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[A Theist]

Yes. It was completely altered and reworked from a Western style to a '40s era style fedora. I reshaped and resized the crown on a vintage wooden hat block similar to these...

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That gives me the "Open Crown" shape I want and afterward I crease it. The brim will be cut to width and then I reshape that on a vintage wooden "brim flange" to give me the brim style I want. Afterward I sew in a new leather sweat band and ribbon.

Is it a wool hat? Do you have to wet it down in order to reshape it? What is the mechanism that allows you to reshape it and for the next shape to "stick"?

No, it's not wool. It's fur felt. This particular hat is probably a blend of beaver and rabbit furs. If you ever buy a fedora or a western hat you want to make sure it's fur and not wool. Wool doesn't hold up well at all and is only used for cheaply made hats. I definitely use water to get it wet for reblocking. I'll also dampen the hat with water to crease it. Fur has good "memory" and it will retain the crease you put in it.