I'm Too Timid To Cut A Brim

rogatywka · Post by **rogatywka** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:49 am

The heading says it all.
I'd like one-eigth inch off my Regular Fed brim.
Anyone in the UK or Europe with the guts and skill (or a brim-cutter) to do it for me, please ?

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:22 am

It's not as drastic as it sounds. You just want some sharp scissors. You can mark the felt with chalk or just eyeball it. Cut slowly, turning the hat gradually as you do it. If you have one or two uneven points, just gently buff them down with seom sand paper. When you've finished cutting, the cut will look too clean but nce you've buffed the whole edge very gently with your sandpaper you'll never tell the difference.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 8:30 am

I did this to my Akubra and it turned out just fine. Just keep a couple things into consideration. First, don't rush it! Take your time. It's a good idea to take some tailors chalk or something and mark your cut line. This will help guide your cutting. Second, keep in nmind that the Raiders cut wasn't perfect. It had its character to the cut, so if you have the occasional "bump" in the brim, don't flip out. Just patiently sand it down if it bothers you. And remember it's always easier to cut more dowm later than to add it back on! Just get a good, sharp pair of fabric scissors and go slow. You'll do just fine.

bink

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:01 am

Isn't that what I said?

duc · Post by **duc** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:21 am

Good reiforcement of previously stated advice can only add confidence to the wary.

I thought both posts were appropriate and informative (particularly since I will be in the same boat when I order a nice cover).

Farnham54 · Post by **Farnham54** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:30 am

I too cut my own brim, I did in in a semi-intoxicated state in my first year of University (I think it was around St. Paddy's day) marking my line with some blackboard chalk and cutting it with a little box cutter. A bit of sandpaper and some sanding, and I'm VERY pleased with the result--the brim is actually about the best part of the hat at this point! (My old fed's been through a lot!)

So, if you follow Whiskyman and Bink's directions, you should do just fine--trust me, it is REALLY easy--take your time, and remember like Bink said you can always cut more, but you can't add it back on!

Cheers
Craig

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 10:34 am

whiskyman wrote:Isn't that what I said?

8-[

rogatywka · Post by **rogatywka** » Mon Dec 05, 2005 4:37 pm

Thanks, Folks.
Maybe I'll have a couple of slugs of Jim Beam for courage and then have a go.

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 3:02 am

And a little does a lot. And 8th of an inch sounds pretty good to start with to check if it will do the trick.

Regards,
Swindiana

CHAUVEL · Post by **CHAUVEL** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:02 am

The sandpaper is your brim's saving grace, and jack daniels your own, should you need a little "courage". If i can do the job successfully, i reckon anyone can, trim away! cheers chauvel.

gdkenoyer · Post by **gdkenoyer** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:49 am

rogatywka wrote:Maybe I'll have a couple of slugs of Jim Beam for courage and then have a go.

if you're going that route, don't forget the box cutter!

Renderking Fisk · Post by **Renderking Fisk** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:16 am

Send it out for a reblock and see if you can have that 1/8th of an inch migrate towards the crown.

Just a thought.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:38 pm

Actually, Ren, that's a great idea! The Akubras always seemed a bit too shallow to me for an Indy hat, so adding it to the crown height could just do the trick!

bink

rogatywka · Post by **rogatywka** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:28 pm

binkmeisterRick wrote:Actually, Ren, that's a great idea! The Akubras always seemed a bit too shallow to me for an Indy hat, so adding it to the crown height could just do the trick!

bink

Would that really work ? If so, I'll be mailing the hat to Fedora for him to work his magic on it !
I'm terrified of goofing the job if I cut the brim (i.e. I might be left with a Fed fit only for polishing the car with).

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:40 pm

If you reblock a hat, you can alter the brim/crown dimension in the process. Of course, if you put a hat on a block different from what the hat was originally blocked on, it will naturally change your hat specs a bit. For instance, if the original hat block used had a very round top, you'd lose some brim simply by reblocking it on a block with a less round top. I'd talk to Fedora about the possibilities to see if a reblock is a good option for you.

On the other hand, I, too, was extremely nervous about cutting my brim since I had never done so before. Trust me, you can do it. Just take the time to chalk out your lines and use a sharp pair of fabbric scissors. Be patient. That is key.

bink

IndianaJames · Post by **IndianaJames** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 5:55 pm

Only 1/8th? Use sandpaper only....I did this on one of mine, and it worked great. Took a bit longer, but its realy hard to mess up....

Good luck, if you havent already cut it!

I J