To turn or not to turn? That is the question.

[Indiana Bugs]

I decided to give my Fed III a turn.

The felt is very malleable and floppy. I had recently done a reblock on this hat where I reversed it front to back. I wasn't completely happy with how the brim was lying. It was boring. I couldn't get it swoopy at all.



So I turned it. How much? A little at a time until the brim went as wonky as I could stand it, maybe an inch or so. A little water, and a lot of squooshing and poking to realign the crease. Let it dry overnight, and this is the result.



The crown definitely looks different, too. Vaguely different shape. I think I see now that because of the turn, the bottom of the pinch naturally comes away on the right side down towards the ribbon, as it does in one of some of the screen shots I've seen so many times. I attribute this to the turn.

I think the hat has character now, something it didn't have after the reblock.

[BendingOak]

I think it needs to be turned a little bit more and your side creases need to come down a little.

[Mark Brody]

If you're gonna do the turn, you've got to determine how much you're gonna turn it before you bash the crown. It's really hard to rotate those bashes once they're established.

[BendingOak]

I was assuming bugs new that.

[Sammy]

is the first pic before or after the turn? The crown looks "better" in that first pic. In that pic it looks like it has more reverse taper than in the second pic.

[BendingOak]

First pic is without the turn. Look at the placement of the Bow.

[Sammy]

First pic is without the turn. Look at the placement of the Bow.

Ah......right right right right.

[BendingOak]

First pic is without the turn. Look at the placement of the Bow.

Ah......right right right right.

It's all good brotha.

[Indiana Bugs]

I think it needs to be turned a little bit more and your side creases need to come down a little.

Unfortunately, the angle of the picture doesn't fully show the wavyness of the brim. When I had turned it more it became wonkier than I wanted. Right now, the brim is doing what the Idol Grab hat does in the famous movie still in the temple, us looking at Indy over the idol's 'shoulder,' when Indy has got his hand on his chin, pondering his next move to get the idol. This is the screen shot I was working from. The right side is arched up, the left side is flattish, and the back follows the same general line as the movie still.

I am interested in what you said about the side creases. What does it mean the side creases need to 'come down?' Is that the same as the bottom of the front pinch is too wide and needs to be tightened? Something else? Your hats look great and I'd like to know more about what that means.

And yes, Mark, I had figured out how much of a turn I wanted and then realigned the creases.

Sammy, some of the reverse taper did disappear when I recreased the crown. Then again, the Idol Grab hat doesn't have the reverse taper that the Streets of Cairo hat has. This is an old hat that has lost much of its 'body.' I'm not sure why I lost the reverse taper, but I like it, so I'm not concerned about it.

[Indiana Bugs]

I think it needs to be turned a little bit more and your side creases need to come down a little.

As I generally can't seem to leave things alone, I took your advice and turned the hat a little more. It is now sitting on a box in front of a fan drying. When I look down at it, from the top, it looks like the pinch is a full 30 degrees off center, based on the dimensional brim.



Is this normal for a turned hat? The bow is too far forward now, looking much like where the bow is in the screen cap showing Indy in the Raven Bar when he thinks he had just been shot. In that screen cap, the pinch is way off to his right, making the bow come further forward than usual.

I guess it boils down to how I want the brim to look. I'll wear it like this until I don't like it anymore and then readjust it again. Right now the brim looks very SoC.

[BendingOak]

If you like, give me a call and we can go over this. It would cut down on a lot of time.

[Indiana Bugs]

Okay, thank you, I will do that.

Just so there's a visual, here's the hat with what i will call a 30 degree turn.



I may relocate the bow. It is way far forward. I think I like the wonkiness of the brim.

Btw, the white spot on the left side of the hat is a chalk mark where the center of the bow would be if the hat is not turned. That's where I am going to remount the bow.

I think the crown looks better, too.

[BendingOak]

Did you reblock this hat yourself? Did you make this block yourself? Did you remove all the parts if you did reblock this hat? And can you post a straight on shot?

[Oildale Jones]

Sometimes I'll think I'm being too obsessive.

And then someone will come along and show me how it's really done.

[Indiana Bugs]

Yes, I reblocked this hat myself. I did not make the block. I got it online, maybe through ebay, I don't remember. It's a vintage 52 long oval. I got lucky to find it.

Here's a side view of the block.



I stripped the hat down to the felt body before soaking it and pulling it over the block.

And here is a straight on shot.

[Indiana Bugs]

Sometimes I'll think I'm being too obsessive.

And then someone will come along and show me how it's really done.

Haha, I know what you mean. Sometimes when I get into things, I really want to see how they work, or in this case, how they're made, and what I can do with them. I'm certainly no expert, but I take a lot of pride owning things I either created, or modified, or restored. I've now done it with hats, clothing, African drums, motorcycles, and cars, among other things.

I value the opinions of others, and welcome constructive criticism as well as praise where appropriate.

John, I can call you tomorrow or we can talk about it here, whatever works best.

[BendingOak]

Phone is always welcome. I like what going on with the non bow side of the brim. Moving the bow back a little but not as much as you marked.

[Indiana Bugs]

I spent an hour or so on the phone today with John. What a pleasure! We had a fantastic conversation about so many aspects of the hat world, and he filled me in on a number of hat facts, in particular to sizing, as well as other things, that I hadn't quite understood. Thank you, John.

Afterwards, I got back to work on my Fed III. I am happy to report that it is now complete. John, both methods for lining up the bow worked hand in hand. It is now right where it's supposed to be. I'm happy with the bash, the degree of turn, and the amount of brim wonkiness.





I'm amazed at the difference and improvement in this hat from the first picture to the last.

[Sammy]

Diligence and patience at work! Good job sir!

[BendingOak]

The pleasure was all mine. Feel free to call anytime.

[Indiana Jeff]

Yeah, and not for nothing - GO BUCKEYES!!

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Indiana Bugs]

Guys, thanks again for the help and good wishes.