My new Federation Deluxe arrive yesterday and this is my first
time trying to bash a fedora. I thought I'd stick with a standard
Raider's look. It's still a work in progress. I'd love to hear some
opinions.
I'm definitely open to suggestions, I've seen some amazing hats
here and have learned quite a bit. It's only once I got the felt
between my fingers that I realized how much I don't know.
Looks like a nice hat! I think you're off to a great start. I've been making minor adjustments to my Federation since I got it last month and it keeps getting better and better. You may find it difficult to consider it "perfect", but that's part of the fun!
Enjoy!
Looks good. Down the road when you're more comfortable and have purchased another hat, you might want to consider trimming the brim. With the shape of your face, a little smaller brim might look more proportional. And yes, I'd be too chicken to take blade to hat myself. IIRC CooncatBob trimmed 1/8th of an inch and dramatically changed the look for the the better.
Yes, and the brim needs some more shaping. It looks too flat. - Get those hands on it and start curling. Don't be bashful - Akubras can take it!
'Course, anyone who knows me here also knows I'm an advocate for sitting on any Indy hat a few times to give it that signature Raiders reverse taper.
Michaelson, if you're reading this, I assure you this is the one area of gear philosophy where I diverge from my natural distressing devoutness, but as it is in the interest of giving the hat that signature silhouette, I think I should be granted a concession.
Looks like you have a great start there. Indy French is right though, don't be afraid to pin the brim up on the sides to get that snap brim effect & the distinctive brim smile as the front dips way down and the sides curl.
But, so far it looks great! Good job!!
Don't rush into trimming. If you decide to do so, get some tailor's chalk and mark off a 1/16" line. Then trim outside that line. You may think that so little won't make a difference, but it does. You can always trim more, so best to work down the brim gradually. Try it on between trimmings, too, and wear it about a while before deciding to trim down further. That way you get used to how the hat really looks on you before deciding to cut further.
If a standard Raiders is what you want, pop the bash out and turn the hat at least an inch to your right and put the shape in again. Whether you're dealing with an AB block or a Federation block, one thing is definitive - the RotLA hat WAS turned (off centre).
But not ALL Raiders hats were turned. It depends what scene you're looking at. The hat wasn't turned in the begining of the movie, so technically it's SA both turned and unturned. Go for your personal preference, I say.
Just to wanted to pitch this in: once you've got it looking right, leave it alone. Wear it, let it live and get roughed up once in a while, but endlessly bashing, re-bashing, re-blocking and trimming will likely lead to a costly disappointment. I've ruined more good hats than I care to recall with that kind of tomfoolery. Looks like you have a good hat there!
Scones- I ordered my Fed Dlx last week. -How many days did it take from your order until it showed up on your dorstep? Does the post office deliver it? Thanks, trying to figure out when to start living on my front porch waiting for the box!
I think it was delivered by the USPS, I wasn't home. It took exactly 1 week
from the day I ordered it. It might be time to set up camp on the porch
Did you get a confirmation email?
Does anyone have any tips on what to do if you have a fairly tight front
pinch and then decide to turn it? I wanted to compare but now it
seems like I don't have a choice. I guess I got a little carried away.
yeah, I got a confirm. I had chatted with Jenny via email about the order before I placed it, and she told me about the actual hat she picked out for me. I gotta say, their customer service is the best I have received from any business of any type in some time.
Indiana Scones wrote:
Does anyone have any tips on what to do if you have a fairly tight front
pinch and then decide to turn it? I wanted to compare but now it
seems like I don't have a choice. I guess I got a little carried away.
Me too!
One of my fedoras I put in a tight front pinch, then decided to turn it.
I massaged the pinch out with water and it seems to have mostly gone away.
I don't know if steam would be better though.
What's the correct term for 'unbashing' a hat?
I use cold water and avoid steam as much as possible. I have had steam shrink the felt. Soak the pinch really good and try to work it out with your fingers.
Indiana Scones wrote:Mine is a 59 and about the same crown height 5 3/4" +
That does sound a little tall. Did you take any pics?
...not yet, I picked it up from the mail lady on the way out the door to work. I got an email back from HD, Ron said:
"the crown height can vary from the blocked height due to travel - ie the sides can be pushed in a little forcing the crown higher. If the side dimensions are correct the crown height will also be correct. As felt is not a rigid product we cannot control 100% how it travels."
Update: Worked with the bash a while, and the crown height is fine now. I guess it does 'settle' in some.
Hey citRon, would you say your ribbon color is different than the one we see on Indiana Scones' fedora? I read in another post that you weren't happy with the fact that it was so similar to the color of the hat itself and that the liner was not sewn in, etc. As I have a Fed on order, I'm interested in knowing these kinds of details. Cheers!
Last edited by imagine671 on Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
imagine671, the felt on mine looks much darker than in these photos
so the difference between the ribbon and the felt is not as great at
it appears here. I think it depends on lighting. I'll see if I can post a
more color accurate photo later today.
citRon wrote:
Update: Worked with the bash a while, and the crown height is fine now. I guess it does 'settle' in some.
He's right...it depends on the light, flash/no flash etc. I have yet to get a picture come out looking ike it actually does in person. Check out the pics in this thread from FL:
None of these pictures look like it! Number 1 is the closest, though. If it looked like #2, I'd be happier than a pig in slop.
#1 was with sunlight/artificial light and flash.
#2 was same spot/time with no flash
#3 no sunlight, fluorescent light with flash
it's just weird...maybe I'm being too picky, but I can go get a Stetson or Resistol dress or western with the perfect color brown...and they're crappy hats nowfrom what I hear. Why can't the better quality hatters have more of a variety of colors?
Here is a better representation of the color of my Fed Dlx
The pic in here is pretty close as well, depending on the light: viewtopic.php?t=26739
citRon - yours definitely looks different from mine so who has what?
so who has what?
