My new Akubra Federation Regular

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:37 pm

Hi guys,

Thought I'd share with you some pics of my new Fed. Kudos to Hatsdirect... talk about fast shipping!! 6 days to get to Kuala Lumpur! Mind you, aside from baseball caps, I've never worn hats in my entire life so this is my first. I followed Pagey's Bash tutorial (I'm going for the Raiders look) but somehow I think I need to define it a lot more.

Here ya go:

Rusty Jones · Post by **Rusty Jones** » Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:43 pm

Looks good to me, I'd like to see more pics as you get the shape you like finalzed... as some have mentioned on other threads, I might suggest shaping to YOUR perception of the indy hat first, sometimes that comes off better on individual's heads, but eitherway I'm sure it'll look good and you'll enjoy it! Wear it well! :c)

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:03 am

Great start. My advice would be to define and tighten just this point.

Rusty Jones · Post by **Rusty Jones** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:32 pm

prairiejones wrote:Great start. My advice would be to define and tighten just this point.

Good suggestion, I'd tighten the pinch downward on the Y axis a bit first, that's what looks a tad loose to me...

nevrwhere · Post by **nevrwhere** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 7:30 pm

That's a nice looking hat! I was thinking of going with that one myself but I was worried about shaping/bashing the hat. Looks like you did a great job though!

IndyTaz · Post by **IndyTaz** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:13 pm

Nice.....is that my map grail and grail diary there? If so could you please send them back?

Regards
TAZ

G-MANN · Post by **G-MANN** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:33 pm

nevrwhere wrote:That's a nice looking hat! I was thinking of going with that one myself but I was worried about shaping/bashing the hat. Looks like you did a great job though!

Agreed that hat is looking good.

I have never owned a Fed. but as far as bashing, don't be too affraid of the felt. You can easily correct most mistakes and it will constantly change as it gets used more and more. I'm sure a lot of other Fedora owners here will agree.

I always order mine open crown so it is easier for me to personalize.
After all who knows what you want your hat to look like more than yourself.

Cheers
G-MANN

Indakin · Post by **Indakin** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 2:17 am

nice hat , just pinch it like everyone said. It probably wont stay perfect, but after a few nice creased pinches it will stay better. I have teh delux version and that spot i find hard to keep perfect. But dont be afraid to bash its not going to destroy ur hat.

Nice map too, im still thinking about mounting one.

raindog · Post by **raindog** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:23 am

Good looking hat Kalkamel....So good in fact that I've just ordered a Fed from Hatsdirect too

I think your hat will see you through many adventures. Nice display you've got too.

Jeff.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:31 am

Thanks... and thanks to the advice here I've gotten it to look the way I like it... as seen in my avatar!

Cheers!

Rusty Jones · Post by **Rusty Jones** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:56 am

Looks cool :c) more pictures wouldnt hurt ;c)

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 10:57 am

Kalkamel. gongrats on your new hat. I like that jpenman tilt to it ( avatar).

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:33 am

jpenman wrote:Kalkamel. gongrats on your new hat. I like that jpenman tilt to it ( avatar).

My homage to you, John!

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:54 am

.[/quote]My homage to you, John!

I first started doing that just to hide my mug.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:55 am

.[/quote]My homage to you, John![quote]

I first started doing that just to hide my mug.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:03 am

Well, its been almost four months since I bought my Akubra. I've played around with the bash since then ad I'm kinda happy with the way it looks now (save for the side taper). But one thing I regretted was that when I first got it, I bashed it into the Raiders look straight, without the turn. Plus, I had mistakenly ordered one size larger so it never fit quite right.

I had already ordered an AB from Steve but it'll be weeks before I get it, so last Friday, I placed an order with Hatsdirect for another Akubra Fed Regular, this time the right size - 57. After lunch today it arrived... those guys are very fast!

Here's a pic of the familiar box:

Nicely packed by the people from Hatsdirect:

Out of the box:

Quick and dirty bash with the turn:

So for a person who never wore a hat in his whole life, and who hardly wears the first hat that he own, I've got 2 already with a third on the way. Go figure!

Anyway, I'll be putting up my 4 month old Fed in the classifieds section soon so those interested stay tuned.

Gorak · Post by **Gorak** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:24 pm

Now that is a great looking Raiders bash...those sides are very straight. I had a Fed from back when they were first introduced on this sight and it does not seem to represent what I`m seeing you guys getting now a days...I wonder if they silently upgraded their hat thru the years or I just recieved a weak one. My tapered soon after I recieved it and didn`t start out with such straight edges...and I guess it didn`t help that my head is so side ear to ear...D`OH!

anyho...beautiful looking Raiders lid. I know U`ll enjoy this one!

3thoubucks · Post by **3thoubucks** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:52 am

If I was you, I'd keep the 58. The Raiders hat has a line in the felt that indicates that it had a centered front pinch before it was turned. Cinch the ribbon (more on top) and fold the sweat. Then your 58 will have less side taper than a 57, just because the circumfrence of the top of the crown will be greater. ..... What's the open crown height on a 57 BTW? It has straigter sides than my 6 inch tall size 59. (I think that second shot has the first shot of the Fed's foam sweat stuffing I've seen here

)

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:00 am

Thanks for the advice, 3thoubucks, but no less that 5 hours after I posted it in the classifieds, it's already taken! Anyway, as I mentioned, with an AB on the way, I really don't need 3 hats. Btw, I'll take measurements of the crown when I get back from work.

I've asked Steve to style my AB based on the "Idol Grab" scene, which, I believe, was the same style he made for the hat which is to be presented to HF. As for my new Akubra, I want it Cairo style. The Akubra out of the box is stiff, so I think I need to soften it up first. I saw a video tutorial on Lee Keppler's site where he softened up his lid by crumpling it up. I wanna try that but I'm afraid the sides will taper after that. Any advice on how to achieve the perfect floppy look?

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:14 am

THe AB has less "dome" to its open crown. Here is mine before I bashed it.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:08 am

Wow, great tutorial, Tone! Thanks! Now I can't wait to get back home from work and work on that brim! I'll post pics after.

VP · Post by VP » Sat Jul 08, 2006 4:52 am

Nou hätä.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:56 am

Indiana_Tone wrote:

(In best Julia Child voice) "First, stick the hat in the pot and stir until it begins to froth a bit, adding a dash of salt as you go..."

VP · Post by VP » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:43 pm

Nice try Lao Che.

Still needs some polishing though.

VP · Post by VP » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:51 pm

Indiana_Tone wrote:Nyt kuluva on hyvä jotta osata.

Now current is good in order to know how.

That's roughly what it means, nothing.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 7:07 am

I tried out Tone's tutorial and this is the result so far:

Not much of a swoop yet but as Indy said "I'm working on it"!

Thanks again, Tone!

VP · Post by VP » Sun Jul 09, 2006 7:09 am

Nice!

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 9:59 am

kalkamel, looks good. Do you have a shot from the side?

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:13 am

Here ya go:

VP · Post by VP » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:15 am

The pics don't work.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:17 am

Oops... link fixed!

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 11:21 am

kalkamel, thanks for the shots. Looks like you did a fine job bashing that hat. Now we need to see you wearing than fine hat.

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:12 pm

Indiana_Tone wrote:Look at that AB dome! ::WHISTLE!::

Kalkamel, the pinch looks great!

As for the stiff brim part of the hat, I use steam and cold water (separately). (This is only for a brand new out of the box, brim, not a default method everytime a correction is needed.) I also bend the brim up and down to work out the stiffener. The steam will loosen the brim up a bit. Steam only the brim and try to avoid the crown as much as possible. Keep the brim spinning so that no one spot gets too much steam. The brim will start to become pliable when the steam takes effect. When the brim is in that condition, remove it from the steam and experiment with folding it the way you like. You'll notice it wants to go back to being more stiff shortly after being away from the steam. (Which also helps it retain the shape you just put in it.) I only do this on the hat when it's brand new, and only until the brim loses that "snap" it has to it. Any further adjustments to the brim are done under cold water with no steam at all after that. If anything, once you've steamed the brim that first time, don't resort to it as a fix-all whenever you want to make adjustments in the future. Cold water only after that for any adjustments. The brim should start to get easier to keep in place just by bending it the way you want soon. (As you know, even the turn doesn't get much result on a brand new Akubra brim. But it will.)

Anyhow, this is what's worked for me. Hope it helps. Again, that bash is looking really good!

And just so you don't think I lucked out with a "special" Akubra, this oughta look familiar.

now that is a Souped up hat;)

Bufflehead Jones · Post by **Bufflehead Jones** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:16 pm

Yeah, you never know what ol' Tone will cook up next.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:30 pm

That cardboard brim sure as heck softened up after the steaming process, Tone! It may take a few attempts before I can get a proper swoop like yours, but for now it'll do. Here's some pics of me wearing it:

VP · Post by VP » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:32 pm

With a lighter background that first one would make a great avatar.

marco polo · Post by **marco polo** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:34 pm

Looks good !

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:38 pm

Thanks! I wanna try to shape the hat to make the humps look more defined, but I don't wanna deepen the center dent coz that might cause the sides to taper.

kalkamel · Post by **kalkamel** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 1:07 pm

The 57 is a perfect fit. The 58 was just a bit loose... I had to add the foam strips Akubra provided in order to make it a better fit.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 1:26 pm

thanks for the pics kalkamel. looks good on you.Of what I can see it looks like you got the center dent correct. For some reason a lot of people make it to wide.

Canyon · Post by **Canyon** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:53 pm

kalkamel, wonderful hat! Looks stunning.

Those Akubra's are beginning to look more Raidersish these days.

3thoubucks wrote:If I was you, I'd keep the 58. The Raiders hat has a line in the felt that indicates that it had a centered front pinch before it was turned. Cinch the ribbon (more on top) and fold the sweat. Then your 58 will have less side taper than a 57, just because the circumfrence of the top of the crown will be greater. ..... What's the open crown height on a 57 BTW? It has straigter sides than my 6 inch tall size 59. (I think that second shot has the first shot of the Fed's foam sweat stuffing I've seen here )

3thou, your knowledge never ceases to amaze me!

Lao Feng · Post by **Lao Feng** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:45 pm

Super job on your hat. Congrats! I have some "stiff brim work" to do myself on my Akubra Fed Regular. Cheers..Lao Feng

My new Akubra Federation Regular

My new Akubra Federation Regular

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