Refitting a felt hat?

[Bucksaw]

The rain has been helping, but I think I'll get a stretcher still. Maybe shave down the sides a little to make sure it does it right. Sad thing is this hat is already a long oval.

I have the same problem.

Had to get my hats out last night and makes sure they all sill fit after reading this thread. Fort Worth Stock Show is coming up and I didnt want it to sneak up on me with a misshaped hat.

[PSD Ryan]

I'm hoping I can mark a setting on the stretcher or something so it will always fit perfect. It's my favorite resistol, but every year when I pull it out, it's gone back to too short and too wide!

[Bucksaw]

I just crank mine till it starts getting tension on it and it seems to work great. I have 2 felt hats, and only one stretcher, so I usually store my white hat with the stretcher in it, since it was a cheaper made hat and tends to want to reform itself more. My black hat is a better quality hat and will hold the shape all winter, but it does require a little reshaping when I pull it out of the closet after being stored all spring and summer. Depending on how badly your hat wants to reshape itself, you may just store the hat with the stretcher in it.

[Wayno]

At the base of the inside rim of the hat where your head goes, on the sweat band...there should be a small bow where the back of your head sits...snip the very bottom section and there is a small wire inside...pull that out and it will stretch and fit better...steaming at your house is possible but will take some efforts

This.

I have a really nice felt hat that my fil gave me. I had the same problem, tight front to back, loose side to side. I had it steamed and stretched several times, but it kept pulling back. Finally, the man at Cavenders in San Antonio showed me this trick. He said that is what the wire is there for, to pull it back into shape after you have sweated in it and it stretches. After he removed the wire and stretched it, I don't have any problems anymore.