How to make a felt cowboy hat like new again!
2024 ж. 20 Мам.
156 615 Рет қаралды
Ronda is going viral on KZhead. She's become one of the most watched cowboy hat shapers. The Emporium Western Store has been around over 100 years. Merle Haggard and Buck Owens use to get their hats shaped here by the late "Big Al." Ronda has taken over and she's carrying on the long tradition of cowboy hats. This is actually a two-part video. I split it into two. The other video will have her shaping a signature women's cowboy hat. I'll post in a couple days. Please sub and click the bell icon. Our page is really taking off now. Billy at BTUFF.
I had to repost because of an audio error. Sorry for the inconvenience.
She is the one that should wear a mic.
It's unfortunate this guy kept interrupting her...you can tell she has a wealth of knowledge. Would've been nice if he let her just show us how to make a felt cowboy hat like new again. But, I digress...
Keith Elliot, I agree.
Totally agree with you look's like he has no manners 🤷♂️🤷♂️
@KeithElliott to me that's what I like abt it but I understand why you say that
This Lady is the rock star of Western hats. AMAZING!😀
Thank you I appreciate that very much
@@rondarlemons6429 I wish you do a video on flattening a brim. I could use the help. Lol
@@rondarlemons6429 you are extremely satisfying to watch! Love your vids :)
The reason rubbing alcohol works is because the hats are made of hair and the hair absorbs oils from your hands and head and the alcohol breaks that down and sorta strips the hair follicles of those oils which makes the hat soft and stiffens it back up
She did ALL THAT WHILE holding a CASUAL Conversation. She's a Bad Ass!
Wow, the rubbing alcohol idea is great. I am definitely going to be trying that on one of my finer wool hats at home. Thank you so much for that. Can't wait to try it.
God bless that lady, absolutely stunned at how she brought that hat back to life.
Rhonda is the best! Have purchased a Stetson and a Rodeo King from Western Emporium in Bakersfield, CA. Her associates are helpful and kind; they definitely know their product(s) and are patient with us customers. Love it😊
More X's does not necessarily mean a better hat nowdays. In the past, that was true. No longer can you rely on the number x as a measure of the quality of a hat. I wish I wasn't so. Sam Silver, grandson of the founder of the American Hat Company.
Thanks for commenting on this Sir. How would one be able to tell better quality hats? It used to be based on X's....how can we know knowadays?
So true, I’ve had a couple Stetsons that were 4x and 10x that weren’t any better than my first American or my current Justin that have no x’s👍
Hi Sam How old are you and what was your Granpa's name?what a treat to get to talk to you..My Name is Keith..
My goodness, this video was a huge help! What a sweet gal. All I want to do now is shape hats with her. So therapeutic!!! I'll have to visit this shop.
Thanks for this great lesson. I now understand how to really clean my beautiful felt hat!
I so needed this video,thank you. Keep them coming. Miss,,you are my go to gal for advice. Thank you for your time.
Compressed air works the best cleaning a felt hat from dust and dirt in my opinion. After that I use the tape method to remove any leftover lint and fuzz.
Thank you. LIke how her craft was showcased. Now with everyone giving away their "secret" , is that a good thing for their future livelihood!
This lady is a true artist
I truly enjoyed this video. Thank You.
Awesome!! Thank you for the knowledge!❤
Picking up some of that hat cleaner today! Fixing up and old cowboy hat that looks quite a bit like the one getting worked on here. Thanks for the guidance!
She has talent good spirit 🤠
Woman is an artist.
Thanks for the help. Loved the video
Just use a shop vacuum, that's what I use in my shop works great! I'll spray a little rubbing alcohol then Vac it up!
Best Western Store? Where Ronda works is always the best in the West!
Awesome work.
No wool and beaver felt are different. Most rodeo cowboys wear beaver felt or straw now wool. Wool is the cheaper hat
I'll have to try that rubbing alcohol trick sometime. When I reshape felt hats when they are pretty badly out shape I do want they call a bathtub treatment. What you do is remove the sweat band a silk liner then completely soak the hat in water and form the hat. Then when it's half way dry you shape crown and brim to the kind of style you like. Then when it's completely dry use a steamer to touch the shaping and such. And then place the sweat band back in place by hand stitching it (with my reenactment hats if the leather sweat is too far gone I use a cap sweat band liner) then put the silk liner back in, you'll have to make some adjustments to fit the new crown shape you have a made to it. Then brush the felt up and you should be ready to wear your hat. Thanks for sharing your ways on restoring hats. PS I'm still working on how to work on areas of hats that have broken felt. Have you ever had this problem? If you have, what you do? Thanks again.
Excellent informative video. TY
Please do hat reviews I think with your knowledge base the reviews would be a huge help to those looking to purchase felt hats of all different qualities
Awesome Ronda, I used to do pretty good but from the expert you are.
Great video! I've got a very small dent on the edge of the brim of my felt hat, and I'm wondering if that sandpaper you were using could help smooth that out. It seems like the fur is peeling slightly up around the dent now.
I just did the alcohol trick and it made my hat pretty flimsy but I let it sit for and hour in my room with the fan on and now it’s stiffer than when I got it
Love the packing tape trick, and would love to know what kind of sponge you used to wipe down the hat. Some links in the about section to order the cleaning product you used would be nice too. The 91% alcohol stiffens up the hat by removing moisture from it through evaporation, alcohol attracts water and the more pure the alcohol is, the faster it evaporates. Thanks again, please post something for buying the products that you used and sell in the store.
More likely, alcohol probably also gives any leftover hatters shellac a 'redo' since alcohol is the solvent used to make it in the first place, reliquefying and redistributing it through the fibers. Otherwise you could just stick your hat all alone in a dry sauna or other hotbox to evaporate moisture and have that stiffen it up.
Nice presentation.
I have a American hat with a rolled brim that I bought in 1973. I would love to get it restored. I wore it when I rode rodeo so it pretty beat up.
I think the questions are Germain @ appropriate. LOVE IT!💜
I love her!
Yes Rubbing Alcohol 99% works well to stiffen hat. I always use hat stiffner before and usually leave a mess. Tried the Big AL Rubbing Alcohol works 100%. Thank you. Use it on a wool Fedora from Christy's of London. Needs a day to dry. When using Rubbing alcohol at first temporary soften but hardens over a day
Amazing!
Does the rubbing alcohol really shrink the hat size? I have one that’s just a little to big and I can’t decide if I should try that method or not.
We don’t have a lot of call for felt hats in the UK so this is very helpful 🤟
Which is funny, cause the ancestor of the cowboy hat is the capotain that was popular in England back in Elizabethan times onward through Cromwell's brief time.
@@AuntieHauntieGames we have them funny hats with the peak at the back lol flat caps that are I think twead , Tilley hats , woolly hats trilby I don’t think these are worn much anymore , Panama hats not worn much very little felt ones I always feel I’m a little odd I don’t like what everybody else likes
I sent a hat to my Father In Law in the UK. I had to pay a $65 tariff. Amazing.
How do you make a sun faded, wool felt, stetson hat Black again, that is not dirty, just Sun faded?
You can't cure sun faded other than by redying which is not advisable with wool felt.
They kept calling it wool, but I don’t think it was. I think that was fur. There’s a difference.
Thanks the the awesome content….! Per norm
He was right to ask about how the alcohol interacts with the shellac: hatters shellac is made with alcohol and shellac flakes, so adding rubbing alcohol to a hat basically add the hat shellac's solvent back into the mix, which probably allows it to redistribute (a little) and then harden back up. Probably would not work exactly the same on every hat since some probably have more shellac left in them than others, but that would be what is happening right there.
Growing up the cowboys always called the straw hats farmer hats.
That would be great if she had a mic.
So much love all the way from South Africa ❤️❤️❤️ I would like to know how can i restore the colour on my hat without losing its shape
Hey All, I just so happen to pass by your channel a few weeks back and glad I did. Fun and interesting to see the shaping take place. keep them coming and all the best to you all. I was going through a credit card holder a few days back and found a business card from the store, late 80’s or early 90’s crazy ! Can’t wait to head over and say Hey!
Thank you John🙂
Good Info ....
Thanks.
Interviewing someone is an art. This guy does not have it down.
Yet you watched. Check the view count. Willing to watch your videos to learn.
@@btuff most people watch things that they regret wasting time on. Regrettably I helped you by watching your video and posting comments. I won’t do it again.
The guy filming the video kept using the term "wool" hats, (as opposed to straw hats) but, the correct term is felt hats. Felt hats can be made from a variety of fibers, the best and most expensive of which is 100 percent beaver fur felt. Rabbit, nutria, wool, and combinations of them make up more economical felts. Traditionally, calling a cowboy hat a wool hat, would be denoting the lower end qualities of felts. Also, the video maker being shocked to find out that rodeo hands wear felt hats (not just straws) shows that he should watch more rodeo! Traditionally, both on the ranch and in the rodeo arena, felt hats are worn in the cooler seasons of fall and winter, and straw hats are worn in hot weather.
thats the way i do it
He doesn’t let her talk and explain the process of the cleaning! Sucks!
You must be fun at parties
@@That_Guy_JL I'm a hoot! 😂
Cool! What kind of sponge was she using?
Can you advice any other hat cleaner product? Fact, in middle europe, it's really complicate to get one twister foam. Do you have any product for light color hat cleaning?
I don't know much about hats but I think you did an awesome job! Btw it lookes Great on you.. 👍🏼
I just picked up a 6x stetson at a yard sale for $45. And a nice Bristol for $25 It was dusty and old. I got to order some of that cleaner.
I'm in Visalia and fix up old hats movie hats mostly.
Can you take the sun fade away or are you stuck with it? Either way I don't mind the faded hat but if I can expand the life of it I would like that
Rhonda, I want you to shape my hat, and sign it too
Billy, thank you so much for these videos!!! My family and I truly appreciate it! Very enjoyable to watch! Do you or anyone else know a great hat shaper in Orange County, CA?
I have an old Resistol hat that needs a new sweat band, cleaning and reshaping. Are you able to repair it for me? I've been wearing this hat up until last year when all the stitching came undone. A little history: When I first met my stepson he was 4 years old, that was 36 years ago. One day he came over wearing this smashed up cowboy hat that he had pulled out from the bottom of his toy box. I steamed it with sugar water the best I could and he wore it for about three weeks before he brought it to me and asked me to try it on. It fit perfectly and he said he wanted me to have it. I 'wore that hat every day until last year. When Josh was 6 he ask me to go to dinner with him to Taco Bell. During dinner he ask me if I would be his Dad. We have been father and son ever since.
Thank you, guys!
You bet!
shes so cute =)
I'm hoping to find out how to fix a black felt hat that the felt is rubbed out in some spaces that looks white instead of black.
Any way to remove sweat stains from a resistol straw hat?
Everything was better back in the day 😏
Great video, make more
I Have a hat like that black one, it was my Dad's, I always thought it was felt, didn't realize it was wool. Can you enlarge a hat a little bit if it's wool?
Your hat may very well be felt. The video is great, but they kept talking about the hat as if it were wool. Wool hats are a cheaper quality and don't last as long. Better hats are felted rabbit fur, or something similar. Really good hats are felted beaver fur.
Wow that was so satisfying to watch. When she started shaping it…. Goodness she’s good with her hands. I’m from Wyoming but I have always felt I have no business wearing a cowboy hat. I didn’t grow up riding horses enough. But I did work on a ranch for 4 years as a teen. Always rode a Japanese quarter horse to do most of the work. So again, don’t feel like I should ever try to be a cowboy. Cowboy hats should be worn with authenticity. Otherwise people look like idiots. She’s authentic, including her comments about osha. Satisfyingly authentic. She’s perhaps in the top tear of something authentic which is in such short supply. Authentic cowboys are something special that I truly don’t feel like the rest of the world understands very well at all. And that might include some Dallas or Houston cowboys. She gets it. Cowboy hats mean so much more than any typical hat.
You can take a cowboy hat and shape it different than a traditional cowboy hat. You can flatten the brim and use a different crown style. That's what I did. Awesome hats. Just like you I don't try to pull off the cowboy hat. I would look ridiculous in it as I am not cowboy either.
Based on your logic only baseball players can wear baseball hats!
@@germanshepherd13 Based on your logic baseball isn't just a sport. It's a culture, lifestyle, an attitude, and a trade steeped in customs and tradition, etc. There are reasons why some people look ridiculous in a cowboy hat.
I keep hearing wool hat. Are these really wool hats or fur felt hats?
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT BRAND AND MODEL THAT GREY COWBOY HAT IS BEHIND HER ON THE THIRD CUBBY UP FROM THE BOTTOM NEXT TO THE FIRE EXIT DOOR?
The story Mad Hatters, Danbury, CT they used mercury to make the fur hat to shine. Mercury is a skin absorbent and the target organ is the brain.
In the current climate surprised Government's aren't recommending mercury to the people 🤮🤮🤮
Played horseshoes with her cousin Mike yesterday here in Montrose Colorado
Can you use the black spray for polyester??? And how about the smell of the alcohol??
How do you clean the inside of the hat?
Isn't she brushing it the wrong direction? All other videos I've watched say you must brush them anti-clockwise on top, clockwise underneath.
As a welder, I too enjoy to shit talk OSHA
He keeps saying "wool" hats, does he mean felt? will what she does work on fur felts?
Where is the store located?
Wool hats are the lowest quality. I think you mean fur hats. The Xs have to do with the amount of Beaver FUR in the blend. Fur felt will always be better than wool felt. Also, all Xs are not the same. While the more Xs the better, all brands use their own method for identifying what the X represents in terms of Beaver fur. This is a great video on how to restore a hat.
I’m going take drive out there buying new hat . out here Los Angeles there not a lot good hat shapers
Yes we would love for you to come by and see us I’m here all week except for Tuesdays and I always take a lunch from 11:30 to 12:30 thank you🙂
I'd love to visit this shop, but it's a far piece to be driving from anywhere in Kentucky. I'm gonna have to stick with visiting by video, unfortunately.
@@rondarlemons6429 where are you located I need some hard done
I had a hat shop in Los Angeles for 20 years. But people preferred to buy new cheap Chinese hat at Target than to pay to repair or buy a quality made in the USA hat. So good for you sir!! Go on a road trip and support this shop.
OSHA protecting us the way they should! Yay!
Does anyone know what the steamer she’s using is?!
How wide should a chl brim be
Are thrifted hats like this sanitary? I found some but I'm afraid of getting bugs or something
I'm no expert; very far from it. But I've always been told to brush a hat counter clockwise, because it goes with the grain of how the fur/felt was originally attached. Rhonda, who knows WAY MORE than I ever will, brushes a hat both directions. Does it really make that much difference? I'm always looking to learn. 🤠
Well you could always call our store 661-325-8476 and I could send photos of what we have and if you want a open crown I will shape it anyway you’d like😀Thank you for your comment
It’s always good to go counterclockwise sometimes you can go the opposite as long as you don’t go back-and-forth back-and-forth in one spot thank you for your comment😀
Hey yall. Always brush your hat front to back. It will make the fur stand up and it gets all the deep down stuff out. And thats gospel there. I wouldn't tell you otherwise. I learned that from the best hat maker in the business.
It's advisable to brush a hat anticlockwise to follow the lay of the hairs. Brushing against the napp of the fibres may roughen the surface, dislodging the hairs which will undo the finishing process (poncing) of the felt.
WOOL? Wool hats are the very cheap hats without "X" rating and they are almost impossible to shape. Fur felt is what she is working and "X" number has to do with the particular manufacturer's percentage of beaver into the felt blend. Lower numbers mean more rabbit fur in the felt. Good hat ~$300, Better hat ~$600-$700 Best hat +$1,000. All beaver with mink or chinchilla added ~$1,200-$1,500. Stetson Diamante 1000X, get you one.
I have a custom hat made by Powder River Hats which is a 20x hat of 50/50 rabbit and beaver. The next step up is 100%beaver which jumps the cost to over $1000. If I want a work hat then a $75 factory hat is fine, but for something more dressy costs more money, and if I’m spending that much, then I may as well go custom-built.
Would she know how to shape a hat like hank Williams jr?
Where r y’all located
Bakersfield, California, USA.
Wool what happened to beaver blends my MHT OR RESISTAL OR STETSON are beaver not wool I even like Buffalo by stetson better than wool .thank you I still learned something.
Buffalo hair is technically wool & a buff is just a big sheep with attitude.
What shop is this?
Emporium Western Store in Bakersfield, California
what kind of sponge is that????
I had the same question! Did you ever figure it out?
J b mauney does wool hats
This ain't my first rodeo, he said at his second
What about beaver same method?
All felt
I can clean felt or beaver any kind of hat thanks for watching
@@rondarlemons6429 thanks Ronda. I will be visiting the store soon.
I've never heard of a 7X wool hat. 7X beaver Fur blend maybe. But not wool. I think you're getting wool mixed up with fur.
So sorry there is no such thing we meant to say Felt hats not wool thank you for your comment
There is a 7x wool. Make no mistake about it.
It's actually a ratio of wool to fur historically 20x was the best(most fur) , but the "x" standard has become rather unstanderd and varies significantly from brand to brand
those old cleaners had mercury in them ...hence OSHA'S intervention lol
Not sure you are right, hats were made with mercury, but not sure the old cleaners that she is talking about had mercury... mercury was being banned in the 1940's for hat making , the hat shaper doesn't look near old enough to have been around during that time. OSHA was probably intervening on some other toxic type of hat cleaner.
“Back in the day, we could use hydrochloric acid to clean hats, but then OSHA came in and took all that stuff away. Damn Democrats!”
That's not what she said.
Used to love my beanies, got fluffy? Get a new one, gone baggy? Get a new one, now I'm watching videos about cleaning dust off a cowboy hat I bought a few years ago on vacation in Texas, couldn't go to Texas of all places and not buy a proper hat could I, that feels about as illegal as saying no to bbq while your there ✌️😂
He's saying wool but they're talking about felt...?
Rubbing alcohol removes any water that is in the hat/fibers and stiffens it up