Anyone help with a bash<a h gone sideways on an Akubra Fed4?

[Inv8r]

Hey, guys! Well, after trying to bash my first real hat, a FedIV standard, three times over the past year and a half, I'm getting frustrated and hoping someone might be able to give me some specific advice on how to fix this bash. I'm trying to go for a raiders-ish bash (non-scene specific), and have tried two different tutorials, as well as collecting various photo references. Not happy with the results so far, and I'm a little worried about over working it by continuing to futz around aimlessly . Well, without further ado:








In particular, to me at least, it seems that something funky is happening with the humps, and there is an awful lot of curvature up to the crown from both the front, rear, and side profiles, which if fixed, might make this look better, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
Now, while of course I know that this will never be a perfect Raiders hat, just by nature of the construction, I'd really really appricate it if any of you mioght be able to chime in with some specific guidance on changes to make to this bash (where to push, pull, pich, etc..) so I can finally be happy with this lid. Thanks, guys, for any help you can throw my way!

[jnicktem]

The front of the crown is too high. Bring it down a half an inch or so and you should see some improvement.

[jlee562]

The center dent is not deep enough, which puts the pinch higher in the front.

I've snapped some pics of my Fed IV, because I was going for the same non scene specific Raiders-like bash. Please excuse the poor lighting, I just pulled out my cell phone and snapped these while I was sitting here.




In this last one, I've put a ruler next to the crease showing the height of the pinch at right about 4.5" which is generally accepted as the creased height of the Raiders hat.

[Texan Scott]

These guys have the problem surounded. The center dent (top of the crown) is not bashed low enough, and as jlee said, if you go by the SA specs., 4 1/2" is about where you want to be. The front bash should measure around 4 1/2" the back around 4 1/4"...there for a minute, I thought we had another renegade downcrowner on our hands...

Another thing that will help the overall look is to sharpen the front pinch and side dents. Work the felt around the brim so it becomes soft and floppy. Happy Fed IV-ing!

[Timmythekid]

Thanks a TON, guys, for all the advice! Oh, I wear my Fed constantly - to the office, hiking in the BC rainforest; it's definitely been getting the love, and has become nice and soft (i was actually worried about overworking the felt and ending up with it being too floppy if I kept fiddling much more with it). I guess my issue was that as I started to push the dent lower at the beginning of doing the most recent bash, I was getting worried that I was taking the crown TOO low, and heading for a TOD-ish look, and so backed off in favor of preserving the height. Listening to you guys, I'm thinking now that, besides the humps, what you're all suggesting will also fix the taper from the front profile - awesome! Gonna go play with it now; thanks a million, guys!!


That's....odd. Apparently my mobile logs me in as a different profile I didn't realize I had...ah, well.

[Indiana Bugs]

Please show us some pictures after you've finished.

[Inv8r]

No fear of that ...I've soaked the crease, front and back to try and reshape the center dent to the right height. This seems to have worked well, however has introduced some taper to the front profile and made the humps WAY too pointy, which is giving me a TOD look I'm not happy with...yet. I'm waiting for the crease to dry a little, then will definetly be coming back for some more input from you guys! I'm thinking maybe they can be massaged a bit and flattened, but if the taper is incurable, I'm wondering if anyone has tried a stretcher on the hight part of the crown, or after reading through a half dozen threads where people were discussing the potential or about to try the hatshaper's straight-side dome product, if anyone actually has had any success with it.


Righty-O, update with a couple of pics of my Fed as it stands right now:








Hmmm, wasn't obvious looking at the thing in person, but based on these pics I snapped just before running out the door this morning, it looks to me anyways that what I need to do is push down the middle of the crown (from the side view, that is). Only problem is that when I tried that, the crease at the front kept popping back to the previous height of over 5". Incidentally, based on you guys, I've now got 4-1/2" from the bottom of the ribbon to the dent in the front, and just about 4-1/4" in back. That's solved SO much of the side profile issue, and I was stupidly giddy to see the hat go straight up under the ribbon, and then jog back at a straight angle, just like it was supposed to do!
I'm thinking it's got to be almost there, but the front view is making me with the taper, and looks less RotL to me that it did before I started.

[Texan Scott]

In light of the second photo, push the back center dent up slightly and this should remove some of the taper. Could be that the back dent is too low at this point. Soaking the felt without anything to shape it might have caused a bit of taper as well. Continue to work the felt around the brim to make it soft and floppy. Play with the center dent (back) height and see if it doesn't help remove some of that dastardly taper.

[Inv8r]

Welp...pushing the back up helped a bit, but only subtly so. Yes, in my enthusiasm I sprayed the crown thoughoughly, but didn't have anything inside to support it, so I'm thinking that's where the taper came from. Am I right in thinking that the only way to correct it now is to try and take it back to open crown over a block, or is there something else I can try.
I was wondering about trying a hat stretcher on the upper part to coutneract the taper, or possibly going with the hatshaper's product. I've been through the threads pertaining to the 'shaper's block, but didn't see anyone who'd actually tried it.

[Texan Scott]

...hold on there, feller. We need to avoid anything that might irrepairably damage the felt, tear it, etc. Send it off for a reblock, if you can't live with it and let a pro. take care of it for you. That is the best advice I could give. Let an 'honest to goodness' felt handler get ahold of it.

[Inv8r]

Love to, and that would've been my choice ideally. However it looks like the closest people I'd trust to reblock the thing are in the US. Being in Canada myself, the shipping plus the cost of the reblock looks like it would be more than the cost of a new FedIV standard (yeah, Canada Post ***** THAT much, plus they're all on strike at the moment). After doing a bit more reading, I'm thinking I'll remove the liner and try to massage it a bit more, being able to access both sides of the crown.

[Timmythekid]

Right, played around a bit more and it's improved a bit I think:







I'm back to "I don't want to mess around too much more without a good idea of what I'm doing" at this point, as I'm thinking that I'm introducing more taper the more I play with it. ONe question I've got specifically, is why do I have such a pronounced curve along the top? Front and back crease are at the height they should be, and the dent is fairly straight back to front. So what am I doing that gives me such a rounded curve along the top, instead of flatter curve jlee562 has? Appreciate any comments you guys've got!

[fenris]

Try pushing the side dents a little further back. It may get rid of the taper a bit. Bring it almost around halfway of the hat.

I'm not sure I explained it right. I hope you get what I'm... errr... getting at.

[Inv8r]

Nope, I completely get what you're suggesting, you explained it perfectly. I actually previously HAD deep dents like that, but reviewing some sceenshots, thought that they extended too far back, and re-did them to be shorter. I've gone back and re-massaged them to go almost half-way back. In the process, I inadvertently beat the everliving snot out of the felt, and I think I may be on to something! I didn't realize how roughed up the felt should be, and was afraid to really get in there and work it. Now i've gone to town on it; squishing, pulling, and squeezing. Thanks guys, I'll show you what I ended up with based on your great advice!

[Timmythekid]

Welll, sign in is strange again, but here's hopefully the last batch of pics. I think it's getting about as close as it's going to at this point, but anyone have any further suggestions before I call it a day?








Thanks again, gentlemen!

[Texan Scott]

Welll, sign in is strange again, but here's hopefully the last batch of pics. I think it's getting about as close as it's going to at this point, but anyone have any further suggestions before I call it a day?



Thanks again, gentlemen!

I like this pic. Really nice! I'd keep it that way!

[Indiana Jeff]

I agree. Of course we need to see the lid on your noggin!

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Inv8r]

Yeah, that's the real test, isn't it Just have to get my wife to take a couple without her looking at me weird. I think I am going to order the hatshapers product as well, just to have on hand for when the taper finally gets to me. Again, while I'd love to send the thing out for a real reblock, the cost involved in sending from Canada to the US makes it less expensive to just buy a new lid. I wouldn't be planning a full renovation, as that's WAY out of my comfort zone and I'd only trust a pro to handle the thing in that manner, but just a simple dampening, pull it over the block to try and undo some of what I did to it, and maybe hit it with a bit of stiffener. Now that you guys have given me a REALLY good understanding of where I was missing the bash, I'm confident I could recreate it pretty quickly. THANK YOU!


<<EDIT>>
Okay, so, while laughing her head off at me, got my wife to take a couple of snaps. Lovely expression, know...asleep, or just don't trust him around your kids . You be the judge...





Incidentally, that's my bouncing baby Bantu Wind jacket in the top pic...