Club Obi Wan

Greetings all!

It's been quite a long time since I've frequented these forums, and it seems KotCS has brought me out of the woodwork. I decided to reintroduce myself and share with you my most beloved piece of Indy Gear, my Fed. And, it should be noted that this is (I believe) one of the first generations of Feds. I received it many moons ago second hand from another beloved member of this forum who decided to pass it on to me for free, as he was getting another lid himself (Thank you once again, sir.)

I've worn this fed proudly over the last few years, albeit sparingly. I've mostly relegated it to hiking duty, as it was well worn when I got it and didn't seem to be suitable for formal wear. It's definitely shown it's age, as the sweat band is coming apart, the liner is quite sweat stained, and it seems to have developed a front to back taper (though the sides are straight). One thing that's always bothered me is that the brim seems to be uneven, perhaps due to the abuse I've given it on my excursions. Another thing is, I'm a 7 1/2, and though the hat has shrunk a tad from 7 5/8, it still is a little loose than I would like, but not uncomfortably. Therefore, I ask you, fellow Gearheads, do I get the hat cleaned, reblocked, and reshaped? Or do you guys think it's just fine as it is?

Enough of my yapping, here are the pics:



Myself and the ever understanding girlfriend.







Here's me and the girlfriend's little brother...my Short Round.



Finally, I've included a small example of the brim abuse my lid has. It's nothing major, but it's one of those oddities that irks me.



What do you folks think?

I say don't do anything to that hat! It looks perfect as it is.

It looks fine. Mine looks worse!
just keep it as it is.

Hey Coil: The hat looks fine but as for the brim,
Is it just bent strangely? If it is, just put on a kettle bring it up to
steam and then 8-10 inches away, steam the top and bottom of the
brim.

The stiffener will loosen and then just adjust the brim as necessary.
As for cleaning, unless its unsightly just brush it.
When it's too dirty then you might try some naptha or sending it somewhere.

These are just suggestions.
I really looks good.

Cheers
Kilgour Trout

I'd say take the liner out and clean it (run it through the wash?) then replace the sweatband, but the hat looks pretty good in all those pics.

The hat looks nice and the brim dimensions are perfect for you...

I appreciate the help guys. The brim does have some weird little bends in it, not exactly sure how those got there, but I'll definitely give the steam a shot!

C’mon! You really want a “out-of-the-box” *adventure* hat?

I'd go with cleaning or replacing the liner, and replacing the sweatband. If the wonky brim bothers you that much (and you can't seem to fix it with steam and hand shaping), you could ask for a brim re-flange, without getting the crown reblocked. That would restore the brim to it's "factory new" shape, but not an Indy shape.

Looks great the way it is to me! Since the band is need of "repairs" then I might address that and the liner otherwise I would leave it as is. If you aren't planning on using it as a dress hat then it's all character!