Club Obi Wan

Another thing to consider Tym is that your center dent is VERY deep...That may help you.

Vegeta wrote:Another thing to consider Tym is that your center dent is VERY deep...That may help you.

Good point! I've checked again and the center dent has relaxed a little through wear, so I'll be sure to leave it in its current shallower state. The depth of the center dent didn't seem to have much effect on the crown deformations; the water trick worked great, however.

Glad it worked for you. These are great hats, especially for the money. Just remember that if you are out in the rain, or happen to be swimming a river escaping from angry villagers and your hat gets wet it will stay in the shape it dries in.

The "River Bash," while it is a screen authentic look, is not currently popular. It is difficult to get perfectly correct because it requires drying the hat in the propwash of a radial engine aircraft.

Cammer wrote:The "River Bash," while it is a screen authentic look, is not currently popular. It is difficult to get perfectly correct because it requires drying the hat in the propwash of a radial engine aircraft.

Darn...I was going to order an AB specifically for the purpose of doing that bash. Between that and the screen-accurate boxers in General Gear, I'd be ready to party!

EDIT: And now some pics of the "tweaked" bash. The divot is still present in this pic but seems less apparent after applying some water. I've also made the center dent less deep.



One thing I've noticed, though, is when the hat is on my head, the brim swoop is a bit asymmetrical, presumably due to an asymmetrical head. Notice in particular the rear part of the brim on the left and right. I tried using some water and steam to bring up the brim at the back on the left of the hat (right half of the picture), but to no avail. The swoop corrects it self if I turn the hat to the left maybe 1/4 inch. Of course then the center crease is not aligned with my nose. I can't rebash the hat with such a fractional turn (it just re-finds the old creases), so I've been thinking of working the side dents and center crease to fix the symmetry. Or, I'm just over-thinking this and should just leave the hat as-is. Thoughts?



And as a reward for making you read this post, here's a pic of a certain someone in a nice trilby at a "get out the vote event" at the beginning of the month. Technically OT, but I hope folks won't mind.

I thought I would add a few updated photos of my hat. I recieved this the end of of May. It is the Fed IV stnd.

thats a really nice hat you have there..I like that you have made it look lees like a fed 4....I still would thighten the front pinch up a little more if you are going for the raiders look.

like in my picture.. see how non fed4 it looks.and yes its a fed 4.


I do not have that hat here by me now.I still kick myself for being so stupid and forgetting it behind were I was a couple months ago...hopefully I get it back soon..

Delete

Just snapped off a quick picture of my first bash attempt.



I kept on thinking what was wrong with the picture.

Until it suddenly hit me....

I'm not Harrison Ford...

Good to finally see, Joosse! Lookin' good!

Hey All,
I've been lurking around here for a while, finally made an account. I was admiring all your Feds so much that I ordered one for myself. I recieved it and it seems like a great hat, but the brim is very straight and sort of turned up. You all have very nice "swoopy" brims and I was curious as to how to get the brims that way.
Thanks,

Gadzooks wrote:Hey All,
I've been lurking around here for a while, finally made an account. I was admiring all your Feds so much that I ordered one for myself. I recieved it and it seems like a great hat, but the brim is very straight and sort of turned up. You all have very nice "swoopy" brims and I was curious as to how to get the brims that way.
Thanks,

Steam it over a kettle and then shape it as if it was butter. (only steam for long enough to soften it up - don't overdo it.

Wolfwood wrote:

Gadzooks wrote:Hey All,
I've been lurking around here for a while, finally made an account. I was admiring all your Feds so much that I ordered one for myself. I recieved it and it seems like a great hat, but the brim is very straight and sort of turned up. You all have very nice "swoopy" brims and I was curious as to how to get the brims that way.
Thanks,

Steam it over a kettle and then shape it as if it was butter. (only steam for long enough to soften it up - don't overdo it.

Actually, you don't need to use steam; that can cause taper. To get the brim to have that "swoopy" Raiders look, you need to turn your hat, prior to bashing it. Do a search and you'll find all you need to know about turning your hat.

This is what gwyddion told me earlier in this very same thread:

"Turning the hat is when you put on your hat before bashing and turn it a little (with the bow moving more to the front) to get that distinktive swoop you see in Raiders. Once you see the amount of swoop you like, mark where you would have your center dent before taking it off. Now you have an off-center center dent and you bash the hat using that.

So, basically turning your hat just means bashing it off-center to get the brim to swoop like it did in Raiders.

Regards, Geert"

IndianaBogart wrote:Actually, you don't need to use steam; that can cause taper.

The brim of my Fed Deluxe merely sprung back to its original position if I tried to turn it without steam... Should I just have been more forceful with the shaping, or is there some other trick to it?

Wolfwood wrote:

IndianaBogart wrote:Actually, you don't need to use steam; that can cause taper.

The brim of my Fed Deluxe merely sprung back to its original position if I tried to turn it without steam... Should I just have been more forceful with the shaping, or is there some other trick to it?

It depends on the shape of your head. Some people hardly have to turn theirs and they get a good Raiders look. Others, I've heard have had to turn theirs so much to get the desired look that they had to move their ribbon back some so that it's not in the front of the hat.

Basically it just depends on the shape of your head as to how much you need to turn the hat.

IndianaBogart wrote:It depends on the shape of your head. Some people hardly have to turn theirs and they get a good Raiders look. Others, I've heard have had to turn theirs so much to get the desired look that they had to move their ribbon back some so that it's not in the front of the hat.

Basically it just depends on the shape of your head as to how much you need to turn the hat.

True. The turn did so little to the brim of my Fed IV that I had to hand-shape it. It doesn't quite have that classic swoop, but I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

In the past when I've "turned" my hats, they have always given me the swoop I desired. Same with the new Fed I got (the one that was exiled), It looks great brim-wise and I even got the right side part of the brim to do the flip up like in the idol grab scene. No wire needed! Now I just have to get my center dent razor-sharp. Pictures later.

I'm getting a Fed IV with my Christmas money.

Money is kinda' tight. Don't know whether to get a Regular or spend the money and get the Deluxe now while the gettin' is good. I own a FedIII regular.

SCOT2525, how do you like your FedIV Regular?
*********
UPDATE: I ordered a Fed IV Deluxe on 12/27.
I'll post pics when I get it!

For Christmas, my wife had ordered me a Fed IV Deluxe in the Dark Brown. The box was so light that before unwrapping it, I thought she was just disguising a really small gift with a big box. However, I could not have been more thrilled once I found out what it actually was. I had been saving loose money over the past six or seven months in a "hat fund" to order it myself. However, since I now own one, I think I'll take her out for a nice dinner with what I've saved. I was pretty nervous about bashing it, but the tutorial posted on this forum was very helpful. I got to enjoy breaking the hat in navigating the Linville Caverns and hiking Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina over the holidays. I couldn't be happier with how the hat fits and looks. I'll attach pictures as soon as I transfer them from my Nikon. I'm so pleased with the hat, that I'm going to start up a new fund to order a Deluxe in Moonstone.

Gadzooks wrote:Hey All,
I've been lurking around here for a while, finally made an account. I was admiring all your Feds so much that I ordered one for myself. I recieved it and it seems like a great hat, but the brim is very straight and sort of turned up. You all have very nice "swoopy" brims and I was curious as to how to get the brims that way.
Thanks,

Hi Gadzooks,

Often the shape of your head will pull the hat out of its natural oval (or round shape) and that will tend to make the brim fold and swoop. The best examples of this are from guys who have longer more oval heads than standard - like Ford for example.

Cheers
Jonesy

Here's my Moonstone Fed IV that I got for Christmas. I was going for a China Clipper/Washington hat look, (with some help from Erri. )

Great looking Moonstone!

That's a gorgeous Moonstone!!!! I wish I could have one, but I've promised not to buy any more Indy gear until I buy a house for my pregnant wife!!!

I'm SO glad that Randy didn't like his Fed IV! He sold it to me and I absolutely love it. I've really been getting used to the high crown on it, and actually enjoy wearing it, although my wife says I look ridiculous in it.

Women are jealous. The hats they get to wear aren't as cool as fedoras!

I finally got my pictures transferred from my camera. The following are the front and angle photos of my Fed IV Deluxe atop the box from The Hattery:




I wasn't going for a movie-specific bash; I just wanted to give it an Indy feel. The hat has been everything I was hoping for. It is extremely comfortable, and the texture is so smooth. It's a 59, and I did have to apply the foam strip it came with to give it a snug enough feel. However, I'm glad that I went a hint too big as I think as it shrinks up a bit, the fit will be perfect without the tape.

IndianaBogart Moonstone is a beauty! And nice looking bash too.

Russian Raider wrote:IndianaBogart Moonstone is a beauty! And nice looking bash too.

Thanks! I was aiming for a Clipper/Washington hat; hopefully I did a decent job there. The sides just need to curl up more IMO.

Just ordered my first fedora since I was 13 years old. It's the Fed IV Dx and I'm geeking out I'm so excited.

Looking forward to being a contributer on this thread and not just a lurker.

Pics to come!
B

I´m sure you will love your Fed IV Dlx!
Looking forward to your pictures!

Best of luck with you Fed IV Dlx, Bartram... and WELCOME!
Mitch

Welcome Bartram. Enjoy the lid!

Just got word from hats direct that my Fed is back ordered.
Curses!

The question now is how long exactly is the "couple of weeks" it will take the new stock to arrive. (grumble).

I'm also looking to get a light grey (moonstone tone) fedora as well. Anybody here looked at the Christy's Adventurer (light grey/carbon grey) but picked a Fed IV moonstone/carbon instead? Care to say why?

I'm researching both.

Thanks for the input as usual.

B

Just heard back from hatsdirect, the Akubra factory shuts down over the Christmas period and doesn't reopen until Jan. 19.

Jenny says inventory will begin moving again by the end of the month.
Anybody else waiting on a Fed, take note.

B

Bartram wrote:Just heard back from hatsdirect, the Akubra factory shuts down over the Christmas period and doesn't reopen until Jan. 19.

Jenny says inventory will begin moving again by the end of the month.
Anybody else waiting on a Fed, take note.

B

Did you order the Fed IV Standard? I ordered a Deluxe on Dec. 30. In stock and shipped the next day.

RaiderZee

Fed Deluxe size 58.

What did you order?

Uhh, Fed Deluxe size 58. Now I'm panicking. When did you place it, and did you get an email stating it had shipped?

RZ

Ordered it yesterday (1/10/09).
Got the email tonight saying it was delayed.

Hopefully a package will be on my doorstep today . . .

RaiderZee

I ordered on Dec. 27th.

I wonder if it will be waiting on me today....

Can't wait to get it and I promise to post some picks.

Yeah, it looks like it's just a day late-dollar short situation for me.

Looking forward to the pics.

B

Woo Hoo! My first real Indy hat, Fed IV Deluxe was waiting for me on my doorstep when I got home this afternoon. I was elated until I picked up the box; my hand went through broken cardboard and immediately touched the crown of the hat!



Fortunately, upon RAPID inspection, the hat was not damaged at all, thanks to well-designed reinforcement on the inside. After my heart started beating again, I removed that hat and have been fiddling with my first bash. Going for LC:









Of course this is just a preliminary bash, but I'd like some experienced input on the job so far and possible improvements.

I've never owned a REAL hat before, so I don't have much basis for comparison, but here are my first impressions anyway:

• The hat is obviously very well made, much better than what I expected for the price
  The hat is stiffer than I anticipated. No flop at all. If the Deluxe is softer than the Standard, then the Standard must be iron-plated. I was able to dry bash it to this point though.
  The color is just what I anticipated, a liitle darker than SA and darker than shows up on my pics. Should fade nicely into SA over time.
  The sweatband and liner are first-rate, but REALLY could do without the plastic top. I live in SC; plastic will be coming out before summer.
  I don't really know enough about the bow and ribbon to comment on their SA, but that aside they are nicely done for a good hat.

Overall, I am pleased with my purchase, but I am also anticipating a JPD non-cury felt Raiders in a week or two. I'll compare it to the Fed after that.

RaiderZee

Ye gads! Why is it that the postal service wants to prebash our fedoras for us?! I mean, just scroll back on this this thread; one can see that this is a frighteningly common occurrence.

Despite all that, your hat's lookin' good, Zee!

Seems like they are drop kicking these boxes in the warehouse or something. I recently received a hat and it had been opened, but strapped with plastic bands. I'd prefer to do the destressing, thank you!

RaiderZee great looking bash my friend! Now lets see on the head pix ;-)

Do they make Fed Iv deluxe in black?

Russian Raider wrote:RaiderZee great looking bash my friend! Now lets see on the head pix ;-)

Do they make Fed Iv deluxe in black?

Yes they do.

Russian Raider wrote:RaiderZee great looking bash my friend! Now lets see on the head pix ;-)

Do they make Fed Iv deluxe in black?

Not that I've seen - only the non-deluxe is shown in black on the Hatsdirect page.

jkdbuck76, thank you! ;-)

Wolfwood wrote: Not that I've seen - only the non-deluxe is shown in black on the Hatsdirect page.

They do now! It is been added couple days ago, because i checked last weekend, there wasnt black one.
http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products. ... turnpage=0

Agreed all around.
Great bash indeed!

B

Russian Raider wrote:They do now! It is been added couple days ago, because i checked last weekend, there wasnt black one.
http://hatsdirect.com/cgi-bin/products. ... turnpage=0

That's... inconvenient... I just ordered and received the normal version for my father-in-law for a birthday present - would certainly have got the deluxe if I had known that there was one to be had in black...