Tapering thoughts

Mat Cauthon · Post by **Mat Cauthon** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:05 am

This thought just came to me I'm curious as to weather it holds any truth. Tapering of a fed happens when it gets wet and drys out (am I right so far?) so tapering would seem to happen faster in climates where it is for the most part very dry, the fed gets rained on and then the weather goes back to its dry state. Tapering would be at a minimal happening in areas where it is very humid constantly because the fed is never going through that wet and dry spell it is instead staying in a constantly humid place.

Does this make any sence at all??

Brendon

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:11 am

Sure it does. A fedora can also taper through excessive abuse, IE: what Willie did to the hat while waving it in front of Indy to wake him up. Stuff like that. Also, shrinking the sweatband through use of heat can cause taper too.

Regards,
Indy

Mat Cauthon · Post by **Mat Cauthon** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:14 am

But normal wear shouldn't taper it as long as your not shaking it by the brim or sitting on it and such right???

Brendon

Strider · Post by **Strider** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 1:48 am

Here's what I've done to my Adventurebilt, to date:

Sat on it
threw it at a wall really hard
stepped on it
kicked it
turned it inside out
rolled it up in a ball
threw it up in the air and hit it with my hand
worn it every day since I got it
bumped into things with it on

all that and it hasn't tapered yet.

Regards,

Luisiana Jones · Post by **Luisiana Jones** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:18 am

It breaks the heart, and your head...

Neolithic · Post by **Neolithic** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:33 am

Brendon, this is something I've had kicking around in the back of my mind for a bit. The natural climate of whatever region you live in in the world obviously plays a part in whether or not your hat tapers. Moisture build up in humid areas is definately an element- I think the main thing that produces taper though is any change in climate.

Whenever warm moist air meets a cold surface you get condensation- this is probably happening in a fair few fedoras around the world.
Air conditioning is a real bad one if you're inside/outside a fair bit- your hat will undergo more stress than normal.

Natural ventilation is a good thing- I wonder sometimes if leaving your hat on when you walk inside isn't just bad manners, it's also keeping a cushion of air inside the hat that is different to the air around it so possibly furthering taper. I'm not sure really, I'll have to get some more solid thoughts on it. I'm pretty sure there's an engineer out there somewhere who'd be up to the challenge of a hat that will never taper.

Post by **Ken** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:14 am

Wire frame!

Scandinavia Jones · Post by **Scandinavia Jones** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:16 am

Fibreglass mesh liner would also do the trick...

Renderking Fisk · Post by **Renderking Fisk** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:20 am

If you store your fedora upside down and let it rest on the top of the crown it won't taper as much. I would argue that if you got a hat rack and rest the fedora on it with the finger of the hat rack holding up the entire height of the crown you won't have tapering.

I haven't seen any new tapering on my reblocked deluxe yet.

Fedora · Post by **Fedora** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 12:42 pm

If you store your fedora upside down and let it rest on the top of the crown it won't taper as much. I would argue that if you got a hat rack and rest the fedora on it with the finger of the hat rack holding up the entire height of the crown you won't have tapering.

I agree that this would help. You guys recall the pics that were taken of all of those hats at the first QM Summit? Some of those hats when off of your head and just sitting on the brim looked tapered, when in fact they were not. Sitting a hat on the brim will make some hats taper at the top, and of course, this goes away when you put it on. But, if the hat has moisture in it from the humidity, like we have in the South, and you sit it on the brim, as it drys, it may take on that forced taper. I generally hang mine on the hat tree, unless it is wet. In that case, I sit it on the crown like Renderking suggested. I figure it may not help, but is sure won't hurt.

Fedora

Mat Cauthon · Post by **Mat Cauthon** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:37 pm

Thanks for the response guys.

Brendon

Post by **Ken** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:02 pm

Seriously though is there no way to make a hat which is immune to taper regardless of the conditions? Personally I dont care if my hat is rigid enough to have an elephant on it, the shape of it is the most crucial aspect for me and if I could find a hat which is necessarily incapable of tapering it would be a Godsend. Surely being an advanced civilisation who can put men on the moon, there must be a way to make a fedora which cant lose its shape. What about some sort of internal frame?

Ken

Scandinavia Jones · Post by **Scandinavia Jones** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:29 pm

"Indiana Jones and the Internal Frame"...

Hmm... as long as the lid is made out of animal fur or wool, it will be prone to disfigurement due to the fact that it's made out of "living" matter... How about fleece? A soft, REALLY floppy fedora with no taper...

... or shape, for that matter. Bad idea... back to topic. I'm sorry.