i have yet to produce a hat that i am happy with with this new block. i believe that lamode started the taper off too early all around the thing. this may be a resulut of asking for an extra 3/4" on the end (taller). i should band saw off the top 3/4" of the block and start sanding.
what was most disheartening.......to the point that i should just go off and order a hat.....was my efforts in the last 2 days. i executed every step perfectly.......great dim cut, nice soft pounce, perfect sweatband and stitching, and perfect bow work. i did all the steps quite carefully as this was going to be my 'flagship' creation. i also used a beaver hat body.........in the end, i ended up with a soft and comfortably fitting piece of junk fedora.......i should of left her open crowned and called it a derby....... i'm quite depressed today
Last edited by Indiana G on Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
Dont be to hard on yourself. I was ready to take an ax to the last block when I decided to try something a bit different.......and It worked. A lot of the success is thanks to you.
Deep breaths....and I will get a hold of you via P.M.
thanks for all the comforting words folks. and thanks to ohio and LLS for keeping my spirits up through PM's .....its more appreciated than you know.
i did a tear down and rebuild of the hat....not setting out to bash it into a raiders jat....just an indy-ish hat. this 'raiders' block from lamode will probably satisfy the close-enuff crowd but as far as my own appetite....i think i'll get my own block, thanks.
to me, this is about the best that this block can yield. i requested an extra 3/4" to account for the base i use and i truly believe that lamode started the taper from the bottom of the block......NOT the bottom + 3/4" which it should. ie - lamode thinks i'm going to put the brim break in at the bottom of the block so i can look like indiana abe lincoln in the temple of gettysburg...
the non-SA block shape and bash is eating up this stitch nazi like cancer......i did however make a great high quality hat imo. enjoy the pics
That is a beautiful hat man. That beaver is amazing. I know it didnt come out to 100 percent of what you wanted.....but I have to say......That is SHARP.
Keep your chin up...you are a great craftsman, and we will be talking.
To me, that looks very similar to the Akubra Adventurer's block shape. Why don't you ask Lamode for a new block? You ordered one and it came all wrong. I'd say you are entitled to a refund.
Indy G, buy one more block. Tell Lamode to send you a stove pipe with a not flat, but a very mild dome. 6 inches tall as you will sand it down and lose height.
Now you have the piece of clay to start off with. If you are gonna add taper, start it 1 1/2 inches instead of the 3/4.
If you use a vibrator sander, with 60 grit, you can remove the right amount of wood without taking off too much. This will take time. I always start out with a rotary sander, with 60 grit, to remove large areas of wood, and then refine it with the vibrator sander with 60 grit, then further refinement(getting off the ridges) by using hand sanding with 60. Once you get the shape you like, move to 100 grit on the vibrator sander to get it ready to seal.
Do your breaking points front and back where you feel the creases start on the film hat. Look at the hat outsidet the temple as a model, as that one is not turned. Look at the scene in the WOS where Indy's hat pops up to get an idea of the breaking point on the front, as well as the radius on the sides. This may be old hat to you of course.
Try to copy the squarer looks from the film, as these hats are yet to taper. The hat where Harrison is getting ready to do the drag behind the truck is a great hat to use as well. It has certain things going on with it, that the block should yield, once you turn the hat. The back becomes part of the back side, behind the bow, and has a different radius(due to the turn) when compared to the other side of the hat. So, you know from this that the back radius is not the same radius as the sides. The hat is not symetrical, as the Christys appear to be. (same front and back radius and breaking points) The pic I posted of the vintage HJ here, (still up) shows a different breaking point and radius on the back as compared to the front. That's the key. And typical of many English styled blocks.
But don't give up. Just remember one thing. A tapered hat will yield a taper hat. There is some taper in the Raiders fedora, but very, very little. Getting just the right amount is the hard part. Too much taper and the hat will always be tapered. Just the right amount will still give you a straight hat, but not boxy. The CS block is a very boxy block, and the reason Bernie pushed those side creases way back to rein it in. If he had went with 4 1/2 on the front, and 3 3/4 to 4 on the back, the hat would have not been so boxy, but he went with higher heights front and back, and this block was not meant to be used with those higher specs. The block shape dictates the height you crease these hats at. Hope this helps. Fedora
thanks steve i am going to get another block.....ohio jones and i are scheming up something. ohio and i have been in correspondence for a while (rookie hat makers) and he has a wood making factory at his disposal i have a nice western rabbit body (i like using western hat bodies) which is going onto the new block.....when it gets made.
i've analyzed what a stovepipe will yield, what this block yields, and have collected some nice info from your posts as well as PM from LLS.....add that to the fact that oak has given me some construction tips as well as the wealth of info and support of the folks here.....then it is easy to summize that i've only just begun my quest for THE raiders hat
Is the ribbon you use and the material for the bow the same size? I love the look you achieve with the bow. I have never been to successful with getting the bow to pucker out like that.
it is the same size ohio. you need to stitch in a pleat behind the knot 'slider'....then she'll pucker up like a lady at the state fair's 'kissing booth'....
That hat has a LONG way to go before it looks as good as your first efforts. I'd suggest sanding your 360 block down to a very tight fit and trying that again..
here's some more pics. the hat itself is quite top notch in construction and materials.....it just kills me that it is not a raiders hat, too tapered and short to be a CS hat, too straight to be a TOD hat, and too pinched and defined to be a LC hat. just a brown fedora in my book.....that aside, i think it looks nice as that....a brown fedora ;-)
now as for the new block that ohio is working on.....he's sent me some preliminary pics of her. i am extremely impressed with his woodmaking skills......moreso than lamode at this point. i think this new block is going to be a killer
I am so glad you like what you see so far. I think you are right...it is going to be killer....even though I had to do it blindfolded. I have to say thought that hat looks great....I know its not what you were after but it is top notch to say the least!!
;-) 
.....its more appreciated than you know.
