Fine hats and nice suits/uniforms make a man look grand.
You don't really need to glue in the liner. The sweatband will keep it in. They tend to rotate over time but you can just turn them back every now and then.
Real cowboy twist and disco! You immediately feel like a hero of westerns like «Colorado Territory (1949)», «The Tall T (1957)» or «The Searchers (1956)».
I really appreciate the ASMR vibes of the gently boiling steamer. This was a fun one to watch. I also hate finding a great hat that doesn't fit and I've got a MELON on me so it happens often. Last time I bought a hat that fit me was probably a leather biker cap from Mr.S a few years ago and at 7 3/4, it's even a little snug.
You asked for tips. I was just thinking, "What about a steam press for hats?", if you could buy one or do a One Day Build of one.😁 Hope this helps.
You're 100% right with what you say at 33:32 about needing to wear a hat for a few weeks to a month before it becomes comfortable with you. I do some IT work for a small cowboy hat company and they pay me in custom hats. You get a new hat, especially one that is more extreme in a style, and you're a little self conscious with it for a bit. For me, it was especially strong with the first cowboy-cowboy hat I got. It's completely in your head, and you won't really get a feel for how the hat works with you until that feeling fades a bit.
Also, the partner liking it too is important. I have a bowler hat I love, but something about the style bugs my wife. She mind me wearing it or anything, but that bit of dislike is enough to keep it pretty firmly out of rotation.
I make hats for a living. In my shop I use an 1800’s conformateur to get the exact shape of your head so they are the most comfortable fit as soon as they leave my bench and you put it on your head.
@@ph0t0sh0pmast3r I didn't mean the hat was physically uncomfortable (the place has a conformateur too), but more of the social comfort.
Hats aren't that common, so when you start wearing one, it takes a bit to get used to doing something both outside of the norm and a bit different for you.
People frequently feel the same way when the get a haircut that's a big difference from their old style.
The ' "Oh, Bud, if you only knew..." whatever the thing is' moments are among my favorite and cherished nuggets of imparted wisdom.
A true teacher seeks to share those and gain more for the sharing; a true student seeks to hold them high! never clutching them, so that any who cared enough to look might see the wonder. In this way the teacher and the student are the same and understanding of knowledge is preserved.
Thanks for extolling the virtues of hats.
I spent a couple of months getting a new hat; from picking the right hat, steaming it to fine tune the shape, making a new hat band, and finding the perfect conchos (brass moon coins).
in buffalo we’ve got a custom hatter here that’s made hats for indie 3. got my first 100xx custom outback cowboy hat about a year ago and i get compliments on it every day
Why not shout out?
When I was in Basic training for the Australian Army, we were told to use a mirror or glass window to cool the hat down quickly in order to keep the slouch hat flat after steaming and or ironing this I find still works the best to cool down a hat quickly. I hope this helps you out in future
Would you like me to send you an Australian Army slouch hat for your collection?
I believe the steamer should have come with a brass tip that has holes in it. This way the steam escapes and the water flows back down into the bottom.
I work with this same model in my hat shop.
Love the video. I'm also a hat guy, going back to 1986. I've got my felt hats for Fall and Winter and my straws for Spring and Summer. My most recent addition was a custom made hat from the Texas Hatters in Lockhart, Texas.
Volunteering at a local community theatre costume shop has taught me the value of having a few sizes of hat blocks. Brims are a challenge but the crown blocks and steam work wonders from dents caused by storage.
Plus actors are never kind to costume pieces...
The "glue" doesn't so much hold the fur fibers together, it's a stiffener added during the felt making process to make the felt hard. Cowboy hats typically have much more added than fedoras which have little to no stiffener. High quality vintage cowboy hats typically had less stiffener. Everyone has they're own preference but I like a felt that behaves almost like it's made of silicone. You can bend and manipulate it easily and it just bounces right back into shape.
Exactly! It's the microscopic "scales" on the hair that allow it to form in to felt and give it its strength. Synthetic fibre "felt" needs binders, real fur or hair felt does not.
People really should wear more hats. They are such a wonderful and diverse style element. And one can always ad feathers.
A true Mad Hatter. I love this guy, his imagination and his skills
i think the most important thing about getting a hat is to let the hat choose you, same for any garment, i have leather jackets i dont like but they look good on me. im not really a hat guy but now that im up in years and my hair is thinning i picked up a hat, its not a brim hat, its a news boy hat, i bought it put it on and all that day everyone complimented my hat. it feels good when someone says that hat is you.
I love you so much Adam. That smile and wave at... A crowd? A passing neighbor? Love it.
If you ever make it to Idaho you should visit Jaxonbilt Hat Co. in Salmon, Idaho. Custom hats, cleaning, repair and some of the nicest people I've shot the breeze with! I spent about 15 minutes just chatting with Roy Jackson and he couldn't have been more friendly. They have some old beat up hats lining the wall that just ooze personal history!
21:14 - Amazing how Adam morphs into a Flamenco dancer when he tries on a hat.
That Panama hat is very nice and reminds me of the one that Hannibal Lechter wore at the end of Silence of the Lambs. I really liked the first Resistall everyday hat you showed us but, they are all good hats! Thank you Adam for showing us your hats and how to give them a tuneup!😁👍
I would recommend putting a before and after shot at the end of a video like this
Great video! I'm also a lifelong hat guy, and I agree that fine hats really enhance a whole look in an almost undefinable way. The right hat takes any outfit up a few notches and adds real character. I've never done any of this with my hats, but now that I've seen you do it, I might just try it. Cheers, mate!
I love the hubble-bubble sound that comes from that steamer
I think one of the most rewarding things you can do as a felt hat owner is shape it to your exact liking. There's nothing like taking a hat off the rack and transforming it into something uniquely yours
There was something satisfying about listening to the steamer doing its thing.
Hi Adam, I feel your pain, I wear all sorts of hats, and one of my most favorite is a 1940's Stetson gun club, the color is a nasty green brown but the fit and brim is perfect. I have gone thru the tea pot steamer action on my cowboy hats and have got pretty good at getting the dropped front brim I like so much. My biggest accomplishment was to take a used Grey Stetson cowboy hat and match the hat Festus wears on Gunsmoke. Keep at it and you will get the shape you want.
Adam I just want to say thank you for making this video. It helps me go to sleep at night.😴💤🤷♂️
3:13 Proof Adam is fancy!
Adam: "Accoutrements"!
Everyone else: "Accessories"!
Hat wearers are a dying breed. I where a bowler as a dress hat and a pork pie as a EDW. My pops wears a stetson and a fedora as a dress hat. I shape both of ours with a steam iron or a steam kettle.
i’m kinda feeling that daily hats are coming back. my hatter told me that he’s been getting a lot of business lately and also with the cowboy resurgence in film and video games i think hats are in the zeitgeist
I make leather hats . I call it the New England bush whacker. I have made and sold quite a few .I let the owner of them mold them the way they like so they get a custom look to them. So I like the steamer
Ah to have the right head size for hats. My head is big so hats typically don't fit or look weird due to just how big they have to be
Thank you for spiking my interest in doing more with my hat and the interest in acquiring more hats. They provide great cover for my glasses in light precipitation and the wool felt is good in the winter. As one who has favored the Traveller wool felt hat for a long time, with the more turned-down type of brim, I see what you mean when you say that it takes a month to get used to new hats. I will look into that later, because I am starting to appreciate the need for a manilla hat, maybe in a Trilby fashion, just to make it an easy transition. The folded up brim seems odd to me, and I don't feel comfortable wearing a cowboy hat myself (maybe it is the stereotype I dislike). Anyway, my Traveller hat is going to need a hat band replacement due to the leather separating from the textile band on its inside, so I have to see what to do about that as well.
@TeLe-Gram_Me-AdamSavagesTested Begone, bot scammer. Reported.
Cowboy style says front and back should both angle downward, so if you're in the rain, the water would flow off the front and back, not pool on the brim. In profile the hat should have a nice radius from front to back. I always used my belly to help form that bend, cupping the crown around the band in both hands, with the front to my left and the rear to my right, and basically wrapping the hat around my middle with my wrists and arms. Sometimes a knee or thigh works too. Typically you want the sides to roll up smoothly, with the front narrower than the rear, but a fairly recent trend has guys bending the front almost as wide as the back, with pretty tight corners at the transition from the front's downward slope to the sides' upward angle. Too tight a corner will break the felt though, just like folding thick paper breaks those fibers and leaves a crease. A break can't be repaired. It can sometimes be smoothed over and stiffened some, but it will never be as smooth and firm as the rest of the hat, and creases will almost never disappear completely. Worse for straws. Once the fiber of the straw is bent too far, the fibers break and the creases won't come out. It's also hard on stiffer felt like cowboy hats to bend it around much without steam. Pushing out the crown and trying to shape it without steam or water separates the fibers and weakens the felt.
I don't think you want to go hardcore cowboy, but you might find you like a hat with a bit more of that arcing profile to the brim. The arc also helps reduce the bellying you were getting on the brim of the felt hat, as it gives the material somewhere to go. That's what was happening at the end when you were flipping the brim of the straw and it was popping up and down. If you don't shape it to bend down, it will curl up.
Fun watching you having fun with it. Have you noticed that steamed felt smells like a combination of caramel and wet dog?
Love hats also !! The gone by era's of men wearing great hats daily !!!
Adam - I understand the moment me and my pointy hat came to terms with each other and now we go out all the time year round! A good hat becomes a part of you. Witchy pointy hats, cowboy hats, beanies, all hats!
Tea kettle plus a tin foil long spout! I love my hats, I'm partial to Canadian made Biltmores, formerly of Guelph, ON (fedoras, caps, homburgs, etc but also they famously supplied the original bearskin hats for the Beefeaters)
Biltmore may have supplied bearskin hats to the Canadian Guard. But they have never made any hats for any of the Household Guard regiments. All bearskins made for the Household Guard are made by an "undisclosed English hatmaker".
By the way, the Beefeaters (Yeoman Warders) and the Household Guard are completely different. The Household Guard are all active serving members of the British Army. The Beefeaters are all retired.
As for hats specifically, the Beefeaters wear a cloth Tudor bonnet.
I too love my hats. Fur fedoras and cowboy hats, leather Australian bush hats, summer canvas bush and cowboy hats, and so on. I have a lot of very nice ball caps, but I haven't worn any in a decade or more because they give me headaches, and well, it seems like everyone in the northern states that wears a hat these days wears a ball cap.
It's shocking to me how many compliments I get on my various hats, because I don't really get out a ton, and I don't concern myself with that stuff, hence part of my surprise. I mean sure, you can just buy one and wear it and just be like whatever, but when you jump down the rabbit hole just a bit, and learn about shapes and sizes of brims and crowns, and different fits with different heads, and you find the right hats for you, and you are comfortable and enjoy it FOR YOU and not as a "hey, look at me," that others start enjoying them with you. Like they are surprised people wear hats like that anymore, but they are also glad you do, because a lot of people that don't ever wear hats get sick of looking at the same hats all the time too.
I wear them for purpose though too, not just to cover a bald spot or whatever, as fortunately I do not have to worry about that. Sun, wind, rain, snow, etc. You can certainly wear them as just an accessory too, especially if you have a nice fur fedora or dress cowboy hat, etc. You can spend a mint on really nice hats, but you don't have to. Just do yourself a favor and don't just go buy a crappy trilby from Walmart and think you're going to look like Justin Timberlake. Visit a hat store in a city, and get measured. Try some styles. Take a few minutes to learn a little, and figure out what might interest you. The hat shop can then further narrow that down. Then if you like it, and you've learned how different hats fit, you can then order them. Different styles of hats should fit differently. Some are meant to fit loose, some snug, since most hats have one or more specific purposes.
So learn a little, go to a hat shop, buy a hat, and enjoy it. Let's try to make hats make a come back. Like Adam said at 28:10 More hats in the world ! Let's get people into something other than boring ball caps.
Edit: You head shape matters !!! That's why you should go to a hat shop. Looking top down at your head, our heads vary wildly, with several shapes that are most common. If your hat doesn't fit right, you will hate it and never wear it, because it will hurt or give you headaches. If it fits well and feels really good, you'll wear it a lot. You'll be more likely to grab it, even for "just in case." Remember just like you don't have to be a baseball player to wear a baseball cap, you don't have to be a cowboy to wear a cowboy hat, or fit a certain demographic to wear a certain hat!! Have fun!!!
Joyride vintage in Orange, California does great work restoring, cleaning and reblocking old hats, and they even make their own fyi
LOL nice to see another "Hat guy". I've been wearing hats......all my life. My grandfather had several hats that I loved growing up but when I first started school I asked him if I could have my favorite one, A Fedora. He said no that his hats were too old and several were starting to fall apart. I was really disappointed but 2 days later, on my first day of 1st grade he met me while mom was dropping me off and gave me my own Fedora. I wore it every day, then Raiders of the Lost Ark came out and I became the Indiana Jones hat kid. My favorite thing was to tell people that Indiana Jones copied me. I wore that hat for about 7 years before I out grew it. That summer I mowed every yard in the neighborhood just to earn enough to buy a new hat. I dont buy expensive shoes, or clothes. I had an old junk bike I got from a garage sale. I shopped the thrift stores for things like backpacks and other school supplies, but I had my HAT. And I got another one just like the one Grandpa got me. Funny thing is the haberdasher called it an "Indiana Jones Fedora" lol. And I wore it all the way through High School. In collage, I got a few more hats. My Fedora was my everyday hat, I got a Stetson cowboy hat that I wore for gatherings (picnics, birthdays, etc). And I had a "rawhide" hat I used in bad weather. Now some 30 years later I have about 2 dozen hats. I got very lucky, when I moved out of the city and into my new home out in the boonies, I discovered that one of my neighbors has been making hats for nearly 60 years. He has no store and only makes about 2-3 hats per month, more as a hobby anymore, and only sells to long term clients. Luckily he agreed to make me a hat about 10 years ago and let me in as a client. I get a new hat about every 6 months or so. My Favorites are still the Fedoras and my current favorite is one made from Beaver. Luckily he knows what I like in a hat and he likes to experiment a little either with different kinds of furs/skins or with combining different styles, so I stopped asking for specific styles of hats and when I'm ready I just let him know and he will make one of his own design for me. He always manages to surprise me with his creations and I'm never disappointed. I'm sorry to see so few people wearing hats as anymore, so few people see hats as anything more than something to cover bald spots or "bed heads". Sometimes I long for the days when someone not wearing a proper hat was shocking and uncommon. LOL guess I'm getting old.
I have become a fedora wearer after decades of heavy outback style oiled canvas which were perfect for prospecting and horse logging. But in this my antiquity I have put away myAussie cowboy hats for the fedora of the city. Starting with the Akubra Stylemaster which has cowboy hat toughness with the vintage styling of the fedora.
Jiffy makes a great steamer.
Steaming hats is an art. Lukily I live in cowboy country, Cheyenne, WY. 1 block from my office is a shop and there is a cowboy (who happens to be in a wheelchair) that is a master at shaping your hats anyway you'd like. It's cool to watch him.
I love Adam's (and the entire team's) enthusiasm and respect for all sorts of craftsmanship.
AS was referring to a "hattening", the process of becoming one with a new hat. I bought my first Akubra a few months ago, and I love it to bits. It would suit those Blunnys too.
This was a really peaceful and calming video. Perfect after a stressful day😊
Come for the ODB, stay for the philosophy of hat-ness.
My curtain cleaner puts out about the same amount of steam and also spits but because I left the hose on the water never exits the steam hose. I like a shot glass for flattening the crown and if an iron (I have a Black and Decker iron that puts out tremendous steam) that will fit in the brim trough, that works really well for flattening the brim without messing up the edging (don't press down, though). I don't usually steam straw, I use warm water but it looks like it worked for you.
As a lover of formed hats, I appreciate this episode.
I love that Cinema Tyler channel. He does a great job breaking down Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket
It's just cool seeing such a niche tool for a specific purpose being used for it's intended purpose like that.
Oddly satisfying
Hats off to Savage for showing me that I CAN save my favorite hats from some misshaping and mishaps (mishats? 🤔). Thank you, Adam.
- Gears
I particularly like that second hat, the Biltmore. that looks good and deserves a bit of renewing.
I became an upholsterer in the early 90s. I personally have a J3 steamer, but I used a J2 in school and several jobs along the way. something in the nature of the design... all jiffy steamers gurgle. they build up enough condensate on the path and steam pushes it out causing it to spit.
Hey Adam! Saw the handheld heat gun that you were using. If it didn't come with one, you should make a loop attachment for the end of it for shrinking heat shrink tubing. They are the cat's meow for the purpose!
I have a Biltmore cowboy hat and it's lovely! Biltmores used to be made about and hour and a half from where I grew up so it' feels very cool knowing they have such provenance.
If you are ever in Milwaukee, stop in to McLaughlin and Hayes, they are master hat makers and have all the old cool tools.
Didn't expect the steamer sounds to be relaxing. ASMR +1
I bought my dad a couple of hats, I believe they are the same brand as the Indiana Jones og hat, or maybe not haha, but I remember buying them because some Adam recommendation I read ages ago.
We are in Argentina, I had to import them, weren't cheap, but nobody has them here!
They still rock :D
Interesting video but I take the opposite approach. I have a Tilly canvas hat I have worn for years on many adventures. It has shielded me from rain while backpacking on the Appalachian trail and from sun while kayaking on the Florida Gulf coast. Occasionally I will toss it in the washing machine and then do a quick stretch over my knee so it fits my head. It is well worn, creased and has a few stains but to me it tells a story of all the experiences we have had together.
Adam, you often use quotes from Total Recall 1990, did you work on that?
If so, what did you make?
If you’re ever in Dallas, you should take a drive over to the suburb, Garland. Home of the Resistol Hat Factory since 1938. And, YES, there is an Outlet Store.
I, too, am a hat person... daily wear is an eBay-purchased Akubra "Snowy River" in black (also have one in fawn but still need on in glen gray). Made my own woven leather hatband... personal touch. Been using a "Eureka Hot Shot 350A Pressurized Hand Steam Cleaner" for re-blocking my hats but should look into a more professional model as demonstrated.
Dude!!! That Biltmore is a gem! I'm a little jealous over that one! I'm a huge Stetson Whippet user myself (I just have 3), but that beauty with the bigger brim is super sweet!!! Great find!
Shaping my Indy hats with steam is sooo satisfying 😂
Thank you for reminding me that a hat needs loving too
Possibly an iron to flatten out the creases.. like a iron and a dolly. Love the videos Adam!
Just starting to touch "headwear" for the first time here in my mid-40s. Haven't found many hats I like yet, but I'm told I look good in a flatcap/ivy cap. Slowly breaking a couple in and enjoying them.
As someone who collects and wears vintage hats - I so appreciate you espousing the virtues of hats!
Keep a couple hat covers in the truck and the rain won't be a problem...looks a little funky but they work great!
Also if you find a hat that's a nudge too big, you can use thin pieces of foam weather stripping to make it fit
I have a couple of hats. A nice fedora and a nice bowler. I had a nice porkpie for awhile - until I wore it out. My fedora is for daily wear... the bowler - usually worn with my 3-piece suit (for church and fancy events).
I have a few hats that need some work and I have a handheld shirt steamer thingy. I have a project now, thanks! :D
I really like your hats. I am a hat-person myself. I have some cowboy hats (a felt 4x Stetson hat and 2 10x fur Resistol hats, and one cheap no brand felt cowboy hat) and a more "city"-style hat like you see in 50's movies. This video was really interesting, but I doubt I dare to try this with my hats as I'm not really handy even though some of the hats could need a little brim adjustment.
Oh i love that hat! Its so awesome!
i really wanna see adam make his own dream cowboy hat either just by looks or maybe even a utilitarian hat
Made myself a green leather top hat a few years ago it's my favorite
I’ve heard an old hatter’s trick that you can stiffen the felt by spraying it down with rubbing alcohol. Not done this myself, but it’s easy enough to try in a pinch.
Wrt getting the creases out, Hatters would use a form underneath the crown to hold the shape while steaming.
I don’t know why but I love the sound that steamer makes lol
I love the fedora style hats, I may have quite a few.
When the hat steamer gets spotty. It usually needs a cleaning. Deposits form on the heating element.
I love hats. I've collected various unique hats since I was 10. I've always had a similar vibe of not wanting to mess with hats for fear of messing them up, but I've had a rain deformed Tophat since DragonCon 22 that my partner got me. This has inspired me to go get out my kettle and fix that up. Thanks Adam 😁💜
Adam do you not know about Bill Knudsen in Richmond at Golden Gate Western Wear? His building is an old horse tack manufacturer built from Liberty Ship steel! It is so cool. Bill makes magnificent hats. He is probably the last old school hatter working in the Bay Area. Check him out!
I've been rewatching the Mandalorian and currently the book of Boba Fett. There is a scene in BoBF where Fett makes his own Gaderffii. They show some detail of the process he uses, would love to see Adam make one with the same techniques (where possible/feasible).
Borges and Scott Flex Felt made my favorite fedora Seems to be puppy and grandchildren proof
To be the hat pedant, the Open Road is a dress western. They have smaller dimensions than that Resistol, typically 2 3/4" or less depending on the year.