just hope it lasts until I get an AB*"
I bought an HJ from I think Todd way back. I reblocked it, and it came in at 5 1/2 inches open crown. Now, I never wore it in the rain, but I did wear it regularly, a few times each week. Once I had stablized the felt, during the initial reblock, it actually did not taper for probably almost a year. But, when it did taper, it did it all at once. So, I pulled it over the next smaller block as I did not have time to tear the hat down and use the right sized block. With the sweat left in, and the ribbon still on it, I had to hit it with some steam to get the wrinkles out on the top of the crown, as it had tapered. Before I could iron it to set in the new shape, it had shrunk up to 5 1/4 inches. So, I left it like that, but now my head hits the top. So, I wear it high on the head. Once an HJ, or the other UK hat tapers, the ballgame is over. But, I don't baby my hats, so if a person just wore it in good weather, not too much heat, etc, these hats will look good for about a year, if you stabilize the felt when you reblock, the first time.
By the way, the hats for the UK don't come from Cury. They come from Europe. From the one and same factory. And if I have been told the truth, they dry block them!! Which explains why many times by the time the hat gets to you, it has already tapered, and they seem to do so more on the bow side for some reason. And this factory does not sell its raw bodies to my knowledge. They just make hats. My bodies come in sizes. I think this factory over there uses the same hoods, or cones for all sizes. How else could you take a size 8 hat, and make a size 7 out of it? No way to do that on my bodies. Beaver felt is expoentially harder to shrink up. I have trouble getting them to shrink 1/4 an inch while on the block. If you put an HJ on my block, and if you ironed it the amount of times it should be iron, you would be left with a 4 inch hat!!!! They are not run through the felting machines enough times is the only reason that would cause this. So, they continue felting, AFTER the hat is made. It's called cutting production costs. I am serious. Cury does the same. At least they did when I got my samples in from them, many years ago.
You know a body is good when after you block it, it doesn't want to shrink easily when you apply the water and heat to set the shape. And that is why Marc and I use pure beaver. Its the only modern felt to my knowledge that doesn't turn into a shrink machine.
And the reason we don't use rabbit. The ideal thing would be to pay alot more and have the rabbit bodies specially made, with no stiffener in the crowns. The extra runs through the felting machine, would give it enough body to hold the crease, as the felt would be denser. And stable. But, that will cost you. And you would probably have to buy a few hundred bodies in order for them to even consider doing it for you.
The rabbit I used to use was much more stable than the European hats, but, did not have the right characteristics of what a Raiders fan wants. South Africa used to make a very similiar felt to the Raider felt, but once they went under, Milano, a once great hat company had to change their supplier.
If I had 10 grand to sink into rabbit bodies, I could get the right rabbit felt made. But, I can't afford it. That opens the door for some hatter with deep pockets to really replicate the Raiders fedora in spades. That same felt can be made, if the producer was shown pics of the Raiders fedora, and you specify you want it felted the way they did in the old days. Assuming of course, they would even fool with it. But money talks. Fedora
. You said when the hat was bashed it had taper...im going to make the assumption it wasn't a huge amount. If you had pic's it would be great. 
