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How I made my Felt Hats

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Great write up. I reshaped a Stetson with a clothing steamer a number of years ago. Your process is the whole deal. Also, guys keep your eyes open at garage sales for decent beaver hats for bargain prices. They aren’t that hard to rework.
 
A couple years ago I decided to do something similar. I got a piece of poster board and cut an oval hole in it that would fit around my head. I then positioned it on my head where I wear my hats and got my wife to tape little rectangles of poster board to it so they were just touching my head until they went all the way around. I used this as a template to make a perfect cross section of the shape of my head, cut out sections from a board, stacked them, then went to work with a rasp until I had it shaped into a proper hat block. I just re-blocked an old hat I already had onto it, but the result was a hat that fit my head perfectly from the get go.
 
A couple years ago I decided to do something similar. I got a piece of poster board and cut an oval hole in it that would fit around my head. I then positioned it on my head where I wear my hats and got my wife to tape little rectangles of poster board to it so they were just touching my head until they went all the way around. I used this as a template to make a perfect cross section of the shape of my head, cut out sections from a board, stacked them, then went to work with a rasp until I had it shaped into a proper hat block. I just re-blocked an old hat I already had onto it, but the result was a hat that fit my head perfectly from the get go.
That sounds like an effective method, thank you for sharing.
 
Uh, don't let the 'boss' catch you, but check her metal mixing bowls. I found one just the right size to use as a hat block. Shhhhh! :rolleyes: 🦨 Polecat
[yes, I know it's an old thread; so's my hat]
 
What a marvelous thread. Thank you, DiMarco, for taking the time to put it together and post it. Very inspiring -- and I will have to look up the hatmaker's knot. Does your hat retain its shape well in wet weather?
I’m glad my thread is well received. My hat has held up pretty well, and it’s quite easy to reshape it if it warps at all when wet.
 
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