Club Obi Wan

Chiliana Jones wrote:my Fed lV D. on my head.

Rio

Nice bash!

You look a little like Orlando Bloom in that photo.

thanks guys




Rio

Here is some info on the differences between the Fed IV Standard & Deluxe, and sizing taken from their website:

The new Federation IV with a sample shape. The Federation comes "Open Crown" ready for you to shape.

Crown height is 5 5/8ths inches. Made from an original wooden hat block set which have not been used for over 35 years.

The brim is dimensional cut to 2 1/2" on the sides and 2 3/4" front and back. This is converted to mm's on the order page. The brim flange is a little flatter than the previous Federation model and will make styling the brim easier. This hat can take on a number of styles including a look similar to the Indiana Jones hat and other hats from that era.

The color is Dark Brown as per the current Deluxe Federation model.

The Federation IV (standard)

Made from Akubra Imperial Quality felt.

The finish on the standard Federation is the same as it has been, we have decided to keep the hat as low priced as possible, offering what we believe is one of the best value "open crown" hats available on the market.

Akubra have built their reputation on this felt standard, in comparing it to the deluxe in no way should this be regarded as an inferior product. For those starting into hat wearing and open crown hats we recommend this as the ideal starting point.

The price of the standard Fed is $Au 108.50

The Federation Deluxe IV

Made from Akubras Heritage Grade felt. (See felt qualities section for further information.)

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.

Shaping
We do not pre shape hats for mail order - those who can visit our shop can have a hat shaped for them at no extra charge.

Shaping is easy and takes only a few minutes - this hat lends itself to many shapes including the Indiana Jones shape - in fact the unshaped block shape is almost identical to the hat blocks used by Adventurebilt hats, the makers of the hats in the new Indiana Jones movie. We provide simple easy to follow instructions with each hat.

Sizing Chart:

cm inches UK Universal USA
53 21 6 1/2 x-small 6 5/8
54 21 1/4 6 5/8 small 6 3/4
55 21 3/4 6 3/4 small 6 7/8
56 22 1/8 6 7/8 medium 7
57 22 1/2 7 medium 7 1/8
58 22 7/8 7 1/8 med large 7 1/4
59 23 1/4 7 1/4 large 7 3/8
60 23 3/4 7 3/8 large 7 1/2
61 24 1/4 7 1/2 x-large 7 5/8
62 24 1/2 7 5/8 x-large 7 3/4
63 24 7/8 7 3/4 xx-large 7 7/8

Like another poster here, my Fed IV was too big, a 57. Mostl likely I'll send it back for an exchange, but since I'm new to this and making a lot of newbie mistakes, I'mwondering if anyone could suggest the best carrier to use shipping to Australia from the US. And should I insure the package?

USPS is usually the cheapest with delivery confirmation a little more.

lpa53 wrote:After all the emails to Hatsdirect, I did end the evening well by finding a reply from one of them - in my Spam folder ! Who knows, I may have even deleted the others site-unseen myself (duh!).

?

for some reason, their emails to my Hotmail address gets put in the junk folder, too.

I had no problems with my Hotmail address...

SpeedRcrX wrote:

Chiliana Jones wrote:my Fed lV D. on my head.

Rio

Nice bash!

You look a little like Orlando Bloom in that photo.

I was thinking the exact same thing! ;-)

I am ordering my FED IV today, I'm trying to decide what size to order. I hope you guys can help me. My head is 58.4 cm.

Order a 59! ;-)

I broke (again, what is it with this hobby? ) and ordered a Fed IV in Moonstone last night. I had been mulling this over for a while but the current price was just too good to pass up.

I'm very tempted...

From whom are you ordering? I check the site where I ordered my Fed IV and the price is the same.

I believe what they're saying is that while the price (at HatsDirect) has not changed, the EXCHANGE RATE of Australian Dollars to U.S. Dollars is what a-mah-HAZE-ing (and too good to pass up)!

alphared6 wrote:From whom are you ordering? I check the site where I ordered my Fed IV and the price is the same.

The price in Australian Dollars remains the same, but thanks to the tanking economy, and the loss in value of the dollar, the price in American Dollars keeps dropping.

A Fed Deluxe a couple of weeks ago was $206.40 AUD...which became around $175.00 USD.

Today, the same $206.40 AUD is about $138.89 USD.

BTW...those prices include standard shipping to the US.

What they said!

My order for a regular Fed in Moonstone came in at $94.22, including shipping. Like Herr Doktor said, due to the current exchange rate, that is a lot less than they were even a couple of weeks ago.

Herr Doktor wrote:

alphared6 wrote:From whom are you ordering? I check the site where I ordered my Fed IV and the price is the same.

The price in Australian Dollars remains the same, but thanks to the tanking economy, and the loss in value of the dollar, the price in American Dollars keeps dropping.

A Fed Deluxe a couple of weeks ago was $206.40 AUD...which became around $175.00 USD.

Today, the same $206.40 AUD is about $138.89 USD.

BTW...those prices include standard shipping to the US.

The Australian economy or the American one?

blueoakleyz wrote:
The Australian economy or the American one?

The financial panic over the past couple of weeks resulted in many investor's (worldwide) bailing out of various currencies in favor of the US $. Supposedly, they were looking for a safe haven to park their money. Strangely, last week Australia was said to have one of the stronger financial systems (top 5 if I recall properly with Canada and Sweden) whereas the US was somewhere around 45.

I got my confirmation for my Fed IV today, I can't wait!

I got my Federation yesterday but just got a chance to work on it a few minutes ago. I am having a devil of a time getting the brim to do ANYTHING, it just wants to pop back up to the almost derbyish look it had straight from the box. I've got a semi decent Raiders bash going, but can do nothing with the brim.

I've contemplated doing the turn. Should I? Meaning, will it get more comfortable as it breaks in?

Randy

Oh, and also, how do you get the nice defined downward "crease" on the pinch? Mine looks undefined, if that doesn't make sense, think of a side shot of the Raiders fedora, you see a really defined crease pointing toward the front of the brim.

my fed 4 brim was the same when i got it, dont worry over time it will wear itself in and look great . my fed 4 brim is floppy and and i can do just about anything with it. i wasnt successful with the turn as i did it wrong however i know a few people here have got a great turn going on .

i dont know about anyone else but the crown on the fed 4 seems huge to me. i wear a size 59cm but the crown just looks massive...still a very cumfy hat though

Just a few pics of my hat. Enjoy!













http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f65/T ... oto7-1.jpg

Tycoonman

Nice bash Tycoonman!
Here is my FedIV after wearing it for quite some time. It is really really soft now and I tightened up the front pinch a bit.





I´m going for a LC and CS look.

morethanatimelord wrote: i dont know about anyone else but the crown on the fed 4 seems huge to me. i wear a size 59cm but the crown just looks massive...still a very cumfy hat though

I've found my Federation to feel much smaller than my Keppler.. and worlds apart in quality and feel of the felt. Wouldn't trade the Keppler for a Federation ever.

Hey Tremolo.......How did you get that awesome tapper going on with your fed??

And for those having trouble with the brim...steam that sucker...The brim isn't gonna taper...so hit it with some steam to loosen it up

Vegeta wrote:Hey Tremolo.......How did you get that awesome tapper going on with your fed??

Assuming you're referring to the reverse taper of the crown, look at how far back the side bash goes in the second photo--that's the key.

Yep, the side bashes are the key. I tried to get that look here
http://www.theraider.net/showimage.php? ... ij4_33.jpg

I tweaked my bash on my Fed IV standard slightly......You cant see it in this pic but it has a good reverse tapper going on......This is my "Modern Indy" pic

Ok, here's my FedIV! This is my first "real" Indy hat, and first hand bash of an open crown. I think I'm getting the hang of it, though I'm sure this is far from perfect. I'm going for a LC look.

The little boy is my son, who's wearing my old "Indy" hat (or all I could get that had to pass for one in 1990 - a Temple).

Great hats on you and your son. By the way I'm not an expert but the bashing looks good to me!

Tremolo wrote:Yep, the side bashes are the key. I tried to get that look here
http://www.theraider.net/showimage.php? ... ij4_33.jpg

Am I imagining it , or do Ford's brims always appear smaller (shorter?) than those on most commercially available hats? Is it just the size of his head? The curve of the brim? Are those really 2.75-3.00"?

lpa53 wrote:

Tremolo wrote:Yep, the side bashes are the key. I tried to get that look here
http://www.theraider.net/showimage.php? ... ij4_33.jpg

Am I imagining it , or do Ford's brims always appear smaller (shorter?) than those on most commercially available hats? Is it just the size of his head? The curve of the brim? Are those really 2.75-3.00"?

The brim of the Fed IV is smaller than the Raiders hat. Here are the specs from the site:

The specifications for the actual hat Ford wore are reportedly as follows:
Size: 7 ¼ (size 58 European)
Crown: 5 ½ (5.5) inches
Brim (front & back): 2 ¾ (2.75) inches
Brim (sides): 2 5/8 (2.625) inches
Ribbon: 1 ½ (1.5) inches (39mm)

Here's my two new Fed IVs.

First is a deluxe I got from a member here (I saved the message so I could remember the member and then deleted the message because I'm a moron ). Anyway, I really liked the bash which reminded me a bit of a CS bash so I left it.

http://i350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 260046.jpg

Next is my Moonstone Fed I just got today. This was my first attempt at bashing an open crown hat. I've tried for a Train Traveler bash. I have some more work to do, I think, but I'm happy with my attempt so far. Despite the bad lighting, I can attest that it is gray. ;-)

http://i350.photobucket.com/albums/q421 ... 260049.jpg

You absolutely can't beat these hats for the money.

Hey Crismans, those are some great looking hats that both have a great looking bash!

So why are you looking so sad?

That's my exhausted look my friend. ;-)

My complimernts!

You pull off the exhausted look very well...

Years of practice! ;-)

I just received my Carbon Grey Fed IV today after returning the first one which was too big - I needed a 56 rather than a 57 and this one fits much better.

This is my first try at bashing and for a model I used what Lee Keppler did with the hat I got from him a few weeks ago.

In comparison to Lee's, The Fed's felt is stiffer and the front brim is a bit snappy. I'm wondering if steaming would help. Are Feds supposed to be, or should they be, steamed?

Pics are here (will add shots wearing it later):

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo16 ... FedIV1.jpg
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo16 ... FedIV2.jpg
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo16 ... FedIV3.jpg
http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo16 ... FedIV4.jpg

Some concerns I'd like opinions on ...

In the last tow pics, at the brim/crown junction, you can see a 1/2" wide band of coloration difference in the brim's felt. Looking at some earlier pics in this thread I think I saw another that looked the same. Is this common and to be expected? Can it be fixed?

In the fourth pic it looks rather like the brim cut is a bit off on what would be the front right - being a little wider at the 45 degree angle. I haven't measured it yet and it's also not too noticable when it's on, but it bothers me some. I'm an architect and have a very sensitive eye for distances! Too sensitive, the wife says.

Also, is it pretty common for ribbons to ride up?

And lastly, at last ... Am I being too picky? After all, the hat does feel great!

Oops, one other note I have to put in: The folks at Akubra were very responsive to emails and great to work with.

i just ordered a carbon grey fed. I love the color of the hat. I only wish that they offered it in heritage. hope they will someday.

lpa53: your hat looks fine. great bash. the only thing is that the center dent is a bit too deep/low on the back in my opinion.
great hat! cant wait till i get my carbon grey


CJ

Vegeta wrote:I tweaked my bash on my Fed IV standard slightly......You cant see it in this pic but it has a good reverse tapper going on......This is my "Modern Indy" pic

Gotta love Florida! The hat looks great.

I'm in the Tampa Bay area.

lpa53, your hat looks great!
You don´t need to worry, my hat had the same 1/2" wide band of coloration difference. It went away after a week or so. Just have some fun with your hat!

Tremolo wrote:lpa53, your hat looks great!

I agree,nice bash-love the colour!

Why are some people turning their grey hats? The only hat that was turned was Indy's brown hat in Raiders, so why do people want their nice grey dress hat to be asymetrical?

I'm not being critical, just curious.

IndianaBogart wrote:Why are some people turning their grey hats? The only hat that was turned was Indy's brown hat in Raiders...

What is this "turning" that I hear about so much? I read another post recently where they mentioned the "Raiders turn." What is that?

Before bashing the hat, you put it on your head and turn it to the right (the amount of turn varies depending on your head shape) to get the brim swoop, etc. that is seen in the Raiders hat. Then you bash the hat. The hat is bashed off-center so every time you put it on, you make the center crease centered on your head, which warps the brim, like the Raiders hat.

I turned my grey hat because I wanted it to have that Raiders vibe. And in my eyes grey hats still look very dressy when turned.

IndianaBogart wrote:Before bashing the hat, you put it on your head and turn it to the right (the amount of turn varies depending on your head shape) to get the brim swoop, etc. that is seen in the Raiders hat. Then you bash the hat. The hat is bashed off-center so every time you put it on, you make the center crease centered on your head, which warps the brim, like the Raiders hat.

Thanks for the clarification on this Bogart! You seem to explain it very well. Now I just have to wait for my Fed Dlx to arrive next week so I can try it out.

Just took this pic of my new Carbon Grey Fed IV - on my head rather than my hand.

I'll watch the DC scenes of Raiders this weekend and maybe tweak the bash. To get a sharper pinch (if I want it) should I steam it and maybe use clothes pins?

It's sooo comfortable, but darn ...

am I really that old?

Cammer wrote:

Vegeta wrote:I tweaked my bash on my Fed IV standard slightly......You cant see it in this pic but it has a good reverse tapper going on......This is my "Modern Indy" pic

Gotta love Florida! The hat looks great.

I'm in the Tampa Bay area.

Thanks!! I'm in St. Pete

Vegeta wrote: Thanks!! I'm in St. Pete

Very cool. I'm in Seminole. We should hit Knight's Shooting Sports sometime while wearing our feds.