Be careful not to burn yourself when creating and using the steam by keeping your hands out of the steam’s direct path. If you’re using an iron, work carefully to avoid burning the hat on the hot iron.
Make sure the hat is close enough to be fully-enveloped in the steam.
If you’d like to shape different sections, such as adding a crease to the crown and rolling up the brim, steam and work the hat in separate steps. For example, a felt cowboy hat looks better with indents in the crown, while a straw sun hat looks great with rolled up sides.
Take your time while shaping the hat so that you get it just right, sticking it back in the steam after several seconds of shaping. Remember not to hold the hat in the steam for more than a few seconds at a time.
Avoid setting anything on top of the hat so that it can dry perfectly. The hat should only take about an hour or two to dry in a warm environment. As the hat is drying, you can place it on your head for a few seconds to check the shape, repeating the steaming process if needed.
Avoid getting water on the bill unless you’d like to shape the bill as well. If you do want to shape the bill, you can do so before or after shaping the crown. Wait a few minutes for the hat to cool before wearing it.
You’ll need to bend the hat using your hands frequently so that it starts to take the shape you want.
Undo the rubber band whenever you’d like to check on the bill of your hat, if desired.
Pick out a coffee mug that’s a perfect circle so that the bill of the cap will form a perfect semicircle.
