Club Obi Wan

Hey thanks guys for the welcome.

Here is my carbon grey fed IV, non-indy bash I gave it somewhat of a C-crown bash. Went ahead and took these since Jonesy asked and I noticed a general lack of carbon grey pics out there.





snapped a couple of my mid brown KotCS/Raider's inspired Indy bash.




Hope these are useful to other newer-newbies in picking a hat!

MD that is a nice grey you have there. I would go so far as to say that it looks more SA than the Moonstone which is a tad too light IMO.

Good work mate

Cheers
Jonesy

Aloha all, new member here from Hawaii. This is my first post, and I'm a bit nervous. These are pics of my 2nd Akubra Fed after my first one fell victim to certain small furry creatures that infested my house a couple of years ago. I like how the ribbon is done on this one, not to say the Fed III's ribbon was not good, just more SA.

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... ics027.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... ics028.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... ics025.jpg

Let me know what you think. It was originally intended to emulate the Ravenbar look, but now has a somewhat SOC brim pattern.

Hello,

2 hour ago I received my new Federation IV Carbon Gray !
I was surprise how stiff it is compared to my Fed IV Brown...
So I had to use some steam and I have to work some more on the brim.
For now here a few photos.
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 8433289874
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 7961133122
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 8433289874
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 9022622690
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 0976029026
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 4953934626

SpeedRcrX wrote:Hello,

2 hour ago I received my new Federation IV Carbon Gray !
I was surprise how stiff it is compared to my Fed IV Brown...
So I had to use some steam and I have to work some more on the brim.
For now here a few photos.

http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 7961133122
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 8433289874
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 9022622690
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 0976029026
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 4953934626

Nice work Speedy. That tear drop dent in the top of your lid really squares it off. Not sure it is my cup of tea, however if it looks good on you then go for it. I had to bash my AkAd that way in order to reduce the unsightly taper it was developing.

Cheers
Jonesy

meghunter1107 wrote:Aloha all, new member here from Hawaii. This is my first post, and I'm a bit nervous. These are pics of my 2nd Akubra Fed after my first one fell victim to certain small furry creatures that infested my house a couple of years ago. I like how the ribbon is done on this one, not to say the Fed III's ribbon was not good, just more SA.

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... ics027.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... ics028.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... ics025.jpg

Let me know what you think. It was originally intended to emulate the Ravenbar look, but now has a somewhat SOC brim pattern.

Looks good meghunter, although I would suggest that the centre dent is possibly a tad too deep and is pulling the sides of the hat in at the top of the crown.

Do you have any shots of the hat on your head? That is the best indicator of how your bash/brim is looking.

Cheers
Jonesy

Jones Boy wrote:Nice work Speedy. That tear drop dent in the top of your lid really squares it off. Not sure it is my cup of tea, however if it looks good on you then go for it. I had to bash my AkAd that way in order to reduce the unsightly taper it was developing.

Cheers
Jonesy

Thanks for your words, I was browsing on the Fedora Lounge Board when I stumble upon images of a Carbon Grey Fed and I really love the bash.
So I done the same thing to my Fed even though is not really an Indy style

Jonesy, a pleasure to meet you. Mahalo for the feedback. Here are some pics I snapped just a little while ago.

http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... dIV001.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... dIV002.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... dIV004.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... dIV005.jpg
http://i448.photobucket.com/albums/qq20 ... dIV006.jpg

Hmm, I agree with you that the center dent is making the crown taper at the top. I guess that's what you get when you have an open crown hat that has a near perfect dome top. It's just that the deep center dent was a characteristic part of the Raiders fedora. I might try to rebash it with cold water, although that will probably result in more taper. Oh well, live and learn.

Nice bash!

i always think i made my center dent a little to big or too deep on my lid but hey i like it i dont think my fed is anyone indy hat in perticular as i looked at loads of different pictures from the big indy book i have . i have the tight raiders pinch but nice curled sides like the LC hat...well thats how it looks to me anyway

That was what my first Fed was like, funny enough. I was kind of experimenting with different brim shapes then, but I always stayed with a Raiders bash, it is IMO THE best bash of all four films.

Indiana Strones - Mahalo, my friend.

Finally, I can contribute.. Thanks to Tennessee Smith and an unbeatable price, I now have myself a Federation to top off my noggin. Pre-bashed, pre-dusted, and it fits very nicely.






perhaps someone could assist me though.. when I pull it down to just barely above my ears, I can feel the top of my head (near the back) touching the bash.. if I make the bash shallower, it takes on the teardrop shape of a fan club DP. what should I do?

Well, I got my carbon grey Fed IV today.

You know that Calvin and Hobbes series of strips where Calvin's waiting for weeks for his beanie hat, always running home to see if it got there yet? That's been me the past week. I had to go pick it up at the post office this morning because I was in class yesterday when they attempted to deliver it.

I LOVE this hat. I gave Hatsdirect my exact head measurement and they found a hat in stock that was very close to my measurement. It was a little big but when I stuck in the foam underneath the sweatband, it's now a little too tight. So I think the hat's going to shrink down to my head size perfectly.

I also LOVE the color. It's a real complex bluish-grey. It looks like something that just came out of a speakeasy. In different lighting it'll have different tones. Earlier today I was in a store and it had this green tone to it. It's going to look great with my purple and blue dress shirts.

I went ahead and gave it a Raider's turn which looks great. I also gave it a deep LC bash. I think I want to work it towards a hybrid LC/Raiders bash, but not as tight as a Raiders bash.

My camera was screwing up somehow so sorry about the quality of the pics. I'm going to take more later on, including a front profile that shows the turn.

That Carbon Grey Fed looks great on you, congratulations! I´m really looking forward to your other pictures!
How much did you turn it?

Thanks! I turned it probably 2/3" of an inch. When I get a chance I'll take a pic of the inside of the hat so you'll see where I bashed it. I'll measure it, too.

All I did was put it on my head and turn it until it looked good to me.

Piers wrote:perhaps someone could assist me though.. when I pull it down to just barely above my ears, I can feel the top of my head (near the back) touching the bash.. if I make the bash shallower, it takes on the teardrop shape of a fan club DP. what should I do?

I have the same problem with some hats, which is why I prefer a taller crown. It probably has something to do with the shape of our heads and where the hat actually rests on our noggin. The only thing I could think of was to have a more snug fit so it rested above my ears a bit more. Regardless, I ended up shaping mine in a C-dent, so it doesn't matter so much.

The C-dent on mine touches the top of my head and the brim is barely above my ears.

Aggie wrote:The C-dent on mine touches the top of my head and the brim is barely above my ears.

It doesn't matter so much on a C-dent since the hat often curves back out within the valley of the C-dent. Does that make sense?

Piers wrote:Finally, I can contribute.. Thanks to Tennessee Smith and an unbeatable price, I now have myself a Federation to top off my noggin. Pre-bashed, pre-dusted, and it fits very nicely.

Piers: is this a Fed III or IV? The colour looks very similar to my III.

It's a III so technically it doesn't belong in this thread but I was itching to post a pic somewhere

Piers wrote:It's a III so technically it doesn't belong in this thread but I was itching to post a pic somewhere

Fed III has a beautiful colour, very elegant! I love it.

thx, me too

Tremolo,

Here are a couple of pics so you can see the turn on the hat:

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/1436/pict0323sp4.jpg
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9007 ... fixmb0.jpg

Oh, and my nose isn't that big. It's just distortion from me standing so close to the camera.

Mighty, I like that avatar, looks like a retro-50's style Fossil promo?

After an exruciating week of waiting . . . it finally arrived!




I ended up ordering a 61. I had originally ordered a 62 which was out of stock. But I re-measured my head after prompting from Jenny at Hatsdirect and at the loosest it came out to 61.5, at the snuggest 60.5. Jenny said a 61 -- which they had in stock!! -- would be a great call as it measured a true 61.3.

8 days later I clawed open my Hattery box and was amazed. The lovely soft feel of this felt -- I don't know what on earth another poster has complained about with this hat being too rough, or the felt not thick enough, or the block being too domed. Mine seemed totally perfect! It was a litle big for me, so I applied the foam tape. The wrinkles it produced in the band distress me but it is the most comfortable and nice thing I have ever put on my head.

I bashed it to CS measurements and matched it to photos as best as I could. I will no doubt be re-working the thing for some time to come. Here's a side view -- I'll post some more of the hat by itself when the I have the time.



This hat feels so nice on my head I can only imagine how heavenly an AB must be!

Nice hat AND glasses Laughograms, both suit you well. I'm a fan of round plastic frames, also.

Randy

Anyone with a side-by-side Fed I-IV comparison?

Laughograms, nice hat! I too just ordered a FED IV in a 62 and got an e-mail from Jenny. So after re-measuring my head, it came to a 61.5, so it was recommended that I should get a 62, and if it was loose to use the foam strips. Hopefully it's not too loose!

Congrats on the nice hat!

laughograms, you just got yourself a reeeaaally nice hat, my friend...
And can I say? It looks really RIGHT on you.
Not everybody looks natural and comfortable in a fedora but you are NOT one of those people.
Foam tape or not, that particular hat looks (to me anyway) like it was custom-made for you... at least, that's how these pictures make it look.
Hope it DOES feel as comfortable as it looks on ya!

Having given you your due, I DO have a question for you though (or, now that I think of it, I guess a favor, too...)

On the wall behind you in the pictures you posted (lower right corner, specifically in the third shot - the profile) is a piece of Indy Artwork I've never seen before... maybe an original piece?
Any chance you could take a snapshot of it and post it here?
I, for one, wouldn't mind having a closer look.

Whether you can or can't make that happen, though... once again, NICE LID!
All the Best,
Mitch

Mitch LaRue wrote: On the wall behind you in the pictures you posted (lower right corner, specifically in the third shot - the profile) is a piece of Indy Artwork I've never seen before... maybe an original piece?
Any chance you could take a snapshot of it and post it here?

Hey Mitch, thanks for the props, man! As for the artwork. The two Indy pieces behind me were custom made for me by the Disneyland sign shop. My wife used to be one of the higher management of the group that includes the sign shop. They have all the Disney artwork for the parks on their computers and can generate massive vinyl printouts of all kinds of stuff. I have been bugging her forever to get me a copy of the Drew Struzan poster for the Indy Adventure attraction. Turns out the sign shop does not have that in their computers (her guys looked) but they liked her so much they printed out two pieces especially for me to make up for it, one that looks like it's based around the DVD re-release and one that is a pencil drawing of Indy and a photo of the Headpiece with the slogan "No Time for Love, Dr. Mike!" printed below (my name is Mike if you haven't figured that out).

The neat thing is that both of the pieces are on heavy-duty adhesive vinyl so if I ever wanted to stick 'em somewhere I could. I'll try to post a pic, perhaps in Lao Che's Table to keep this forum on topic. Maybe tomorrow if I can get to it.

Cool info...
I'll definitely keep an eye on what's going on over at Lao Che's Table in case you do post a few photos there (I realize that it's a better forum for this subject, but I wanted to catch your attention here first... see you there!)
Thanks Mike!
Mitch

(this spot reserved for a future Fed IV post)

binkmeisterRick wrote: It doesn't matter so much on a C-dent since the hat often curves back out within the valley of the C-dent. Does that make sense?

Is that where dinosaurs still roam

And Aggie, if what he said didn't make sense (I know I had to read it a couple times, partially because i had to laugh at my own joke...), I believe he's saying that your head often pops out the top of the crown so that the actual dent is in the shape of a "C" curving around the back/top of your head. I know that's what mine do, it's almost like a more relaxed pork-pie with a front pinch.

-KB

So once again, disappointment rears its ugly head and sucker punches me. I ordered my Federation a week ago Monday. Lately people have posted on this forum that their Feds arrive exactly one week after ordering (in the USA). So naturally, I assume it will come on Monday (yesterday). No luck. Well, maybe the postal service in this area is a bit slower, but surely it will arrive on Tuesday, right??? Well, mailman just came and went, no Federation. I go back to work tomorrow, hopefully my wife will be here to take possession of my hat. I hope it arrives soon. Sighhhhhhhhh..............

I got one of my two Fed IV Deluxes in the mail last week (the other is backordered). I haven't been able to take any pictures yet, but all I can say that the hat looks great and it fits me like it was custom made for my head, which is a rare find since my hat size is usually inbetween a 7 5/8 and 7 3/4, so it is either too loose or too tight. The Fed IV Deluxe I have fits just right!

My hat arrived today, but my joy once again turned to disappointment. The hat fit fine, but I noticed the brim seemed so much more narrow than it should be. I pulled out my measuring tape, and measured the brim. 55 x 63 mm. Funny, the website says it should be 63 x 70, which is exactly what my Adventurebilt is, and the size I wanted. I have not shaped the hat, so hopefully I can return it for an exchange or refund. Has anyone in the states had to return a Federation, am I going to have to eat the $25 postage already paid, plus pay return postage? I've sent an email to Hatsdirect, hopefully they will advise.

Indiana Johnson wrote:My hat arrived today, but my joy once again turned to disappointment. The hat fit fine, but I noticed the brim seemed so much more narrow than it should be. I pulled out my measuring tape, and measured the brim. 55 x 63 mm. Funny, the website says it should be 63 x 70, which is exactly what my Adventurebilt is, and the size I wanted. I have not shaped the hat, so hopefully I can return it for an exchange or refund. Has anyone in the states had to return a Federation, am I going to have to eat the $25 postage already paid, plus pay return postage? I've sent an email to Hatsdirect, hopefully they will advise.

dude that stinks, but HD will make it right. When I had a goof up delivered, they refunded the return postage to me. They probably will forward your replacement before you send the original back. -They really have top notch customer service.

SpeedRcrX wrote:Hello,

2 hour ago I received my new Federation IV Carbon Gray !
I was surprise how stiff it is compared to my Fed IV Brown...
So I had to use some steam and I have to work some more on the brim.
For now here a few photos.
http://picasaweb.google.fr/SpeedRcrX/Ak ... 8433289874

Looks like the Fec Carbon Grey is what I'm looking for to go with my dark grey winter overcoat. Thanks for posting.

...got concerned, but the brim is off maybe 2 mm. I'll not worry too much about that.

I'm gonna be lazy and quickly ask, whats the Fed's Material for Felt?

On the Fed IV regular: rabit

On the Fed IV Deluxe: Certain parts of rabbit and a bit of hare

Regards, Geert

So hare is good stuff?

Matt

From what I hear all Akubra FedIV hats are very durable and tough. I've only ever handeled one Akubra ( a slough hat I believe) and it felt like it was made to withstand everything that nature, or it's wearer, could throw at it. I believe the hare in it makes it even better and closer to beaver in terms of quality, but I'm not an expert.

Regards, Geert

Ah, coolio,

Thanks,

Matt

The Heritage felt is blend of rabbit and jack rabbit fur, and the felt is quality stuff! For 168.50 Australian, its a good deal! Hat band is quality leather.

Here's the scoop:

Imperial Quality
Akubra Hats reputation for tough wearing qualities and fine fedora styles is based on this grade of felt. It is tough, hard wearing and can take any punishment dished out to it. These hats like hard wearing.

The Heritage Quality
This felt is a relatively recent addition and is made from finer fibres taken from a select part of the rabbit pelt and mixed with the native Hare resulting in a grade which is denser and smoother than the Imperial grade. Parts of the pelt not required are discarded. It is more stable over time and less prone to shrinkage and distortions such as the tapering of the crown. The leather sweat band is a higher quality leather, specially processed for these hats. It is softer and less prone to drying out and shrinkage compared to the regular Federation. It makes up a proportion of the price increase over the regular Fed.

The Deluxe undergoes further finishing over the normal Heritage range resulting in a much smoother finish than the previous model.

The Heritage Grade is the closest rabbit fur grade to Beaver Felt.

Very interesting,

Thanks for the expert response. Appreciate it!

Matt

Texan Scott wrote: The Deluxe undergoes further finishing over the normal Heritage range resulting in a much smoother finish than the previous model...

But the Heritage range doesn't feel or move like wool felt, does it?

lpa53 wrote:

Texan Scott wrote: The Deluxe undergoes further finishing over the normal Heritage range resulting in a much smoother finish than the previous model...

But the Heritage range doesn't feel or move like wool felt, does it?

absolutely not!! the difference is like night and day.

I hate to do this...

But I've gotta ask a question that's been bugging me for a while now and I don't think it's gonna be a very popular question - at least, not on THIS thread.

So, let me begin by saying I really LIKE the Fed 4 (the shape and color - and PRICE!) it seems like a pretty great hat...

Except...

For me, when it comes to a nice looking fedora, one of the things my eye always looks for is a nice bow (in particular - forgive the poor terminolgy - the front and back "flare" of the bow... y'know? Before and after the "knot"?)
Now, I realize that not ALL fedoras are going to have a perfect "Flying V" bow...
But... (how can I put this?)...
I guess what I'm saying is: I honestly don't know if I've seen a bow on a picture of a Fed 4 YET that I liked (in particular the "front flare" which I've always found to be kinda just "there" without any real character to it... it always looks kinda flat and almost glued on...)

Has anyone else found this to be the case?

Do ALL Fed 4's show up like this but there's a whole silent portion of the COW Community that tweaks & spruces up their bows themselves?
It just seems like everytime I see a photo of the Fed 4 "straight outta the box" I see a great looking hat WITHOUT a great looking bow!

PLEASE:
If your FED 4 DOES have a nice bow (that doesn't have 5 or 6 different wrinkle lines shooting askew in every direction... or, more importantly, if it CAME from Akubra - or HatsDirect - WITH a good bow already on it) then PLEASE, prove me WRONG.

I WANT to be wrong about this!

I know that when it comes to hat styles and the look and shape of a bow that maybe "beauty's in the eye of the beholder", etc, etc... and we might ALL have a different idea of "what maketh a bow which pleaseth it's owner" and so on...
But c'mon!
Sometimes, if you know it's true... ya gotta say: "Hmmm... the bow's a bit on the sloppy side though, isn't it?"

Anyway, I would sincerely like to see a few photos that clearly show that this is not ALWAYS the case... 'cause I'm starting to worry that it IS.

That's for your time.
Mitch
(Who really WOULD like a Fed 4 ... but IS actually THAT fussy about the bow...)

If you don't like the bow, just change it out. It's that easy. I believe there's a web site that shows you how to do this.