what type of hat wearer are you?

[FiddySicks]

OK i got a question. Shrinking the current 59Fifty's is massively simple, but does anyone know how i can affectively shrink one of the old Sports Specialties Pro Fits?

[gt0279a]

OK i got a question. Shrinking the current 59Fifty's is massively simple, but does anyone know how i can affectively shrink one of the old Sports Specialties Pro Fits?

Unfortunately, most of the Sports Specialty Pro hats were made in Korea and they did 3 things: 1. they added resin to the wool to make it stiffer 2. sprayed the wool to make it water resistance and 3. they prewashed it so it wouldn't shrink as much.

Wool will shrink when you add water and then heat, however the above 3 things prevent the Pro from molding as well as a 5950.

Anyway, I generally wear Nike adjustable caps, swooshflexs and 5950s. I've been doing this for over 15 years, so here is my method of getting a 5950 to fit and look perfect:

1. Have to try it on in the store as New Era is so inconsistant.

2. Stick with the Authentics. It used to be New Era made all their fashion caps in the USA out of 100% wool, now many are cotton and many are made overseas. Note: even though the 5950s made in China 'say' they are 100% wool, the wool is similar to the Sports Specialties Pro as mentioned above and does not shrink/mold as well. Also, some cooperstown 5950s (like Atlanta, Baltimore, Montreal) are a 70/30 Acrylic/Wool blend with a white front that don't mold as well.

3. I try to buy a hat size that is slighty too big (my head is 7 1/8 and I usually buy a 7 1/4). Also, make sure the depth is right, as when the cap shrinks, the circumference will shrink much more than the depth. This is especially evident if you curve the bill and pull it down low.

4. Molding the crown - all you need is some hot water, you can do this by hand or use a spray bottle. Your goal is to spray or pat the front 2 panels of the cap with the hot water. Two things to note: 1. avoid getting the embroidery wet as New Eras threads have a tendancy to bleed (especially a white logo on dark colored wool). 2. You only want to get the wool slighty wet, no need to soak it.

5. Also to ensure a good fit, spray the entire sweatband as well. (again the emphasis is getting it wet, not soaking it)

6. Now put the cap back on and using your hands, mold the front 2 panels to the shape of your head. Very important - as you mold the front panels, firmly push the front panels down as you then move your hands to the sides of the cap. This effectively pushes the cap to your head and creates a gap between your head and the sweatband at the back of the cap - perfectly normal. Be sure to curve the bill as you would like to wear it at this point. You can then wet your hands and add more water if you need to and continue molding. Now wear the cap around until it dries, or briefly blow dry it and lay the cap open on a flat surface (like a bathtub). Don't be alarmed by the funky smell, it's just a combination of wet wool and the water-resistant coating coming off the wool.

7. Depending on the cap, you may need to repeat steps 4 and 5 until it is just right, but you should be able to get it down in one step. No need to remove the buckram. The buckram actually helps you mold the cap as the white threads are cotton and the black are monofilament (similar to fishing line). They work with the wool to mold and help create a crisp looking shape.

8. If the cap shrunk too much simply stretch the sweatband out with your hands, or over your knee as New Era suggests on their website until you hear a pop. Repeat until the cap fits.

Other notes:

Too tight (still): 1. use scissors to cut out the foam from the sweatband (always keep the cotton part intact) Or 2. Rewet the sweatband and wool the sweatband touches, then wear the cap until it dries.

Too deep: If you can't shrink the cap anymore, I cut tiny halfmoon shapes over where my ears line up on the bottom of the cap so it doesn't push them down.

You should also mold the backpanels if you intend to wear the cap backwards alot, but I find I usally need a size (7 3/8) up to wear it backwards comfortably.

Wool shrinks at a greater rate than the buckram, so if soak the wool too much and let it dry on it's own, the front of the cap will become wrinkled as the wool unfuses from the buckram.

Hope that helps.

[FiddySicks]

OK i got a question. Shrinking the current 59Fifty's is massively simple, but does anyone know how i can affectively shrink one of the old Sports Specialties Pro Fits?

Unfortunately, most of the Sports Specialty Pro hats were made in Korea and they did 3 things: 1. they added resin to the wool to make it stiffer 2. sprayed the wool to make it water resistance and 3. they prewashed it so it wouldn't shrink as much.

Wool will shrink when you add water and then heat, however the above 3 things prevent the Pro from molding as well as a 5950.

Anyway, I generally wear Nike adjustable caps, swooshflexs and 5950s. I've been doing this for over 15 years, so here is my method of getting a 5950 to fit and look perfect:

1. Have to try it on in the store as New Era is so inconsistant.

2. Stick with the Authentics. It used to be New Era made all their fashion caps in the USA out of 100% wool, now many are cotton and many are made overseas. Note: even though the 5950s made in China 'say' they are 100% wool, the wool is similar to the Sports Specialties Pro as mentioned above and does not shrink/mold as well. Also, some cooperstown 5950s (like Atlanta, Baltimore, Montreal) are a 70/30 Acrylic/Wool blend with a white front that don't mold as well.

3. I try to buy a hat size that is slighty too big (my head is 7 1/8 and I usually buy a 7 1/4). Also, make sure the depth is right, as when the cap shrinks, the circumference will shrink much more than the depth. This is especially evident if you curve the bill and pull it down low.

4. Molding the crown - all you need is some hot water, you can do this by hand or use a spray bottle. Your goal is to spray or pat the front 2 panels of the cap with the hot water. Two things to note: 1. avoid getting the embroidery wet as New Eras threads have a tendancy to bleed (especially a white logo on dark colored wool). 2. You only want to get the wool slighty wet, no need to soak it.

5. Also to ensure a good fit, spray the entire sweatband as well. (again the emphasis is getting it wet, not soaking it)

6. Now put the cap back on and using your hands, mold the front 2 panels to the shape of your head. Very important - as you mold the front panels, firmly push the front panels down as you then move your hands to the sides of the cap. This effectively pushes the cap to your head and creates a gap between your head and the sweatband at the back of the cap - perfectly normal. Be sure to curve the bill as you would like to wear it at this point. You can then wet your hands and add more water if you need to and continue molding. Now wear the cap around until it dries, or briefly blow dry it and lay the cap open on a flat surface (like a bathtub). Don't be alarmed by the funky smell, it's just a combination of wet wool and the water-resistant coating coming off the wool.

7. Depending on the cap, you may need to repeat steps 4 and 5 until it is just right, but you should be able to get it down in one step. No need to remove the buckram. The buckram actually helps you mold the cap as the white threads are cotton and the black are monofilament (similar to fishing line). They work with the wool to mold and help create a crisp looking shape.

8. If the cap shrunk too much simply stretch the sweatband out with your hands, or over your knee as New Era suggests on their website until you hear a pop. Repeat until the cap fits.

Other notes:

Too tight (still): 1. use scissors to cut out the foam from the sweatband (always keep the cotton part intact) Or 2. Rewet the sweatband and wool the sweatband touches, then wear the cap until it dries.

Too deep: If you can't shrink the cap anymore, I cut tiny halfmoon shapes over where my ears line up on the bottom of the cap so it doesn't push them down.

You should also mold the backpanels if you intend to wear the cap backwards alot, but I find I usally need a size (7 3/8) up to wear it backwards comfortably.

Wool shrinks at a greater rate than the buckram, so if soak the wool too much and let it dry on it's own, the front of the cap will become wrinkled as the wool unfuses from the buckram.

Hope that helps.

Jeez man, thats an awesome bit of help. Too bad about sports specialties caps. OK, since gt0279a made such an awesome list of stuff to help mold caps, ima add some more stuff. I just got a job at Lids for when i move down to SoCal and talking to the manager of the store i learned a lot of interesting things, and because of this site, i also taught him a ton of stuff (thats why i think he offered me the job so quickly)

1. Yes, that is the best thing, but sometimes you can find caps ONLY on the internet. Now this sometimes wont work, so learn the return policies first. Order two or three of them and find the one that fits best and ship the other two back. If you cant do that, yank the :censored: outta the cap.

2. True 100%, wool is the best.

3. Now i dont ahve that problem because, while i look like a total moron in low profile caps, i look really good in the high profile look. Only caps i can wear

4. Great advice, but make sure your hands are clean or it will transfer right to the cap. Ive ruined many a good cap getting my hands wet after working outside and adjusting my hat.

5. Make sure its COMPLETELY dry before removing, and if youve sweated in it, keep it on till its dry or, put it in the freezer till you want to wear it again. (true thing)

6. Same thing, clean your hands. And good call on the stinking wool.

8. Yeah, honestly, this is the best way to stretch a cap. And honestly, you can yank the :censored: outta the cap, it wont tear. I was able to decently stretch two 7 1/4 caps to fit my big 7 1/2 head.

And awesome call on the Buckram. I accually didnt know that. Id never remove it anyway though, but i know people who do. It ruins a hat. It risks you cutting the wool and deforms the shape terribly. Plus, that "fishing line" can be like needles when cut.

[VC//]

I'm bald, no need to wear a hat to hide the bad hair. But if i wear a hat, i like fitted hats, no straps or buckles at the back or any of that crap.

I do have a lot of kangol, new era baseball, some NFL, and some hockey hats that i have (i do have over 65 hats...don't ask why). I wear my golf hats more than anything else, if i could remember the name of the style of hat i would say it but yeah, i wear those more than anything.

[VC//]

OK i got a question. Shrinking the current 59Fifty's is massively simple, but does anyone know how i can affectively shrink one of the old Sports Specialties Pro Fits?

Unfortunately, most of the Sports Specialty Pro hats were made in Korea and they did 3 things: 1. they added resin to the wool to make it stiffer 2. sprayed the wool to make it water resistance and 3. they prewashed it so it wouldn't shrink as much.

Wool will shrink when you add water and then heat, however the above 3 things prevent the Pro from molding as well as a 5950.

Anyway, I generally wear Nike adjustable caps, swooshflexs and 5950s. I've been doing this for over 15 years, so here is my method of getting a 5950 to fit and look perfect:

1. Have to try it on in the store as New Era is so inconsistant.

2. Stick with the Authentics. It used to be New Era made all their fashion caps in the USA out of 100% wool, now many are cotton and many are made overseas. Note: even though the 5950s made in China 'say' they are 100% wool, the wool is similar to the Sports Specialties Pro as mentioned above and does not shrink/mold as well. Also, some cooperstown 5950s (like Atlanta, Baltimore, Montreal) are a 70/30 Acrylic/Wool blend with a white front that don't mold as well.

3. I try to buy a hat size that is slighty too big (my head is 7 1/8 and I usually buy a 7 1/4). Also, make sure the depth is right, as when the cap shrinks, the circumference will shrink much more than the depth. This is especially evident if you curve the bill and pull it down low.

4. Molding the crown - all you need is some hot water, you can do this by hand or use a spray bottle. Your goal is to spray or pat the front 2 panels of the cap with the hot water. Two things to note: 1. avoid getting the embroidery wet as New Eras threads have a tendancy to bleed (especially a white logo on dark colored wool). 2. You only want to get the wool slighty wet, no need to soak it.

5. Also to ensure a good fit, spray the entire sweatband as well. (again the emphasis is getting it wet, not soaking it)

6. Now put the cap back on and using your hands, mold the front 2 panels to the shape of your head. Very important - as you mold the front panels, firmly push the front panels down as you then move your hands to the sides of the cap. This effectively pushes the cap to your head and creates a gap between your head and the sweatband at the back of the cap - perfectly normal. Be sure to curve the bill as you would like to wear it at this point. You can then wet your hands and add more water if you need to and continue molding. Now wear the cap around until it dries, or briefly blow dry it and lay the cap open on a flat surface (like a bathtub). Don't be alarmed by the funky smell, it's just a combination of wet wool and the water-resistant coating coming off the wool.

7. Depending on the cap, you may need to repeat steps 4 and 5 until it is just right, but you should be able to get it down in one step. No need to remove the buckram. The buckram actually helps you mold the cap as the white threads are cotton and the black are monofilament (similar to fishing line). They work with the wool to mold and help create a crisp looking shape.

8. If the cap shrunk too much simply stretch the sweatband out with your hands, or over your knee as New Era suggests on their website until you hear a pop. Repeat until the cap fits.

Other notes:

Too tight (still): 1. use scissors to cut out the foam from the sweatband (always keep the cotton part intact) Or 2. Rewet the sweatband and wool the sweatband touches, then wear the cap until it dries.

Too deep: If you can't shrink the cap anymore, I cut tiny halfmoon shapes over where my ears line up on the bottom of the cap so it doesn't push them down.

You should also mold the backpanels if you intend to wear the cap backwards alot, but I find I usally need a size (7 3/8) up to wear it backwards comfortably.

Wool shrinks at a greater rate than the buckram, so if soak the wool too much and let it dry on it's own, the front of the cap will become wrinkled as the wool unfuses from the buckram.

Hope that helps.

I liked how my New Era Bo-Sox hat bled the blue onto the logo, it looked kind of cool and people thought i bought like a "special" cap. I have a few New Era and yeah they are inconsistent with their sizes, its annoying but i do shrink it with the take a hot shower with the damned thing on method..haha, hey a hockey teammate back in the day told me to do that..

[Runner]

I wear a Dayton Flyers hat with Rudy on the front and the UD logo on the back and it's a Zephyr Z-Fit. I also wear a New Era 59-50 Washington Nationals red cap.

[Fred T. Jane]

I usually wear 59Fiftys or Franchise caps in 7 3/8 (I like them kinda loose on my head). I unfortunately lost my 59Fifty Marlins cap, but I do have a Marlins Franchise cap that I am getting good service out of. I also have our school's baseball cap, as well as a Team Slovakia cap I got during the 2 days NHL.com actually sold them. It's adjustible, but at least the back has an IIHF logo to save the boredom. I also have a CCM Senators cap, but it's too structured for my taste. If there was only a Franchise cap for the Sens...

[sacker12]

OK i got a question. Shrinking the current 59Fifty's is massively simple, but does anyone know how i can affectively shrink one of the old Sports Specialties Pro Fits?

Unfortunately, most of the Sports Specialty Pro hats were made in Korea and they did 3 things: 1. they added resin to the wool to make it stiffer 2. sprayed the wool to make it water resistance and 3. they prewashed it so it wouldn't shrink as much.

Wool will shrink when you add water and then heat, however the above 3 things prevent the Pro from molding as well as a 5950.

Anyway, I generally wear Nike adjustable caps, swooshflexs and 5950s. I've been doing this for over 15 years, so here is my method of getting a 5950 to fit and look perfect:

1. Have to try it on in the store as New Era is so inconsistant.

2. Stick with the Authentics. It used to be New Era made all their fashion caps in the USA out of 100% wool, now many are cotton and many are made overseas. Note: even though the 5950s made in China 'say' they are 100% wool, the wool is similar to the Sports Specialties Pro as mentioned above and does not shrink/mold as well. Also, some cooperstown 5950s (like Atlanta, Baltimore, Montreal) are a 70/30 Acrylic/Wool blend with a white front that don't mold as well.

3. I try to buy a hat size that is slighty too big (my head is 7 1/8 and I usually buy a 7 1/4). Also, make sure the depth is right, as when the cap shrinks, the circumference will shrink much more than the depth. This is especially evident if you curve the bill and pull it down low.

4. Molding the crown - all you need is some hot water, you can do this by hand or use a spray bottle. Your goal is to spray or pat the front 2 panels of the cap with the hot water. Two things to note: 1. avoid getting the embroidery wet as New Eras threads have a tendancy to bleed (especially a white logo on dark colored wool). 2. You only want to get the wool slighty wet, no need to soak it.

5. Also to ensure a good fit, spray the entire sweatband as well. (again the emphasis is getting it wet, not soaking it)

6. Now put the cap back on and using your hands, mold the front 2 panels to the shape of your head. Very important - as you mold the front panels, firmly push the front panels down as you then move your hands to the sides of the cap. This effectively pushes the cap to your head and creates a gap between your head and the sweatband at the back of the cap - perfectly normal. Be sure to curve the bill as you would like to wear it at this point. You can then wet your hands and add more water if you need to and continue molding. Now wear the cap around until it dries, or briefly blow dry it and lay the cap open on a flat surface (like a bathtub). Don't be alarmed by the funky smell, it's just a combination of wet wool and the water-resistant coating coming off the wool.

7. Depending on the cap, you may need to repeat steps 4 and 5 until it is just right, but you should be able to get it down in one step. No need to remove the buckram. The buckram actually helps you mold the cap as the white threads are cotton and the black are monofilament (similar to fishing line). They work with the wool to mold and help create a crisp looking shape.

8. If the cap shrunk too much simply stretch the sweatband out with your hands, or over your knee as New Era suggests on their website until you hear a pop. Repeat until the cap fits.

Other notes:

Too tight (still): 1. use scissors to cut out the foam from the sweatband (always keep the cotton part intact) Or 2. Rewet the sweatband and wool the sweatband touches, then wear the cap until it dries.

Too deep: If you can't shrink the cap anymore, I cut tiny halfmoon shapes over where my ears line up on the bottom of the cap so it doesn't push them down.

You should also mold the backpanels if you intend to wear the cap backwards alot, but I find I usally need a size (7 3/8) up to wear it backwards comfortably.

Wool shrinks at a greater rate than the buckram, so if soak the wool too much and let it dry on it's own, the front of the cap will become wrinkled as the wool unfuses from the buckram.

Hope that helps.

Actually, at least in the case of my Braves Cooperstown hat, the Cooperstown hats are 100% wool. I think the reason why the ones with the white front are so hard to mold is because a different type of buckram is used from the crown on those particular hats.