Desperate fishing hats, beanies, commando hats and helmets have always been headgear in the absence of better...
Products made from a living material such as wool or fur felt are to be considered as a pair of expensive shoes in suede or real leather.
Waterproofing new outdoor-wear, shoes and hats is always a good idea. You can use waterproofing spray for suede to use on Wearcaps to saturate the material a little in advance.
Your new hat should be worn out after a while, have marks from greasy fingers and ordinary use – the cool patina doesn’t come from not being used often. Over time, the hat will adapt to your head shape.
You can help it on its way by holding it over hot steam and putting it on while it is a bit hot and damp.
A soft brush is always good at removing lumps and dust before going out. You can use a slightly stiffer damp brush for superficial cleaning.
Any kind of colourless oil is great for “freshen up” the felt.
Soak a cloth in coconut oil, heat up hat and oil in the cloth, over steaming kettle and then slowly rub the oil into the felt.
Do not apply oil directly to felt – use the “oil cloth” you’ve assigned for your hats and finish up with your soft brush.
There are various methods of adjusting the shape back or in another direction, for example, to get more sway to the brim.
Do you think the edges are a bit too sharp – then “roughen up your favorite hat” when you’re bored sitting at a meeting.
Has it been a little skewed from hanging on a knot, let it lie flat. If necessary, support the edges with a few books to reshape it a bit.
Some Wearcaps contain a little glue or shellac to bind together shape and material. You can easily refresh your hat with a few clever tricks.
One is holding the hat over the electric kettle and steam it for a bit – as you do with suede shoes.
The other method is to use a little alcohol in a nebulizer – and spray over the hat with a pretty nice layer. Rather more times than a heavy burst.
Keep in mind that the hat should not be wet, only moistened with some alcohol or steam – and remember that it must dry before use.
