My Stupid Hat

In-depth discussion of the Fedora of Indiana Jones and all other hats appearing in the Indiana Jones movies

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Oildale Jones
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My Stupid Hat

Post by Oildale Jones »

You know the saying, “A little learning is dangerous”? Well, too little lurking can be expensive. I had decided to get back into the Indy impressions game after a 30-year hiatus and got a COW membership, then read just enough to find that someone (Jedirun) had started with a Dorfman Pacific “officially licensed” Indiana Jones fedora...and that was all it took. I didn’t keep reading to find out that starting with a DP was, well, a complete waste of money. That week I went to Disneyland and, my head swimming with visions of fortune and glory, bought some Indiana Jones swag for my son and a DP for myself.

I think that there should be a banner across the top of The Fedora section that reads, “Friends don’t let friends buy Dorkman Pacific hats.” Or, at the very least, a sticky thread titled “Don’t buy a DP.” But hey, live and learn, right?

By the time Jedirun advised that I return the DP and put the money toward a real fedora, I had already started working it over. The liner fell out immediately; no turning back now. I soaked it and took the bash out and found that the crown was a perfect hemisphere. There was no way I was going to get anywhere close to a Raiders bash with this thing. Based on--there’s that guy again--Jedirun’s advice, I used chip clips to pinch the felt as it dried, but then it wasn’t tall enough to fit on my head. I soaked it again, inflated a volleyball inside it, and let it dry again. Then I put it up on a shelf in the garage and tried to forget about it.

Meanwhile, I was spending money on other gear, mostly jackets. But what is Indy without his fedora? So I researched and decided on a starter fedora, and in doing so, was inspired by Garrison’s SoC to pull the DP down again. I soaked it thoroughly and tried to rinse out some of the stiffener, then I pinched it and formed it and stood outside in the sun while it dried. The result wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. Onward.

I’d been wanting to get some Fuller’s earth but after a quick test with my wife’s matte powder, I figured loose mineral powder in a khaki color would be easier to locate and potentially cheaper; a quick trip to Target and four bucks later, I had my own (pressed) powder and a brush (and had precluded the risk of my wife finding out I was using her name-brand products on a project).

What I finally ended up with is a sort of Temple of Doom taper (at best) with a pseudo-Raiders pinch and a distressed look that I call Main Street of Cairo. (You know, ‘cause, Main Street...ah, never mind.) The teardrop crown was unavoidable; there just wasn’t enough height for my head. The hat is as stiff as a board, but it looks surprisingly OK sitting on a shelf. It’ll do in a...uh, pinch, in case I need to get geared up before my real fedora arrives. What’s funny is that my son, 4, looked at the hat, felt the front pinch, and said, “Daddy, this should be more sharper.” That’s my boy!

Image

Well, now that I’ve improved on the standard DP, maybe I can recoup some of my money on eBay... Anyway, the moral of the story is: Do your homework, and ask for opinions from veteran members. Experience counts.

tl;dr Hey, look what I did to my hat!

In other news, my wife came home yesterday with a big, floppy fedora from Forever 21. Although it’s black, and the bow is on the wrong side, and the brim is way too big, it had a definite Raiders look to it. And it was only $18. Unfortunately, the closest they had to brown was a camel color. I thought I might be able to dye one and trim the brim...and then I thought better of it. Again, that would be money and time best put toward a real fedora. (So of course she came home with one for me today. It’s going back tomorrow, for store credit.)

Image

I’m glad my wife is into hats all of a sudden; that will make it easier when I start bringing home fedoras myself.

And in other other news... Maybe it’s a case of not noticing something until you’re tuned in to it, but yesterday I found several safari-style shirts at Target and 21 Men (the men’s section of Forever 21). Nothing you’d wear as Indy, but nice shirts nonetheless. Maybe that’s what I’ll use my store credit for.

"Thatisall." :TOH:
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Texan Scott
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Texan Scott »

...put ur money where your fedora is....! :P

Seriously, the best advice I could give is any of these choices:

factory: Federation IV or the AB Henry.

Then the custom made hats: Garrison, Penman, AB.

Garrison has a good deal going at the moment, also. Happy hunting! ;)
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Michaelson
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Michaelson »

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=52967" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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My Stupid Hat

Post by Jedirun »

Oildale Jones,

Sorry that I steered you so wrong, but I have got to say that your DP looks a lot better than mine. Almost passable. Nice work. Like what was said above save up and get yourself a real fedora. That Garrisons Hatter's deal looks too good to pass up, but a Fed IV is a little cheaper, will get to you faster and you will get to shape it yourself which is infinitely easier than trying to fix a DP. You don't even need water. Just check out Penman's bashing videos. If you can make a DP look like that, you can make a Fed IV look fantastic.


:TOH: Dr. Jones
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Oildale Jones
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Oildale Jones »

Jedirun wrote:Sorry that I steered you so wrong, but I have got to say that your DP looks a lot better than mine.
No, no, it was entirely my fault for not following through. I appreciate your advice; without it I would have just given up on the DP entirely. (At least I have something to show for my money.) And your gear picture was inspiring. :tup:

I ordered a Garrison Raiders standard this morning. And then, because there's no telling how far down the list I am, I also ordered a Fed IV. After that I hit up Wade Egan's site, so within a few weeks I'll be fully geared up and ready to join you in the "full gear" thread.

Thanks, all, for the kind words and advice. I'm listening.
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lantzn
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by lantzn »

I just updated my hat vendor list. You'll notice at the top I stated NOT the licensed version. ;)

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53440
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fifthchamber
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by fifthchamber »

Oildale..

We all go through the line here I think......My own wasn't a Dorfman, but a fairly decent Bailey fedora ( http://www.baileyhats.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) in black....Not especially "Indy", but a "nice" likeness....I assumed...Until I came here and saw what "nice" ACTUALLY could be...And then I ordered a Fed IV...And another.....And an Adventurebilt, and a Penman...So, basically....We ALL know what you mean... :TOH:

I happen to think that your Dorfman looks as good as one could possibly make a Dorfman look....They are @#$% hats, and bad "Indy" hats, but that said, yours looks rather decent! And that's a pretty remarkable thing in and of itself! ;)

Your choices of Garrison, the Fed, and Wade Egan are VERY wise ones though...I haven't used Garrison Hatters myself, but they look great to me, and Wade's work is the best out there for the leather goods...No doubt...So it sure looks as though you've learnt and improved from this whole thing..I say well done Sir! :TOH:

Regards...(And welcome to the world of COW!!).. ;)
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by maboot38 »

Just view your DP experience as a rite of passage. That'll help you sleep at night with the knowledge that you actually PAID for such a travesty.

I tried to work one of these DP hats over a few years ago:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32856&hilit=dorfman" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

but my advice for a DP is if you don't have one, don't get one. If you do have one, pitch it in the trash bin and buy a different hat.

However, I bet half of us on here have owned a terrible hat like that at one point, so you aren't alone.
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Texan Scott »

Thing is, people have spent alot of money looking for that perfect Indy hat, like thousands, hoping to find just what they saw on film. One fan, and retired cabnet maker, fed up with the search, decided to start making them himself. You benefit from not having to go thought that process yourself. All in all, if you have spent $100 or less to date, that really isn't so bad, considering the trial and error that could have resulted.
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by maboot38 »

That's a good point. Consider it a learning experience.
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lantzn
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by lantzn »

I never wore a hat until I saw a licensed IJ wool felt one for $50 in a shop in WA back in 2008. That fall I started searching for who made the ones for the new movie and ordered my AB. Still waiting for that one. I've ordered a Penman since then.

The fact is if it wasn't for that cheap "Indy" monstrosity I may have not sought out a better hat.
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Oildale Jones
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Oildale Jones »

maboot38 wrote:Just view your DP experience as a rite of passage. That'll help you sleep at night with the knowledge that you actually PAID for such a travesty.

I tried to work one of these DP hats over a few years ago:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=32856&hilit=dorfman" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hey, maboot, I did read that thread (too late, of course), so I will thank you as well for inspiration and the chip clip idea. Again, yes, it's been a learning experience and if I'd just read and absorbed more before I got all twisted up about that "official" stuff, I could have avoided all this. The way I look at it, it's one project I've actually finished and isn't sitting in a box somewhere in the garage.
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Texan Scott »

Classic case of the biggest or best selling is not always the best. Yet few know outside the hobby. It's a learning experience all the way around. :TOH:
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Michaelson »

It's also an experience almost all of us have had over the years.

If you hadn't told me that was a DP, I would have bet the farm it was a Stetson 'Temple of Doom' model from 1984. Mine looked EXACTLY like that after a couple years, as did my old Miller after it got wet a few times.

Believe me, just about ALL of us have one that looks like that in the back of our closets. ;)

Regards! Michaelson
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by iwantamorganreelbad1 »

Better than mine! :TOH:
If ya want I'll post some pics of my reblocked Dorfman.
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by indyclone »

when i got my dorfman back in early 2008 i just changed the pinch in front to give it a more 'temple look which i think reall came out well ( see picture ). but i to hated the pearldrop top. and then i bought my todds' costume hat , very 'raiders' and looked so awesome on me. (see pic) but sine i bought three of todds' hats ( two downtowner's and a uptowner) i have been happy with those hats .i learned a little to late like you that dorfman is for the common man not the gearheads that we are .
dorfman hat with new pinch
Image

todds downtowner (version one)
Image

todds downtowner (version two)
Image
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by jedichase »

I think ordering a DP and then realizing the problems is sort of a right of passage for Indy fans. Here is my DP I bought at Disney a couple of years ago. I pounced it with 400 grit sandpaper which helped the smoothness of the felt (I think I'm going to try 600-800 grit later.) After that I soaked the entire crown in my bathroom sink. I then added the raiders pinch. So I have a TOD taper with ROTLA pinch that most people get when modifying these. I also ironed the brim to make it more accurate. It is not terrible, but it will look terrible when I receive my penman. Anyway here it is on my me.
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Texan Scott »

IndyClone looks like he is having way too much fun in that second post above! :P Wipe that smirk off your face, Mr.! :mrgreen:

Jones, I look forward to seeing pics of that new Garrison that you will soon...garrison!

You know the drill.....

Post 'em UP! :tup: :ducttape:
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by MARQ »

I am so NOT getting a Dorfman hat.Thanks for this post!!
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Oildale Jones
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Oildale Jones »

MARQ wrote:I am so NOT getting a Dorfman hat.
Then my work here is done.
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Re: My Stupid Hat

Post by Michaelson »

Texan Scott wrote:
Jones, I look forward to seeing pics of that new Garrison that you will soon...garrison!

You know the drill.....

Post 'em UP! :tup: :ducttape:
Yep, but post 'em here:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40326" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:TOH:

Regards! Michaelson
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