teardrop crown conversion?

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:37 pm

Hey all,
Is it possible to convert a teardrop crown hat into a indy style fedora?
Or is the man hat shape wrong or too short?
Please reply a shop near to me sells them but havent been for a few months and i think all of the hats are teardrops i am willing to get one and rebash it but i want to know if there is a problem with the hat pattern itself which makes it unusable to bash into indy style.

Thanks.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:46 pm

Giben, all hats pretty much can be popped out to their open crown state. At that point, it's just a matter of rebashing. However, depending upon the memory and material of the felt, you might get varying results. Crown height and shape will also give you different results.

The hat on the right originally had a telescopic porkpie bash to it. I reshaped it as shown and later had it reblocked to more of an Indy. I had plenty of crown height to work with, which made the end result better. (That hat has long since moved on.) So to answer your question, yes, it is possible.

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:58 pm

OOOOH,
Thanks i think you have just saved me £100 ($200 about)

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:12 pm

You can send the saving my way.

Do you have a picture of the fedora you're looking to convert, or any more specifics regarding the particular hat?

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:35 pm

Well because i havent been in months i cant really remember the specs or have any pictures but if i get a chance to go i will get pictures.
but here is a picture similar.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 3:47 pm

If it's a wool hat, it may give you a bit of trouble if you use water or steam to rebash the hat. It's still possible, but wool will taper something mad if not careful. A rabbit or other fur felt hat will give you more of the rebashing play you're after. Just curious, is there a solid hat budget you need to adhere to?

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:12 pm

around £30 (about $60)

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:18 pm

Just an FYI,
http://www.hatsdirect.com/cgi/products. ... turnpage=0

If I did the conversion right, it comes to around 44 British Pounds. It comes open crowned, ready for you to bash and makes a great Indy hat. I only suggest it since you'll likely be happier with the results of a rabbit fur hat over a wool one. But it 30 pounds is your dead set limit, then stick with that. You can still get good results with most teardrop hats, but an open crowned hat starts off as a blank canvas.

GoldenHistorian · Post by **GoldenHistorian** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:24 pm

i would do that but i dont like ordering online that much especialy if its from a other country ya nether know if they get sizes mixed up or i measured wrong i prefer to go to a showroom and start from there.
What is the difference from wool felt and rabbit felt i want a quick guide because the hat i am thinking of isnt 100% the colour of the hat in the picture and the shop one look different.

Thanks.

IndyBrit · Post by **IndyBrit** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 4:36 pm

Giben
Have no fear with ordering from Hats Direct. Their service is first class and the hat is well worth the money. They answered all my concerns by e-mail, confrimed the order and helped with shipping. You may have to pay some VAT or duty when it arrives in the UK.

I live in Poland and the hat arrived in good time and in excellant shape. The only thing to consider is size. Their site has advice on this.

The bash is easy to do. Here is link on this which I think is one of the COW crew:
http://www.adventure-realm.com/raidersbash.html

Risu · Post by **Risu** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:18 pm

I was originally planning on only getting an adventurebilt, and I was pretty firm on that, but now I'm starting to crave one of those feds. It doesn't look dead on accurate like an AB, but it's certainly a nice hat, especially since my head is too tall for the cheap fedora I rebashed a few weeks ago. I think I may have to get one as an xmas present to myself. Is the ribbon the same color as the felt, or is it darker like the movie hats?

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:56 pm

Giben, the folks at Hats Direct are top notch folks with the customer service to proove it. There are sizing charts on their website, and you can contact them if you have questions regarding it. I called and ordered mine from Australia to the U.S. and it arrived in only about a week. In fact, the darker hat in the picture is my Akubra Federation in natural light. Since then, it's been reshaped a bit and had the brim trimmed. Oh, and is now on the head of another happy gearhead. I'd happily get another.

As far as hat materials go, wool will shrink and drastically taper if the hat gets caught in a downpour. Look at some of the hats in the "crappy hat" thread in the hat section and you'll see some pics of some seriously tapered hats! They're wool. A fur felt, like rabbit or beaver, will still taper a bit over time, but they resist it MUCH more than wool and it makes for a nicer hat. The Akubra hats are rabbit/hare felt and designed to be worn in the outback, so they'll take the abuse! Keep in mind the Akubra Federation was designed with input from members right here on COW, so it has an Indy heritage, even if it's not 100% screen accurate. Still, many folks around here have done a fantastic job of bashing their Federations, and it's easier to do than you think. The picture on the website is a bit washed out, too.

Giben, I am not trying to tell you what you should or shouldn't buy. It should always be your decision and yours alone. The reason I suggested the Akubra Federation is that if you were planing to get the hat like you showed a picture of for the sake of turning it into an Indy styled hat, you might be unhappy with the limitations of it. On the flip side, if you had the budget to spend a little more money on a hat which is much nicer, made to take the abuse, and designed almost specifically to become an Indy fedora straight out of the box, you'd probably be happier with what you'll get from the Akubra. It's the difference between a balsa wood glider and a plastic model ready to paint. Both will turn into plane models, but one will turn out more realistic than the other.

Again, you shouldn't be made to feel like you should spend any more money on a hat than you want to, which is why this is only a suggestion. To reiterate, the short answer to your original question is yes, you can convert a teardrop crowned hat into an Indy style fedora, but much has to do with how tall the crown is unbashed and what kind of block it was made on. With that, my logic was to suggest the best starting point near your price range in order to gain the best result. The Federation has a proven track record. If you do go your original route, please share before and after pics. Some folks have still done amazing things with similar hats! Good luck!