Just finished my first bash on the DP Fur Felt. And some thing's not right. It looks alright.. just not quite Indy on the center dent [I couldn't get shed of the pesky factory dent].. I'm not ashamed of it seeing that it's a first attempt. But, I do want it looking better before I wear it in public.
the crown doesn't seem high enough to keep the center dent.. when I put the hat on it pops out. and it rides high on my head making it move as I turn my head.
here's what it looks like after I've put it on my head. is this normal?
I've bashed a DP fur felt and yes, it did take some work. The trick is to completely dampen the entire crown with a wet washcloth and then pop every dent and pinch. Once it's wet and pliable and has an open-crown type shape, gently push down the top with your fingers with a hand inside the hat pinching the crease from the inside and pulling the sides of the pinch inward. This should also create the point of the pinch at the back, which is what gives the Indy look to the top crease (The tear drop isn't even close). As far as the center pinch in the front goes, just mold the pinch while it's wet and keep pinching it as it dries in case it wants to move back. Hope this helps! I've posted pics of my DP fur felt in other threads, primarily one called "Dorfman vs. Stetson". Good luck, it's a great hat.
Got a little TOD look going on there. I think the best way to do it would be to dampen the top of the hat just enough to allow you to pop out the top to the open crown state. While it is barely damp, smooth out all of the creases with your finger and fist. Let it dry. This will help it "forget" the stock crease on the top. Then dry crease it to the new shape. If you have a hard time getting the new crease to stay, gently steam just the areas that need work and work on the crease. Let it dry. You should be good to go. It would have have been best to do this to begin with. Now you will run the risk of more shrinkage occurring, because the more you dampen and let a hat dry, the more apt it is to shrink, depending upon the felt. Fedora
Ok, when I get back home I'll take a side view and post it.. somehow forgot one.
Thanks Fedora for your input! Was going for a TOD look. I wish I had heard that before about the lightly wetting. I didn't soak it completely earlier..It hadn't tapered or shrunk as of a few hours ago.
I have never bashed a hat, but it looks to me that your side dents go too far back. They seem to go almost to the back of the fed. Try making them so they don't go back as far.
Just my two cents.
(If I am wrong and don't know what I'm talking about, please disregard anything I just said)
I can't believe that people are getting pretty good results out of the DP fur felts. Since many people here seem to shun them.
The side dents go too far back and the back of the crown goes too low from my bash being too deep. I gave it a karate chop. Must be stronger than I thought!
I doubt that. But, I'm going to try things per Steve's suggestion of how it should have been done to begin with.
This is actually harder for me to do than I originally thought it'd be, due to lack of experience. Almost makes a body want to buy a pre bashed hat and forget about it.
I would suggest that on this particular hat, a ToD style will look best. It will pull this off. Don't try to make this a Raiders style hat, the severe pinch is just going to exaggerate the taper. Go for a more relaxed pinch, shallow centerdent, and take the side dents forward a bit. Raising the back of the crown a little will help keep it from hitting the top of your head and will help to keep the sides straight. Indy's hat looked like that right before they jumped out of the plane. For what it's worth, I have always thought the ToD hat (hats) looked very cool.
theinterchange wrote:This is actually harder for me to do than I originally thought it'd be, due to lack of experience. Almost makes a body want to buy a pre bashed hat and forget about it.
Doing a rebash is harder for most. It's much easier to start with an open crown. Don't be discouraged, though. If nothing else, the DP has been a learning experience that you can bring to your next attempt. Within the limitations of the hat, you didn't do that badly.
Thanks for saying so..That's the way I'm looking at it! Hey, I rebashed a hat regardless of the outcome! I learned some things I wouldn't do again. Now to decide how I'll sell it. Probably on eBay... and to decide which Raiders hat to get!
Within the limitations of the hat, you didn't do that badly.