My new favorite thing (ABFed4 - a rare breed!)

[Indiana Green]

Well folks, as it turns out, size does matter...hat size, that is...get your minds out of the gutter because, I just so happen to have the exact same head size as one Steve Delk. Last week I snatched up the Fed Deluxe that Steve had redone and posted on the bazaar, and I have to say, I couldn't be happier with it. I had been wanting an AB fedora for so long and just couldn't afford one, and now I can stand to wait just a little longer (not that long though).

My favorite thing about this hat is that it has the old Staff of Ra headpiece liner in it and it has the AB ribbon. This was apparently an experimental hat for him and it's been loaded up with water repellant and it's stiff as a board! But, the bash that was in it was already great so I didn't have much to worry about. Anyway, here are some pictures. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them!

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0911.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0914.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0919.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0921.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0922.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0923.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0924.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0925.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0927.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0930.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0932.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0933.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh12 ... 0_0934.jpg

Steve, thank you so much

[thedurdens]

Great grab there, Indy Green! To echo Tundrarider, it fits you well! Have fun wearing it.

Peace,
Frank

[beaverlid]

Nice looking Fedora. It has a great looking bash and suits you. It is probably a rare findto get The Staff of Ra liner. Enjoy it!

Beaverlid

[Indiana Green]

Thanks for the compliments gents!

[Bullitt]

Me likey! It looks very natural. Enjoy!

[Ohio Jones]

Very nice....love it....looks like its been an old friend for a long time. Steve has mad skills.....

Congrats!!

[Holt]

take it from me. that hat looks PERFECT on your head. I LOVE the reblocking. just love it. looks totaly awesome and super SA.

congrats.

now, Steve if you read this, Ill send you one of my fed4's for a reblocking. alright?

[IndyFanChuck]

Wow, that hat is PERFECT for you man! Looks amazing! My question is what exactly do you all mean when you use the word "reblocking" because I am lost.


Thanks for teaching me!

take it from me. that hat looks PERFECT on your head. I LOVE the reblocking. just love it. looks totaly awesome and super SA.

congrats.

now, Steve if you read this, Ill send you one of my fed4's for a reblocking. alright?

[Indiana Green]

Thanks again guys! It's nice to hear that something is super screen accurate. Also very nice to hear that something "fits" me well. I have an odd shaped head Probably the best compliments I've ever recieved on COW

ArkansasIndyFan,

Reblocking is when a hatter takes the sweatband, liner, and ribbon off of a hat, wets/steams the hat, and then puts it on the block/form again so that the crown of the hat can get back it's original shape. This is done mostly to get rid of taper, but sometimes people just do it to try a different block shape or just "freshen up" a hat's appearance. In the case of my hat, Steve took a stock Akubra Federation and reblocked it on his own personal Raiders block, then put in his own liner and ribbon. Most good hat blocks are made of wood, but they can be made from a variety of materials including hollow plastic like the Hatshapers.

[kiltie]

The block is the initial shape the hat is formed on ( before the dents, creases, etc... ). Check this thread out for a primer:

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... 81&start=0

[Indiana Green]

The block is the initial shape the hat is formed on ( before the dents, creases, etc... ). Check this thread out for a primer:

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... 81&start=0

Reblocking is essentially that process, but starting with a hat that's already finished.

Here's a picture of a hat block that just sold on the Cairo Bazaar:



Indy Green

[Fedora]

Hey, that hat looks great on ya! I thought with the 4 7/8 height on the sides, it might look short, but nope, looks good.

Sorry guys, I just don't have the time for reblocks of the Federations. Except for my own hats.

Oh, the stiffness should soften up, it came to me like that. The water repellant does not stiffen up the felt, at least not the stuff I use now. The old stuff would do so, if you used multiple apps.

I really wish I did have the time for non AB reblocks today, but alas, it is impossible. I do enjoy doing reblocks of certain other hats, the Akubras being one of them. It gives me a break from what I usually work with, which is always nice, and I used to really enjoy these reblocks a few years ago. It's fun, what can I say? I get a weird satifaction from stripping down a tapered non AB hat and bringing it back to its former glory. But, I guess I am strange. I used to get the same satisfaction from taking a raw piece of walnut lumber, and running it through the planer. My eyes would light up, ( or so I was told) as the grain appeared in its grandeur on the surface of the wood. Fedora

[Indiana Green]

I don't believe that's wierd at all! Having tried it myself, I have to say that reblocking hats is very fun indeed. I can just imagine how much more fun it would be if I had any talent (or at least half your talent)

[Aztec]

"I had it my hand Marcus, in my hand...!" Good grab Indiana Green, it suits you very well!

[theinterchange]

That's fantastic! Not only does it look spectacular, it's a very rare breed.

Randy

[whipcracker]

I wish all FedIV looked like that!

It looks great.

[Mitch LaRue]

OUTSTANDING!
...and looks PERFECT on ya, Green!
Sincere Congrats!

- Man... is Steve a miracle-worker, or what?

[bigrex]

Yeah, doesn't get much better than that as far as looking like a custom "made for you" hat.