Yes!!!! I was so mad when I first received my hats and they looked so stupid. I threw them in a box and forgot about them. A year later I did RU-vid search and found your video. Going to try this today
Cool, good luck with it... I've got plenty more videos on how to stretch, shape and otherwise edit your fitted caps, so go check out my channel when you're looking for more. Thanks!
Recently I have started wearing baseball caps and I learned a lot from your videos. You have the most informative channel that really goes into detail. Thanks very much!
@@dreinthe616 we would love to have you in our 59fifty group. FHS facebook.com/groups/372471383182997/?ref=share Your thorough, concise videos are a great help to our members! Peace from Canada *closed group drop my name. Derek Irwin*
@@johnathondoeofficial I am familiar with the group, and have a lot of respect for what you do with it. Thanks for the praise, and I would love to contribute, but I have thus far stopped short of having any accounts with Facebook. Nonetheless, I appreciate the invitation and may utilize it sometime in the future if things change
Mate you are a god send! This worked a charm for my Giants 59Fifty cap which was too boxed for my head. After trying this I have a nice curve that make the hat not look so weird on my head when I now wear it. Thank you!!
@@dreinthe616 yeh mate it's made a huge difference. I actually played a around with it a little more once I got the hang of hearing it up and moulded it pretty much to my liking. Now I always wear the hat whereas before I would only sporadically wear it because I didn't like how it sat on my head. Thank a million mate 👍🏽
I will never understand why New Era squares the top of the 59FIFTY and the 9FIFTY. Nobody wants to wear a baseball cap feeling like they are wearing a box on their heads.
Believe it or not, there are many Fitted cap fans that prefer the boxed look - I've had many questions about how to create that shape. I think the best attribute of the structured crown and the buckram is that they retain the shape, so they can be customized to the wearers preference (to a certain extent).
@@Padres-sv1lr Your statement sounds clownish. Obviously, the majority of people like the flat brim, flat type style best. That is the reason it dominates in sales, genius.
I'm with you. I've noticed that the wide production variances in 5950s means that some are very boxy, and some are rounded. Likewise, some of the low profile ones that I own are almost too low profile.. they feel like a 5950 and a yarmulke had a baby..
Gonna have to try this on my Arizona hat I almost returned it Cause I absolutely hated the squared look to it when just a couple weeks before I bought a white Sox hat and it was rounded. Thanks for this
Your vids have helped me out so much. Thanks for posting. I use to not be a fan of 59fiftys now they are all i buy now that you have showed us pro tips on how to make them great hats. Thanks sir!
It's all about the form you use - here I used the soccer ball for roundness, but if you wanted more flat you could look for something like a pot or saucepan with a smaller radius on the bottom, and a small enough diameter to fit in the cap. Then substitute that form for the soccer ball during the techniques that I showed, thanks.
Great video! Thanks, I have actually stopped buying caps by mail (eg Lids) because of this weird shape. Might well help to get myself a size 1 soccer ball. I wish there was something solid and heat resistant to put in there (bocce ball too small, hmmm) so I could touch it up before I wear it by just sticking the hard ball in there and heating it up a wee bit from the outside of the cap (while working it over the ball if necessary). I’ll keep thinking, gotta be something perfect size and hard composition (candlepin bowling ball? Lol). Thank you for your videos.
You are welcome, thank you for the comments... and maybe there are some places out there where you can get an actual mannequin head from an old retail store. I've often thought that might be the best form, but harder to find than a soccer ball!
Yes, I think it can be done, it is just a matter of finding the right form to use... it might be a small pot/saucepan with a small corner radius that would fit in the cap - you could just heat and form over that instead of the soccer ball I showed in this video, thanks.
Even then mlb players have to work their hats in. So you expect a hat to be molded for each head on the planet? Good luck with that. Even hatmakers can‘t mold it. Every hat has to be adjusted to wearers head by wear or by heat
Interesting, its the rise in these flat brim hats they are trying to make it look more like those. I like the flat look in its own right but I think round when I picture a ball cap
I did one showing three different ways to curve - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r5i3ZlAIMG8.html - or you can find other how-to videos on my channel page, thanks.
Thank you, appreciate it - and you might be interested in this other technique too, which was my most recent post - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e9pSynl4O7M.html
Great video as always Doug, have you ever did the inverse process? I mean, shaping a rounded crown into a more square shape, I'm asking this because I prefer a more square crown because of the shape of my face and head. Thanks!
I've never done it personally, but I think the easiest way to do this would be to heat the buckram as shown in the video, and then press the crown and button against a flat surface like a table or countertop as the buckram cools off. Don't press too far, just try and hold it flat, close to the way you'd like it to look. Thanks for the question and good luck.
Could you just place the cap on your head and press the crown against your actual head after you heat it up so it takes your head form, or do you think it’ll be to hot?
Good question, yes, you can do that, in fact I showed that method in my very first posted video on stretching and shaping... but if you've got short hair or a receding hairline it gets really hot and uncomfortable. It can also leave 'grooves' in the buckram where you hold your fingers, so the ball is better for smoothness too, thanks.
awesome content sir....very precise and informative. I was going to purchase 9fifty but my head size is medium. So should I go for small-medium or medium -large size? I mean i prefer the one which is perfectly shaped.
I've answered that question in the comments here a few times - you can use this process of steaming, but you just need to find a different form that has the shape you are looking for, thanks.
The structured crowns in New Era caps have plastic fibers woven through the buckram, which gives the front two panels the stiffness. If your cap material is not stiff and structured, it probably won't hold a shape.
Low profile is definitely the way to go, they’re always selling out too it blows my mind new era hasn’t noticed that to offer more selections in that style. To each their own but I don’t see how anyone honestly likes the look of a standard 5950. It’s like people have to do so much to it just to wear it, not for me I like to buy a hat, put it on my head and go
Hey thanks for the comment - it's always a personal choice... I much prefer the volume in the crown of the standard 59Fifty for comfort, and when you have a beard or a longer/larger face shape, the extra height in the crown provides more balance and a better look.
Hey Scott, thanks for the comment... I actually really enjoy the ritual of shaping and breaking in my caps - I guess 'customizing' a freshly purchased cap is as much a tradition for me as my morning coffee!
Will this work with a trucker hat? I just got a new cap and it’s outrageously boxy and high and makes me look like my head is about 6 inches taller under the hat. I hate it! But it’s a beautiful cap so I don’t want to give up on it!
Depends on if it has the buckram (stiff plastic/linen woven fabric) under the front two panels. You can find a video on my channel "Stretching and Shaping Mesh Back Fitted Caps" if that's the case. But this technique won't work if its a foam trucker, thanks.
How do I remove the pointy top of my trucker hat? Would love to send you a pic or what I’m talking about. But I bought adidas trucker hat and not a fan of the high point top
It's pretty tough to do that because the fold there is very stiff, almost all truckers are made in this way. But that style of 5-panel caps is now coming back strong with the 9Forty A-Frames and Golfers from New Era, and the Hitch from 47 Brand.
Hi Doug. Great video! I really like the idea with the ball and plan to give it a try tomorrow. Regarding the hairdryer, what do you think about using steam instead to get the material soft and then use the ball? Or would you definitely recommend using a hairdryer instead? Thank you, really appreciate your ideas, great stuff!
It's the heat that makes the buckram "moldable", so you can do it with steam too. Just don't overdo it with the moisture absorption by holding it over the steam for too long. You can actually place the ball inside the cap, press outward, and then steam the front panels with the form in place. Thanks!
@@dreinthe616 Thank you very much Doug! I tried it this morning (with a hairdryer) and it worked very well! I did this with multiple hats now, it worked well for all of them. I have to say by using your advice the joy in my hats increased so much! I finally stopped looking like a train conductor when wearing my hats 😊 So thank you very much, you truly are an expert in this topic!! Did you ever try this with a different brand than New Era? I have a couple of 47 hats and the buckram is a bit different, softer.
No suggestions for that - it would be exceptionally hard to do, because to make it that much smaller you would need to be removing material... there's just nowhere for the material to go on a standard 59Fifty. Best hope is to shape it, and thanks for the comments.
Have never done that, but I don't think it has much chance of success. Heat and moisture are important in shaping, but so is the presence of some kind of form (whether an insert like this or a hat jack). I don't think passively leaving it out in the sun will do anything for it.
It's a lot harder than it seems - there is a lot of material and volume in the crown, and it has to go somewhere when you try to reduce the height. In the third portion of my first video I show a way to heat with a hair dryer and mold it a little more to your head, you can see that here if interested - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8N-EL-rmgIc.html - thanks.
What would you recommend if the crown just seems super wide? I bought a minor league team 5950 hat the other day and it just looks massive on my head compared to my other fitted hats
I don't have any recommendations for that, it usually comes from excess material - and that material needs somewhere to go, so it's very hard to shape. Part of normal variation in NE caps, unfortunately.
I'd curve the visor before shaping the crown... I usually like to shape the crown last, because it's the most sensitive, and it's best not to expose it to more steam/heat when curving the visor.
I actually get that question quite a bit, may need to make a video soon. Anyway, just like I used a soccer ball as a round form, you could repeat the process but use a different form to mold the cap - maybe you could find a small pot or saucepan that has the flat top and a small radius... that might give the look you want, thanks.
If you like that type of crown, you may be interested in finding current/new caps that are made in Bangladesh - some of those are a return to that full box look. I did a whole video about the phenomenon - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-G5Kxr7Fp-u8.html - ICYI, thanks.
I want my hat to look like yours, it seems to have a wider crown, mine is really boxxy and narrow and square and it just looks narrow too on my head, is the hat you are wearing one you've made look wider? it looks like the crown is as wide as the peak goes, which is what i want, the one i got the crown appears much narrower than the peak, like just a narrow box, if you catch my drift
Yeah, I'm following you... the worst thing about New Era caps is the variation from cap to cap - even if they are showing the same size. I do a lot of steam shaping (go to my channel for some break-in and shaping tutorials), but sometimes it's just the base construction of the cap that limits what you can do, thanks for the question.
Depends a lot on the manufacturing site - I've got a couple of videos at my channel that look into this. And caps made in Bangladesh have gotten a reputation for having high and square crowns.
Do the hats you order online also fit too big? I’ve had two or three hats that I’ve gotten online that fit a little too big and also look boxy. I swear I’m a 7 1/4 so when buying in store they always fit just right, but not when I get them online.
Yes, the variation is really a problem - I made a video about it, too - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aeZ0olFQQyc.html - ICYI, thanks.
It really depends the power from your hair dryer... with mine it was probably between 50 and 70 seconds. But that's why I say do it until the buckram gets soft under pressure from your fingers... that's the best way to know when you can shape it, and I don't want anyone to get upset if they start melting fibers based upon a simple time recommendation, thanks.
Hey Dre, love the videos! I used your steam method to curve the bill and shape the crown of a MLB on field cap, but I think I might've overdone it, since the buckram and the cardboard bill are really flimsy/soft and thin-ish now, although I never went as far as burning the material. It happened less than 24hrs ago, so maybe I should give it some time and it's gonna regain it's stiffness, or it's gone? Is this normal when re-shaping with steam? Thanks
Hey, sorry to hear that... I actually overheated a cap in the dryer a long time ago (lesson learned) and it stayed softer from then on. Hopefully it came back a little when it dried out, because I am not aware of any good ways to add the stiffness and structure back in. Thanks for your comments!
Starch for clothes in an aerosol can from walmart bring the stiffness back. But you have to shape it at the same time. Got some little creases out from my hat with some spray starch.
Do you suppose after getting the initial shape, once the material is starting to cool, could you put in on and form it to your own head? I know you need to make sure it's not too hot, but I've got caps with a peak and really dislike that. I do want it round though so I need the best of both worlds lol Good video though, thank you!
Yes, you can definitely do that... I've done it before, and the trick is to press evenly enough with your palms, so that you don't get dents from your fingers. Also helps to put a light cloth over your head, like a bandanna, to insulate from the heat. Thanks!
@@bmiller.0 No videos like that, sorry - but I will say that steam is the oldest and best tool for manipulating any kind of fabric/textile... the most recent video I posted shows a couple of ways to use steam to smooth out parts of a cap.
I've not personally done anything with that area, but some viewers have commented that they apply either liquid or spray starch to those four panels... although I'd recommend having some support under those panels before applying any starch.
I would say yes, but you’ll need to carefully control the time and distance you expose the cap to it. And proceed slowly until you know the buckram becomes soft and able to shape.
A teapot is the other go-to... get it steaming, then you can hold the outside front panels over the steam and get the small soccer ball (or similar) ready to press from the inside. It doesn't take long for the steam to soften the material, so make sure you don't overdo it! Thanks
Shaping the buckram area of the crown will work with any cap that has the same kind of structured buckram that exists in New Era caps. This video was a standard 59Fifty.
I've never gone that direction personally, but as the title of the video suggests, it's probably a matter of finding the right form, then applying the techniques shown here, thanks.
The risk is distorting/deforming the plastic fibers running through the buckram - it might take on a "wilted" appearance, or look kind of shriveled in the front panels.
Sometimes there's not much you can do that will lower the height of the crown. Best thing to do is to try and press it back the way I show in the last part of this other video that I created - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8N-EL-rmgIc.html - thanks.
Save time and buy the low profile 5950. Unless you want a NBA hat you can find some pretty good hats! Literally buy it and can just throw it on your head without looking like an idiot with a massive box on your head
Style is always a personal choice... there's a counter point that if you've got a larger face shape or chin, the low profile starts to look too small (with some "dad cap" styles, it gets even worse). Personally I find that the extra space in the standard crown helps a lot with comfort as well.
I agree I guess it’s just because my head is so small, in my opinion I feel like I look ridiculous in the standard. I absolutely can’t stand that big boxy look. I’ll never wear dad caps lol, not a big fan of straps....low profile just fits me best but once in a blue moon I’m forced to buy a standard because I love the hat so much and for whatever reason new era is limited with their low pros, which I don’t understand everyone I know loves them and they’re always sold out of the most popular sizes online
@@scottcraigen630 I hear you... it's really my beard that actually balances the higher crown on the standard model from an appearance standpoint. And the more recent 'large' collections like Clubhouse or BP seem to feature more low profile offers than a few years ago, at least from what I've observed. Thanks for your comments!
Does your 7 run small? Or does it feel like a true 7? I have a couple 7s that are incredibly tight on my head, and there is absolutely no way I could get them to a 7 1/4 without doing some serious damage to the hat. I am comfortable going 1/8" of an inch larger, but that's about it.
Great question, and yes I believe it does, if just a little bit... I actually had to put this on the hat jack again - partly because of the hat itself, but partly because of the shaping that I did. Thanks!
I sometimes wear my fitteds backwards, and it's not completely straight under the batter logo. There seems to be a slight drop in the middle and was wondering if I could try anything to fix it. Thanks in advance & good video I love breaking in these new hats
Cool, thank you. On your question, it's pretty tough to get that area to hold shape... in the front the buckram provides the structure, but when you get to those back four panels, it's just the fabric of course, and it tends to lay down a bit if it's not filled out by your head. Don't have a good tip for that one, but thanks for the question.
