5 months on...

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:05 pm

5 months after I got it, and I think my Fed's getting better with age.

The top one is my bash within the first week of it arriving....The bottom is after 5 months of obsessive playing, creasing...oh, and wearing of course

indyclone · Post by **indyclone** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:28 am

looks great, my hat ( Dorfman ) has been re-ribboned once because of sweat -- and i noticed yesterday after taking my son trick or treating that if you look real close you can see sweat stains on this again too --- but at least the band is a darker brown then from before --- sorry to ramble on nice wear on your hat ---

tucolino · Post by **tucolino** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:36 am

wow

all i can say is that hat has been in lots of adventures!!!

beautiful lid darthbish,really beautiful.

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:03 am

Thanks guys...
I take it everywhere now...In fact I feel naked without it.

I might cop the occasional "Hey Indy" comment, but....Care Much!!..

It's felt the snow at Mt Buffalo, and tasted the salt air at the South Coast of New South Wales...Heck, it's even survived the Australia Nickelodeon Kids Choice awards.
Sounds obsessive I know, but it's the BEST item of clothing, prop replica, whatever you wanna call it that I've ever had.
A big thanks to this board for letting me know where to get it,...A BIGGER thanks to HatsDirect for selling it...And a HUUUGE thanks to Akubra for such a magnificent product.

For anyone that's just bought a Fed I say "WEAR IT"....

The best is yet to come.

Chiliana Jones · Post by **Chiliana Jones** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:44 am

is that the regular or the deluxe federation?

looks great!

CJ

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:01 pm

Thanks for all the compliments folks..
It's a good ol' Federation IV Standard..

One day I may save up my pennies for a Deluxe...(Or unless one of our US members wants to buy me one, hang onto it until the Aussie dollar increases against the "Greenback", and I buy it back from them

)....but the Standard will certainly do for now.

Piker · Post by **Piker** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:04 pm

Major Taper

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 1:57 am

Piker wrote:Major Taper

Awwwww, I wouldn't call it "major"......

There's a bit....but one man's taper is another ones "character"

Magno · Post by **Magno** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:10 pm

Still, for a Federation that is a heck of alot of taper. I would suggest doing a reblock.

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:26 pm

I would reblock that hat. That is A LOT of taper for having the hat only five months. What did you do to that thing? I think it does have a lot of character, you can tell its been used as Indy would have used it, but man is that tapered.

Dave

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:43 pm

Taper up the wazoo, still it manages to looks all right, think what it would look like w/out the taper.

Jones Boy · Post by **Jones Boy** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:59 pm

Bish,

Might I make a suggestion to a fellow Fed wearer from down under?

Check your dents as it looks to me like they push too far back at the sides (therefore pulling the sides of the crown in). There is a critical dent position at which you get the maximum "squareness" from a front on point of view. Just looks like you have gone slightly past that.

It might take a bit of light steam (read only a very light wafting here) to reactivate the stiffner and then re-position the dents.

Cheers
Jonesy

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:48 pm

Feel free.....I'm an advice junkie..

Got any reference pics, so I can get a visual idea of what you mean??

Jones Boy · Post by **Jones Boy** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:58 pm

Will post some soon - just so happens I have my hat at work today . . .

Cheers
Jonesy

Jones Boy · Post by **Jones Boy** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:22 pm

Bish,

This is what I am getting to w.r.t. the dents being too far back

I think your dents are located roughly where the blue dashed line is, whereas my dents are more forward. Note that I have "turned" my hat as well prior to the bash, so the dents are even further forward looking than for a regular bash.

This is what I am talking about with the "squareness" factor

This is a view of the dent from the opposite side.

As you can see I have shown in the green arrows the pressure to apply on the outside of the hat and the blue arrow is from the inside. This pressure should be applied when the hat is still moist from the steam or mist spray (which ever your choice).

Make these dents slightly exaggerated and they will settle back to a normal look.

As a final check, IMHO the dent or bash should not go past a vertical centre line defined by the bow. Also make sure that your centre bash is not too deep as that will also tend to pull the sides in somewhat.

Hope this helps you mate - it is based on my (limited) experience of bashing hats as well as some of the other stuff I have seen posted around the traps here at COW.

Enjoy

Cheers
Jonesy

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 5:31 am

Noice...........Diff'rnt.....Unussssssssual.....

I'll give it a burl...Thanks for the advice Jonesy

Cheers

Where in WA are ya, I've got rels in Perth and in the middle of nowhere, above Northam

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 6:46 am

better or worse??

then..

now..

Ronski · Post by **Ronski** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:21 am

Definitely better!

Hollowpond · Post by **Hollowpond** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:15 am

I still see taper, but if you like it...don't worry about it ;-) . Sometimes I think we get so caught up in SA that we lose some of the enjoyment of this hobby. I think back to when I was a kid and my "SA" jacket was a denim coat, my "SA" whip was a jump rope with one handle pulled off, and my "SA" MKVII bag was a tool pouch. I would have killed for your hat then!!!!

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 3:46 pm

I think a lot of the taper is coming from the top crease. It looks like it might be too deep in the back. GIve that a try.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:36 pm

It has definitely tapered - but that can easily be fixed either with a profesional or a home reblock.

My fed 4 has also tapered a little over the past 5 months or so - it probably hasn't seen as much use as yours, although it has been rained and snowed on. Here's how it looks at the moment (it has quite a turn!)

conceited_ape · Post by **conceited_ape** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:51 pm

You certainly know how to bash a Raiders, dude! As always...

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:00 pm

Yeah, it's been tapered. You're basically either going to have use a home-made block, or send it to a hatter. Ironically, Bish, if you want to have it reblocked with the same block it was originally blocked on, you're going to have to send it to Adventurebilt.

-M

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:12 am

why??
Are you suggesting that AB uses Akubra's block??...
I'm shocked

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:30 am

Other way around. ;-) -M

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:20 am

You've lost me...

"this" form the HD website..

Hatsdirect and Akubra Hats, together set about creating a new hat, selecting an older hat block set from that era. Advice from Mark Cross (Indygear.com) and Steve Delk (the hat maker for the latest Indiana Jones movie, Adventurebuilt) have assisted with advice and specifications for the new hat.

Reads to me that Akubra already had the blocks, "from that era"...(they've been making hats for 134 years, don'tya know ;-) ).... and the guys from AB just offered advice..

I'm confused??

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:28 am

they've been making hats for 134 years, don'tya know

Doesn't matter. The hat block being used for Poets by HJ back in 1981 was a very quirky, old, unique one - perhaps even completely unique. Akubra could have been making hats for 1000 years and they still likely wouldn't have it.

The reason AB has virtually the same block as the old HJ one is that they reverse-engineered it, constantly experimenting with the block until they got one darn-near perfect (but not completely perfect, Steve's still working on that ;-) ) Thus, since they're using basically the same block that HJ was using back then, they are using an "older block."

The language on HD is designed to be Ambiguous - it doesn't sound very good if they just write "yeah, we copied Adventurebilt's block" So the way they phrase it is true, it's just a bit ambiguous - they're saying that they selected an older hat block (the one AB had reverse-engineered), using advice and specifications (ie. the stats of the block) from Adventurebilt. -M

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:30 am

yeahhhhhhh, sorry......but it reeeeeeally kind of does matter..

It stands to reason that Akubra would have a block of that type lying around somewhere...After all, they would've been making them back then.

Ocham's razor dude, the simplest explaination is the best.
I've got no doubt that they consulted Steve, Marc and probably many others re: crown height and brim size, but I'd think the chances of them having a block from that era..(you know, considering they were there and all)...would be fairly high

but hey, I could be wrong..

but hey, so could you..

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:05 am

I believe Steve and Marc have both been clear on the fact that only Steve and Marc have the specific block that they currently offer. Akubra's is similar but different, and even the factory AB is only similar to Steve and Marc's. They have expressed the opinion that to give their "special block" to a mass-market vendor would be sort of a betrayal to their loyal customers who put them where they are.

Therefore, even if Steve made Akubra's new block with his own hands, it's not quite the same. Which is what really matters here. If you want the original Fed IV shape, you better ask Hatsdirect very nicely.

binkmeisterRick · Post by **binkmeisterRick** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:02 am

darth, even if any hatter has been around hundreds of years, who's to say they still have certain sets of blocks handy and lying around? If that were the case, we wouldn't be complaining about Herbert Johnson (who has also been around for ages) losing "the" block. You don't seem to like AB. The "simplest explaination" is that you should just go ahead and buy a hat from someone else.

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 12:40 pm

Chewbacca Jones wrote:I believe Steve and Marc have both been clear on the fact that only Steve and Marc have the specific block that they currently offer.

No, actually, a while back, they announced that they shared their Raiders block with both Akubra and Lee Kepler, because those were the two companies out there providing decently priced hats to the Indygear community when we had nobody else. It's their KCS block that only they have.

@Darthbish - I'm sorry, but your argument really isn't logical. You claim it refutes my points, but it really doesn't: I said that the block for Raiders was really quirky and unique - to the point that the only hat company we've ever seen that owned it was Herbert Johnson, and even they don't have it anymore. You're claiming that because Akubra's 134 years old they would have one. Hate to break it to you, Bish, but there are A LOT of hat companies that old and older. If being 134 years old was a qualification for having the original raiders block, we'd have found it by now, due to the large number of companies that are that age.

I think that really, the only reason you're disagreeing with me is that you don't WANT to accept that you owe Adventurebilt for the hat you love so much. -M

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:42 pm

Steve has shared his Raiders block. In the pure beaver Keppler thread, Steve says that he sent one of his blocks to Beaver Brand for Lee's new hat and that they never sent it back. Its all in the thread if you want to check it out.

Dave

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:23 pm

@Darthbish - I'm sorry, but your argument really isn't logical. You claim it refutes my points, but it really doesn't: I said that the block for Raiders was really quirky and unique - to the point that the only hat company we've ever seen that owned it was Herbert Johnson, and even they don't have it anymore. You're claiming that because Akubra's 134 years old they would have one. Hate to break it to you, Bish, but there are A LOT of hat companies that old and older. If being 134 years old was a qualification for having the original raiders block, we'd have found it by now, due to the large number of companies that are that age.

I think that really, the only reason you're disagreeing with me is that you don't WANT to accept that you owe Adventurebilt for the hat you love so much. -M

Mate , I'm not claiming anything to "refute" anything...All I'm saying is that a company with that length of time in business...(and owned by the same family since 1927)...would have blocks from that era.
Maybe they don't, I dunno.......but respectfully, unless someone from Akubra tells me that they got the block that they currently use to make Feds from AB, or someone from AB says the same. I'll believe what I wanna.
Cheers

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:50 pm

Then why don't you ask them? I'm sure they'd be quite happy to answer. -M

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:03 pm

Welllllll......I'm not the one making the claim that all this happened, and frankly as you are I think the burden of proof should rest upon your shoulders....

Having said that though, if Ron from HD or anyone from AB culd enlighten us here, it'd be mucho appreciado

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:18 pm

Fair enough. I just sent out emails to both Steve and HD. -M

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:42 pm

I just got an email back from HD:

"Yes, it is true that we received one of the hats from Adventurebilt which Ron took to Akubra. The new Fed IV specifications are the same as this hat and have been made on original blocks from the 1920s."

Kind of ambiguous still - we know it was based on the AB. The question is, did they match the specs to a block they already had? Did they take a similar block and alter it a smidge to make it perfect? Either way, the fact is, they're using the block they are because Adventurebilt gave them the specs, and, unless Akubra has a reblocking service (which I don't think they do), AB is the only place you're going to find a hattery that can reblock your Akubra the way it originally was. -M

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:31 pm

darthbish wrote:but respectfully, unless someone from Akubra tells me that they got the block that they currently use to make Feds from AB, or someone from AB says the same. I'll believe what I wanna.
Cheers

It has already been said by Steve that he sent a block(s) to Akubra.

Dave

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:33 pm

Which means we have it confirmed on both ends. -M

DR Ulloa · Post by **DR Ulloa** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:38 pm

dathbish, if you want to reblock your Federation, your best bet would be to send it to Marc. Steve no longer offers reblocks for hats that he has not made. If you don't want to go that route, Bending Oak offers reblocking services.

Dave

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 7:42 pm

Actually, I think I recall hearing Steve say he was offering Non AB reblocks a few months ago. I could be wrong. Best to confirm with him before you make a decision, since his reblocks cost about half as much as Marc's. -M

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:11 pm

Mulceber wrote: actually, a while back, they announced that they shared their Raiders block with both Akubra and Lee Kepler, because those were the two companies out there providing decently priced hats to the Indygear community when we had nobody else. It's their KCS block that only they have.

I actually was referring to the KCS block when I said "current" (which Steve tells me is actually closer to the HJ Raiders block than his was). But you both clarify and educate. I think I had most of the info, but not all. I did not know that Akubra got their Raiders. The question is, do Steve and/or Marc still offer the old Raiders block?

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:30 pm

Mulceber wrote:I just got an email back from HD:

"Yes, it is true that we received one of the hats from Adventurebilt which Ron took to Akubra. The new Fed IV specifications are the same as this hat and have been made on original blocks from the 1920s."

Kind of ambiguous still - we know it was based on the AB. The question is, did they match the specs to a block they already had? Did they take a similar block and alter it a smidge to make it perfect? Either way, the fact is, they're using the block they are because Adventurebilt gave them the specs, and, unless Akubra has a reblocking service (which I don't think they do), AB is the only place you're going to find a hattery that can reblock your Akubra the way it originally was. -M

Ambiguous, shmambiguous.....Ron says he got "one of the hats", and that the Fed IVs are made on...ahem..."or-ig-in-al" blocks from the 1920's

What he doesn't say is "yeah, we got block from AB, and that's what we use to make our hats.

No doubt the hat that he's talking about is an early AB model...(coz remember we're talking wayyy back in 1998 when HD approached Akubra about what would become the Fed)...and probably comes under the banner of advice and specifications" that Steve and Mark gave.

Oh, and just for the record..........while I thank everyone for their advice, I wouldn't dream of a reblock...

I couldn't bare to lose it's character

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:06 pm

Actually, the Fed4 was developed less than 2 years ago - that's when AB gave them the specifications for their block. Anyway, I've said my piece. It's perfectly clear to all those without a vendetta against AB that they are the source of Akubra's block. Perhaps you should read some more posts and look more deeply into the matter before you make your judgment. Because I gotta be honest, you sound really ignorant holding this grudge against AB in favor of your Fed4 when that's the only hat you've ever owned.

-M

Chewbacca Jones · Post by **Chewbacca Jones** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:16 pm

darthbish wrote: No doubt the hat that he's talking about is an early AB model...(coz remember we're talking wayyy back in 1998 when HD approached Akubra about what would become the Fed)...and probably comes under the banner of advice and specifications" that Steve and Mark gave.

Actually, the event you refer to happened before AB was in business, as I understand it, and became the Fed III. AB's involvement was with the Fed IV. So, you'll need to do some research and make sure you know which hats are which before really discussing this with any firm ground. I know, there is much to read, and perhaps you just got a bit confused. It happens.

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:24 pm

DR Ulloa wrote:
darthbish wrote:but respectfully, unless someone from Akubra tells me that they got the block that they currently use to make Feds from AB, or someone from AB says the same. I'll believe what I wanna.
Cheers
It has already been said by Steve that he sent a block(s) to Akubra.

Dave

Steve sent them one of his blocks. They took the block to the Akubra warehouse (that's several stories tall, Ron told me) and compared his block to blocks Akubra hasn't used since before WW2. After a diligent search, they found a comparible version that closely matched Steve's block. That's where the Fed IV line came from.

Regards! Michaelson

darthbish · Post by **darthbish** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:45 pm

Thanks Michaelson,
This is essentially what I was trying to get at.

Cheers

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:59 pm

I kind of thought so. ;-)

Regards! Michaelson

Kim Hoffman · Post by **Kim Hoffman** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:03 pm

Hats, like everything else, depreciate as soon as you wear them. It's best to have a lot of hats and rotate them. But in time they compensate through loss with character. Some hatmakers offer imitation sweatstains to enhance such character. but that's unnecessary. Your hat hat wil suffer the sling and arrows of the elements: sweat, humidity, rain, cold, dust and bird droppings. If you sponge or brush you can dust the hats - in counter clockwise motion - and clean them to some degree. Sprinkling the hat with cornstarch and after lettign the it sit for fifteeen mintes you can brush of the cornstarch and some of the stais. There ar some products availabe to dryclean hats, buy I've had experienced problems inasmch as the hat cleaning is in consistent. On the other hands, this is an Indian Jones field hat
and the funkeriit gets the ore character it obtains.