How to Shape a Cowboy Hat

The 1872 issue of the Montgomery Ward Catalog sparked the treasured tradition of shaping cowboy hats. The catalog featured open crown hats that allowed men and women to shape the crowns and brims to their preference. Like most fashion items of the Old West, the personalization of shaping one’s cowboy hat has roots in function rather than fashion. A hat with a curved brim helps prevent a cowboy’s rope from getting caught on an otherwise flat brim. The pinched crown allows for better handling of the hat.

The shape of a cowboy hat can tell you a lot about its wearer. Whether you’re a rodeo queen who prefers a classic look or a punchy cowboy opting for a bold statement, your hat should mirror your individuality. At Cavender’s, we offer an extensive collection of hats, a hat bar at every location, and experienced associates to aid you in finding your perfect shape. Let’s explore the different kinds of shapes and the basics of hat shaping. Watch the video below to see how to shape a hat the Cavender’s way.

Things to Consider

If you are still shopping around for the right hat for you, check out some of our top brands like Rafter C, Rodeo King, Stetson, and Resistol. If you are looking for a variety of straw hats with intricate venting designs, Rafter C is the brand for you. Rodeo King offers quality crafted straw and felt hats at varying price points, ensuring a cowboy hat-fit for anyone. Stetson is arguably the most well-known name in Hats, with over 150 years of experience in the making. If you are in the market for a felt hat, but haven’t found the right shade for you, Resistol features a range of well-thought out felt colors to compliment any complexion.

Before you begin shaping a hat you want, make sure your hat fits well and isn’t going to cause you issues later down the road. You need a hat that isn’t too tight but not loose enough to fall off. Learn more.

Next, you should determine if you are shaping from scratch or reshaping an existing hat. If you are a beginner at shaping, start with an old hat you want to freshen up to build your skills. Shaping a hat from scratch can be quite an undertaking, but with the right tools and patience, it certainly can be accomplished. Understanding the type of material such as straw or felt and the style you’ll be working with are important for how you go about shaping.

Material

Defining what material your hat is made of is crucial to the success of shaping. Straw hats are notoriously known for their less forgiving nature; the straw material leaves no room for mistakes. When working on a straw hat be sure and use a gentle yet firm hand, ensuring you don’t leave behind any unwanted dimples or dents. While straws can be a pain to shape, especially reshape, they do feature a wire on the outer edge of the brim that aids in bending the brim to your desired shape. In contrast, felt hats are the standard choice when beginning your hat-shaping journey. The felt material is perfectly malleable when steamed properly and responds better to untrained hands. Palm leaf straws are arguably the most difficult hats to shape due to their soft material. You cannot steam a palm leaf, instead, you have to submerge the hat in lukewarm water for 45 seconds and then shape it to your liking.

Common Hat Materials

• Rabbit fur
• Beaver Fur
• Wool
• Straw
• Palm leaf

Style

The open crown has an untouched crown that appears rounded, resembling a sombrero. An open-crown hat is commonly a higher-end hat and lacks any form of creasing. This style of hat is perfect for shaping because it provides a blank canvas for the shaper to tailor to their needs and try out new crowns and brims.

The pre-shaped hat comes from the manufacturer with predefined crowns and creases. The crowns can differ across the board, like that of the Cattleman, Gus, or Brick crown. The brims are often simple with soft creases and a low roll to give leeway or creative freedom to its wearer. Oftentimes straws are pre-shaped due to their lack of flexibility for shaping. Only minor adjustments can be made to pre-creased crowns due to the degree of difficulty it takes. Any major adjustments to a pre-shaped hat can cause unintentional imperfections due to overworking the material.

Customizing Your Crown

The crown refers to the rounded part of the hat that’s above the brim. A shaped crown usually consists of a crease on the very top of the hat and two dents or punches on the sides of the crown. The initial crease can be tweaked to resemble different styles and complement your features. There are numerous combinations of creases to shape the perfect crown for you. The shaping and customization of the crown is referred to as a crease. The most prevalent creases are the Cattleman, Minnick, Brick, Walker, West Texas Punch, Gus, Cool-Hand Luke, and the Teardrop. Each crease is unique and tells a story with every curve.

• Cattleman Crease
  • One mid-size crease on both sides of the crown and a deep crease on the top of the crown
  • Crown height: 4-5”
• Minnick Crease
  • One small dent on both sides of the crown and a shallow crease centered on top of the crown
  • Crown height: 5 1/2″
• Brick Crease
  • Squared off, shallow middle crease on top of the crown and light creases on each side of the crown.
  • Crown Height: 4 1/4”- 4 1/2”
• Walker Crease
  • No center crease, only a small dent on both sides of the crown.
  • Crown Height: 6”
• West Texas Punch Crease
  • No center crease, only two large ‘punches’ on each side of the crown.
  • Crown height: 6”
• Gus Crease
  • Crown slopes down from the back with one dent on both sides near the front of the hat.
  • Crown Height: 2 3/4” beginning at the front of the crown, increasing in height towards the back of the crown.
• Cool-Hand Luke Crease
  • Shallow oval dent on the top of the crown with shallow dents on both sides of the crown.
  • Crown height: 5 1/2” to 5 3/4“
• Tear Drop Crease
  • V-shaped crease with an elevated center. The crease should be deep on both sides of the crown and feature elongated dimples towards the front of the crown.
  • Crown Height: 4 1/2”

Customizing Your Brim

Brims can be customized in various ways to complement your facial shape and unique needs. You can even get them trimmed to your liking at the hat bar. Whether you’re a little punchy or looking for a dressier hat shape, a clean brim is essential to complete the look. Some popular brim options are round, George Strait, Cool-Hand Luke, U, Showmanship, West Texas Punch, and JB. Let’s explore the different types of brims to find the perfect shape for you.

• Round brim
  • Soft rolling crease with a small drop in the front. Great for beginner shapers and a timeless brim style.
• George Strait brim
  • Features soft corners and some height on either side.
• Cool-Hand Luke brim
  • Widest in the front, with squared creases and lower height on each side.
• U brim
  • Offers a wideness like that of the cool hand Luke, but with a high and tight look on the sides. Featuring squared creased and a subtle “u” towards the back of the brim.
• Showmanship brim
  • The front brim width is not as wide, and the crown width features high and tight sides as well as sharp creases.
• West Texas Punch brim
  • Features a front brim that expands just a finger width out from the width of the crown. The corners are softened but there is ample height on each side of the brim as well as a tight “u” in the back.
• JB brim
  • The front brim resembles that of the West Texas punch, but the sides of the brim are much shorter, with softer corners.

Preparation & Shaping Process

Now that you’ve found your crown and brim style it’s time to turn up the heat! This is where you’d waltz into your local Cavender’s and let the hat associates take over. But if you are more of a DIY desperado, you’re in luck. Watch the video below for a step-by-step hat shaping tutorial.

Tools Needed

At each hat bar we have a commercial hat steamer. A hat steamer is the best option for shaping hats. The heated steam is used to crease, stretch, block, and shape felt or straw hats. Steaming hats also serve as a cleaning process, as the steam can erase the occasional wear and tear that cowboy hats inevitably undergo. An alternative to a professional hat steamer is the Old Faithful; a pot of boiling water, or a tea kettle. This hat-shaping option is incredibly accessible and great for quick fixes before heading out the door.

Shaping Technique

1. Begin by boiling a pot of water or heating a tea kettle.
2. Slide on some gloves as an extra safety measure.
3. Hold your hat around 7 inches away from the hot steam so that the hat can begin to soak up the steam and prevent potential damage to the material.
4. Start gently maneuvering the hat around to ensure all areas you’d like to shape are soft and malleable.
5. Don’t rush through this part, you must ensure the hat is completely bathed in steam.
6. This may take some time depending on what material you’re working with.
7. Once your hat has been completely permeated by the steam you can begin the shaping process.

The Crown

1. If you are shaping an open crown begin by shaping the crown with your desired crease on top of the hat.
2. The crease should be centered on the wearer’s face.
3. The center crease is a line of symmetry and can be used as a guideline for shaping the crown.
4. Working off the center line you can shape this crease into any of the varying styles.
5. With your index finger on the crease line take your thumb and massage the dimples or dents into the side of the crown.
6. Using your thumbs to help shape and define both the outside of the hat and the inside for a polished shape.
7. Check to make sure your dimples are symmetrical and identical for cohesiveness.
8. When shaping and defining creases on your hat always ensure the material is still malleable by holding it over the hot steam.
9. To finish the crown, you must give your head clearance by pushing the center of your crown up, be sure to follow the shape of your border.
10. When pushing back up your crease on top of the hat for your preferred crown, make sure you are bracing your initial creases to keep crisp edges.
11. Review your work and make any adjustments if needed before moving on to shaping the brim.

The Brim

1. Start with the front side of the brim first.
2. Heat-up with steam.
3. Set the width of the front.
4. Some are squared off or rounded out.
5. It is important that it is still lined up with the crown shape.
6. Use your index fingers on the bottom side and your thumbs on the top side to define the corners.
7. Moving on to the sides.
8. Work one side at a time and heat up from the front corner to the back.
9. Making both sides matchup is extremely important.
10. Smooth out the backside.
11. Heat the back side and place it on a flat surface as a guideline and smooth the back out.

Finishing Touches

Once you have your desired shape, immediately put on your hat while it’s still warm from the steam. This process helps ensure that your hat conforms to your head shape and keeps it from tightening back up. Make sure you don’t leave your hat in extreme temperatures, because it might shrink. After you have worn the hat for a couple of minutes you can apply a hat stiffener to seal your shape in place. This step is optional and if you still need to make some final adjustments go right ahead. Another tip is to invest in a hat brush so you can keep your hat looking sharp and clean at home.

Conclusion

Now, not everyone has the gift of shaping, but this comprehensive guide should lead you in the right direction. The important thing to remember is to find the right shape for you and wear it with pride. Every cowboy hat shape is a unique display of one’s background, job, personality, or style. The cowboy hat is more than what meets the eye, it’s a symbol of the rich traditions, history, and sentiments of the cowboy culture. A cowboy hat gives a glimpse of the continued hard work of our farmers, ranchers, cattlemen, ranch hands, rodeo cowboys, and the everyday American. Every crease and fold is your mark of not only the legacy of those cowboys and cowgirls before you, but the legacy you write yourself.

AUTHOR BIO: LUCILLE MOORE

Lucille Moore, a part-time writer and full-time Western fashion guru, prides herself on originality and authenticity. Growing up on her family’s farm with two former ranch managers as parents, Lucille ‘Lucy’ was practically born in the saddle. As a full-time marketing student at the University of Texas at Tyler, she’s committed to delivering greatness with every word while consistently bringing new ideas to the table. Tenacity and passion are just a few of the great qualities that make Lucy, well Lucy. With an extensive background in the Western industry, a love for fashion, and a God-given talent to write, Lucy is determined to craft her own legacy between the lines of literature. Learn more about Lucille Moore by visiting her online portfolio HERE.