Hat bashing with water: examples (photos)

Barcelona Jones · Post by **Barcelona Jones** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 3:51 am

Hi,

First of all, a disclaimer: these are NOT Indiana Jones hats, nor are their bashes like those at the various movies. I do not own a "proper" IJ hat at present, although this will be corrected in the future

.

I read often that people feel intimidated by the idea of having to do their bashing by themselves. So, the idea is to provide examples of home-bashed hats, in order to encourage you to take the step.

IMPORTANT: the best quality hats, 100% beaver felt, or with at least high beaver contents in the fur mix, allow for DRY BASHING, that is, you can just model them by hand, no recourse to water nor steam.

The "crown modelling" was done by hand and that dreaded chemical ;-) H2O. Distilled water in my case, just in case the chemicals in straight tap water could leave marks.

The first hat hat is vintage, a 40's Mr. Disney "15", fine, good quality felt. This was my first-ever "wet" bashing. I wanted something along the lines of The Maltese Falcon - Sam Spade hat; my idea was not actually replicating that, but somehow recreate/evocate the style. So, I shaped a C-crown with "dome", and a tight front pinch.

The second example is a modern, non-vintage, Beaver Brand fedora I acquired cheap on the 'Bay. It is a "Custom" 5X model, which I understand is a little over their 3X standard offering.

It came with a fairly soft centerdent bash. I have remodelled it into a diamond crown. Felt has nothing to do with comparable vintage hats, it is thicker and coarser, so I could not give it the sharp definition those old hats allow. Again, I used distilled water as a "modelling tool".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/ ... CT0662.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/ ... CT0664.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/ ... CT0667.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/ ... CT0666.jpg

It is not necessary to actually dunk the hat, or giving a shower to it. I just poured, carefully, distilled water on those areas I intended to shape, and "tapped" the water in until the felt absorbed it. You do not need the water going through the felt, to the underside, neither.

Of course, no need to be afraid of wetting the hat if it is a good felt.

I think water is better controlled than steam, although no doubt those with a better hand at steam will obtain the same results.

To those "awed" by the "magnitude" of the job... I would like to transmit encouragement! I do not think I am a specially gifted person, and I do not think obtaining good results is beyond the reach of anyone. Just take your hat and try. If the felt is good, it will respond. I found it surprising how easy the "modelling" became just by wetting the surface. This said, quality of felt is a PARAMOUNT factor. As the above examples show, you can get sharper definition with better quality felt hats, which not-so-fine quality hats will not allow.

Regards!

MOD EDIT: viewtopic.php?t=21315

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:00 am

Thanks for sharing the pics of your hats. pic #5 and 6. How tall is the crown?

Just an FYI, neither the AB or my hats need steam or water to bash.

Barcelona Jones · Post by **Barcelona Jones** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:14 am

BendingOak wrote:Thanks for sharing the pics of your hats. pic #5 and 6. How tall is the crown?

Just an FYI, neither the AB or my hats need steam or water to bash.

Hi, crown is 5 1/2 tall open.

Yes! My posting must not interpreted as a statement that water or steam ARE ALWAYS NEEDED. They are not when the felt is the better quality beaver, as are the upper end offerings, like yours. These can be DRY-BASHED as you take them out the box.

Thank you for the clarification, and my apologies if any misunderstanding arose!

I have edited the initial posting accordingly...

blueoakleyz · Post by **blueoakleyz** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 6:38 am

Nothing to be too scared about these hats go back to normal if you want them too..

to try and water bash my brim last night I would run my finger under cold water and dab it on and moisten certain spots and then dry it off with a towel and wipe it with my finger so it wouldn't stain.. then just let it set

WConly · Post by **WConly** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 7:18 am

Nice looking hats

! Good work...keep it up! I am very impressed! W>

HatMagnet · Post by **HatMagnet** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:18 am

Nice job! ;-)

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:58 am

I like the way the 5 1/2 looks on you and makes me feel that we got your specs right.

whipitgood · Post by **whipitgood** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:10 pm

Love that Mr. Disney

I want one. What's the width of the brim?

Barcelona Jones · Post by **Barcelona Jones** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:26 pm

BendingOak wrote:I like the way the 5 1/2 looks on you and makes me feel that we got your specs right.

I think you will do well in keeping those specs filed, because that CS grey is seriously tempting!

I have read the movie's grey hat has a crown higher than the brown one. Is that so with the one you make?

Regards!

Barcelona Jones · Post by **Barcelona Jones** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:44 pm

whipitgood wrote:Love that Mr. Disney I want one. What's the width of the brim?

2 1/2'' all around, which is a classic brim width.

Mr. Disney hats are not among the brands more often encountered, but there are other manufacturers that produced similar hats of comparable quality: Dobbs, Knox, Mallory, Adam, Champ, JC Penney, Stetson... the latter are probably the more plentiful.

What size do you wear? Vintage hats in larger sizes are harder to find, and more pricey.

Regards!

whipitgood · Post by **whipitgood** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:55 pm

Barcelona Jones wrote:
whipitgood wrote:Love that Mr. Disney I want one. What's the width of the brim?

What size do you wear? Vintage hats in larger sizes are harder to find, and more pricey.

Regards!

I wear a 57 or 7 1/8. I always lose out on the Disney fedoras on Ebay. They are a hot item especially with the wider brims. Anything with a welted edge and wide brim goes for high dollar.