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Move your hat in and out of the steam until the felt becomes warm and soft. Focus on the area you want to shape (brim, side, crown). We recommend starting with the brim because it's easiest to hold the hat from the crown. Once it's malleable, gently roll or massage the hat into the shape you want.
Keeping this in consideration, how do you shape a felt cowboy hat?
Method 1 Shaping a Felt Cowboy Hat
- Decide on the brim shape you want.
- Shape your brim according to competitive event styles.
- Check for a shaping wire in the brim.
- Boil water until it steams.
- Hold the brim of the hat carefully over the steam.
- Shape the steamed portion of the brim.
- Let the shaped portion of the brim cool.
- Cattleman. The most traditional type of cowboy hat, the Cattleman features a trio of top crown creases and a slightly curled brim.
- Brick: The brick cowboy hat is a modified cattleman with a squarer crown.
- Gambler.
- Derby.
- Pinched Front.
- Gus.
- Tom Mix.
- Open Crown.
Beside above, why do cowboy hats curl up?
Over time, the cowboy hat underwent changes in shape to better suit the needs of its owner and evolved into the form we are more familiar with today. The brim curved up on the sides to stay out of the way of a rope, and the crown became pinched to allow better control.
Steps
- Heat up the tea kettle or pot of water until the water begins to boil.
- Hold the hat's brim to get a good grip.
- Remove the hat from the heat for 30 seconds.
- Turn on the hairdryer to its highest setting.
- Once it's mildly damp, wear the hat and let it air dry to stretch into the right size for your head.