A few years ago I was ready for a new cap. After years of travel in my flightbag and long nights on the hotelroom desk with keys, pens, peanuts and broken glass in it the old one smelled like a !!!!, floating around in whisky. So off I went to the uniform department. Heinz, THE man in our uniform depatment, supplied me with a new USSR style cap and while walking to the door I tried, rather unsuccesfully, to remove most of the crab from the top of the hat. I removed the steel spring which stretches it like a deck carrier, grabbed the foam and pulled. I ended up with only the peak and a ring in one hand and all the rest in the other.
I used the old cap for three more years.
Sq