Hats and headwear are among the most striking and collectable of military artifacts. They also present some unique problems in care and display. Hats are usually composite objects and a single hat may consist of wool, cotton, leather, plastic, cardboard and various metals. In their service life they may have been subjected to extremes of weather and physical abuse, as well as wear and tear caused by normal use.

This hat was stored by its owner resting on it's brim. The brim is now cracked and flattened.

The original owner of this hat put his hat on with his left hand as evidenced by the grime and sweat mark pattern. In collections, hats should never be picked up by their brims, gloves should be worn, and the hat handled as little as possible.

A simple mount can be made that supports the brim and does not require the hat to be handled.

A piece of 2 inch thick ethefoam plank or styrofoam is cut, smaller than the inside diameter of the hat to make the inside support.

The support is glued to a flat piece of ethefoam.

Fibrefill or cotton batting is used to pad the mount and build it up to the correct size for a snug but not tight fit.

The padded mount is covered with stockinette.

The brim is now supported and the hat mount can be handled without touching the hat itself.

A commercial styrofoam ladies wig stand is the basis for an RCAF Women's Division hat mount.

The wig stand is washed, then covered with a stockinette sleeve. Extra layers of stockinette are built up to the inside diameter of the hat.

The completed hat mount with the hat in place.

Various shapes of styrofoam can be cut to size and covered with stockinette or nylon mesh.

Stockinette covered styrofoam hat mount complimenting a Canadian Women's Army Corps uniform display.