Club Obi Wan

Based on this thread, I just ordered one.

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I just cancelled my order for my Fed IV. I hope Ron understands.

citRon,

Can't wait to see pics of your Tawny Fawn. Mine was shipped out Monday, so seeing yours will probably just make me even more anxious. I'll probably be checking the porch every evening soon, even though I know it couldn't have made it here from Oz quite yet.

Matt

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I'm a 56.5, so I ordered a 57, after Ron said these run small. This one must not have gotten the message!

citRon,

The ribbon kind of ends up looking like a blindfold!

Matt

Maybe your head shrank?

citRon wrote:[img][img]http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/ ... 0_2435.jpg[/img]!

A PERFECT FIT!!!!!

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:

citRon wrote:[img][img]http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/ ... 0_2435.jpg[/img]!

A PERFECT FIT!!!!!

Regards! Michaelson

well...it definitely would shade my face!

Perfect poker playing hat!

Regards! Michaelson

OK, just got my standard yesterday, and I have to say that, aside from the color variation, I can't tell the diff between this one and Steve's CS spec hats...........congrats to Ron and the folks at Akubra; you have definitely scored

Good for a Zorro costume!!

Indiana Strones wrote:Good for a Zorro costume!!

that's AWESOME! I bet that would strike FEAR in the hearts of the bad guys!

-I'm gonna wait and see if HD-Ron sees it and chimes in. Oh, and no recent haircuts either. -Or psychiatrist visits.

citRon wrote:
that's AWESOME! I bet that would strike FEAR in the hearts of the bad guys!

Well it sure scares me!

Indiana Strones wrote:Good for a Zorro costume!!

See, even Old Weird Harold is a GearHead!

(anybody get that reference?)

Chewbacca Jones wrote:

Indiana Strones wrote:Good for a Zorro costume!!

See, even Old Weird Harold is a GearHead!

(anybody get that reference?)

Hey! Hey! Hey!

One more go, sorry, maybe a mod could remove my pitiful attempts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbuck1/2456779099/.jpg

What stupid mistake am i making? Is flicker no good for this? Anyway for now you could always paste the link if you are interested!

ogs, it looks like you are trying to post a thumbnail page as a single image. Try posting each individual image instead. I use flickr and it works perfectly fine for me.

Another go!, sorry if they are too big i am still getting the hang of it and promise to abide by the format rules.

Thanks binkmeisterRick.

No problem, ogs. If you are using flickr, you have an option to use the medium sized image ("image size" icon is at the top of the image when viewing flickr). Use the medium or smaller sizes to link to and you should be fine. For instance, the top on above is perfect, the one beneath is a bit on the big side.

Will do!

I just got my new Fed IV and I'm nervous about bashin it. It's a tad big on me... but with the inserts it should be fine. I just wanted to know the best way to bash it, I'm going for the Well of the souls/Golden Idol look for mine.

http://adventure-realm.com/raidersbash.html

Best Bashing advice for a Raiders hat that I know of.

I guess its my turn to present my Fed IV. For those who like to like pics I have plenty to go around.
First Impression: I got lucky with my shipping. The box came unharmed and no extra fees (My sympathies to those who've had difficulties)
Upon taking out the hat... The hat was SOFT, much softer than when I got the Adventurer and my current camptown. It isn't as thick, But just as was hoping, this is DEFINITLY my dress hat and exactly what I was hoping for. It's much darker than my fieldmaster but that is what I was expecting since I think the LC hat was darker than the Raiders hat. I wanted a LC, and fiddling around with my BCF, DP, DM, and my Fieldmaster I was better prepared for this one. I am VERY VERY HAPPY with this hat. NOTE ON SIZING: I was afraid 58 would be too small, but it turns out that it was actually loose I needed a full roll of tape to get it snug, but I am sure that the band will shrink just right over time. So just from my experience, order your regular size.
So I've taken a BUNCH of pictures and afew side by side with my Fieldmaster. To follow the rules I will post 6 up here and the rest you can click on. I HIGHLY recommend this hat to anyone who's considering one.







http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0357.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0358.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0372.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... _03733.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0374.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0376.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0363.jpg
http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg93 ... G_0364.jpg

Okay, the Federation hats for my boys arrived yesterday and they were ecstatic (they were hopping around like Christmas morning). My eldest boy (with the smaller head required one strip of foam around the back and his hat (a 54) fitted him perfectly - there is plenty of room for shrinkage (and some for growth on his behalf). Here are some pics of his hat on.



and one not

and one with my Adventurer side by side

I didn't realise that the AkAd hat so much taper going on, although when I looked at it again the bash in the top was deep and pulling the sides in somewhat. When it is sitting on my head the sides look parallel.

Anyway I am really looking forward to the day when I can pick up a Fed Dlx for myself

That's one big smile! Look at the color difference between the Fed and the Adv, too. I really like the color of the Fed. The taper of the Adventurer is also due to a slightly tapered block shape. Each hat was made on a completely different block.

Was he happy? - let me see He wore it to bed last night (I had to rescue it before it got slept on) and this morning it was on his head again for breakfast!

The colour and texture of the Fed IV is spot on. I am seriously considering making a block and re-blocking the Ad. A project for later on.

Cheers
Jonesy

I love the pic of that smiling boy! I forgot to mention earlier that my size 60 in the new Fed and the 60 in my old Fed feel the same...I didn't notice it being any more snug at all. In fact, it may have felt a bit looser. And did I mention that I absolutely love this hat?

-Corey

Wow, I wasn't too sure about the new fed, but I might take the plunge in the next few months, it looks really really nice. Someone with a grey one could post a few more pics to make me drool. wink wink!

Hey guys, i am striving to get a raiders style bash and i wondered if based on the above pics you guys had any tips as to how to fine tune my bash?

http://adventure-realm.com/raidersbash.html

Best Bashing advice for a Raiders hat that I know of

The mail just arrived with my new hat.... so without further ado, here it is (a Fed IV deluxe). It's my first fedora and so also my first ever attempt at bashing a hat, so hopefully it came out ok...

I have been holding off posting pics of my regular federation until I got the bash just right. I think I have finally gotten it to where I like it. One of my favorite parts of the fedora are the humps, and as you can see in the pics below, I started out with none, and got it down petty well (I think).

When I received my Fed, the box was crushed to half its size. I was hoping that the fedora was still in tact, but the crown was pushed in. However, I just pushed the back out and softened it per Lee Keppler's video. Then I sat on it and then softened it again. Now from playing with it so much, you can't even tell anything happened to it.

I ended up putting some fullers that I got from Todd on it, and I think it added a lot of subtle character to it (is it possible to have a lot of subtle? )

My bash started out being a CS bash, but then I wanted to tighten it to be more a a raiders, so now its kinda a tight CS bash.

You could call it a "Crystal Raiders!"



Below is are a couple of pics to show the process of getting the humps right.






Tell me what you think!

I'm anxious to see what you guys think!

uncle ogs wrote:



Another go!, sorry if they are too big i am still getting the hang of it and promise to abide by the format rules.

Nice hat! It reminds me of the WOS hat.

Looks great thechimp!

swcrazyfan wrote:You could call it a "Crystal Raiders!"



Below is are a couple of pics to show the process of getting the humps right.

That bash looks VERY LC If you look at my LC Reference thread you can see how.

Are a lot of these hats arriving with crushed boxes? I don't want to order one and then have it arrive squished...

IndianaSolo wrote:That bash looks VERY LC If you look at my LC Reference thread you can see how.

Thats really funny how that turned out. I tried to get a CS bash. I guess the CS bash and the LC are similar. I am really liking my fedora!

swcrazyfan wrote:

IndianaSolo wrote:That bash looks VERY LC If you look at my LC Reference thread you can see how.

Thats really funny how that turned out. I tried to get a CS bash. I guess the CS bash and the LC are similar. I am really liking my fedora!

I actually think that the CS bash is a Raiders block with an LC Bash and a ToD brim. I could be wrong, STEVE YOU OUT THERE???

any moonstone hats yet?

I'm curious to see if its a good sea plane hat.

First some background:
I currently have a Fed III deluxe and a Peter’s Bros. The Fed III is a size 60 and fits a little snug. After information received on this forum, I decided to increase my size to a 61 and then fretted about whether I’d made the right choice. My Fed IV arrived Friday and all is well. Like many here, I have a long oval head. I measure a 59 and wear a 60 to prevent the dreaded “red line” syndrome. The box arrived during a torrential downpour without so much as a crease or dent. My wife signed for the package and there was no customs fee. So far, so good. This is my first new fedora and my first open crown experience. Shaping was much easier than expected. Just use the advice posted on the form and dive in. As this felt is much stiffer than the older crop of Feds, I highly recommend steam. I picked up a small handheld steamer that holds about a half cup of water and gives about 15 minutes of steam. The nice thing about this device is that it can stand on its own or be picked up and directed at a target. This made the job much easier with fewer burned fingers.
I don’t think I could add much more about the high quality of construction, materials and block-shape of this hat. One thing that bothered me a bit was the bow. I think it’s a great improvement over the old style. However, in making the bow as flat as possible, it looses some character. I solved this by using a spent plastic gift card. First, cut the card into an elongated triangle that will slip under the ribbon of the bow. Then use steam and your fingers to put a nice flying-V crease into the fabric. Worked great for me and it really brings the bow to life. I’d like to post pictures, but I currently lack that ability.
For all those involved with this project, my heartfelt thanks. To Ron, I predict that there will be some ramping up of production. You’ve got a winner here. Thanks again.

Prescott

You could also use a hat stretcher to increase the size into a perfect fit.

Like Luke Warmwater said-

Based on this thread, I just ordered one.

Hey Indiana smith, thanks for that. I am glad someone out there thinks i pulled off a raiders bash. I was'nt happy with it at first but that has cheered me up!

OK, I'm getting properly interested in this now - I always intended this hat to have a Raiders bash and so I've been reading the tutorials and looking at reference photos and this is where I'm at so far...











I feel I'm getting there now but any (gentle, constructive ) advice would be gratefully received...

...I think

Cheers
Alex

Holy crud, how did you get the pinch that tight? I've never been able to get mine anything better than an LC/Raiders hybrid.

Great bash morganswift! And I also have to add that I really like that Camptown posted by Indianasolo!

Risu, in the end to get the pinch I wanted I used cold water in an atomizing spray to dampen the area. I'm not advising anyone to do that you understand. The tutorials say you don't need steam/water but it just kept springing back while dry. I've also been pinching it over a period of time - tightening it gradually.

Thanks, bigrex

Funnily enough Raiders is on here on TV in the UK as I type (build-up to KOTCS ). As we know the bash varies throughout the film but I think I'm getting closer to a 'generic' Raiders bash than I was...

Cheers
Alex

Hey, Alex,

Your hat is looking EXCELLENT, now. The extra time you've put into it is really starting to pay off. I think your aim for a 'generic Raiders' bash is a good idea...kind of what I was going for - it's difficult to want to pick out one single scene to have the hat modeled after. It's just nice to be able to look at your hat and say, "THAT'S Raiders". =) Take care.

Cheers,
-Steve H

Thanks, Steve. I think your bash came together much quicker

In the first pic it looks like I have the dreaded taper but I think it's a mix of the wide angle camera lens and the fact there's still a little bit of 'flare' at the base where the hat was a little too big...

I'm tempted (when funds allow ) to get another Fed IV a size down and start afresh...

Cheers
Alex

Alex,

Did you try that 'lampshade method' everyone is talking about in regards to shrinking your hat ever-so-slightly? I used it just tonight on my Fed IV, and it worked wonders. In actuality, it doesn't shrink the hat, but the sweat band. Pop the sweat band out of the hat (so it's hanging below the brim), moisten it with water (I just used water on my fingers), and then put some paper towels inside the crown (this keeps the lining from melting). Place the hat on top of a lamp and let the heat dry out that sweatband for ten minutes or so. In the end, your hat will fit WONDERFULLY!! =) Funny thing is...I've been thinking of ordering another Fed just so I can beat one completely to death!!! I really want a hat that I can be as rugged as possible with. Despite the reputation of Akubras being super-resilient, I am still careful with this one, for some reason! =)

-Steve H