Club Obi Wan

Okay, I have a nice bash in it, will still probably tweak it quite a bit, but it looks good so far. I have owned (still own) felt hats, but I have never known of all the fun and violent things we can do to our hats, such as bashing and blocking and reblocking, waterproofing, steaming, stiffening, etcetera.

So anyhow, what is a favorite product to use as a stiffener? Do I need one? Once I get a final shape to the bash, should I mist it with water? Spray it with stiffener? Completely unbash it so I can do it all over again for fun? Or put it on on a shelf and buy another hat?

And don't say leave it alone and just wear it, cuz that ain't gonna happen for a while. I can't leave my new toys alone.

Just one little flaw that is going to drive me nuts. Any suggestions on what to do about this?

I'm no hat expert, but I wouldn't say that you need any stiffener. A lot of us want our hat(s) to have that floppy look like the Raiders hat had. And, I've had my Fed III for over a year, and it's hardly gotten floppy at all, and certainly doesn't need any stiffener.

I wouldn't recomend bashing and rebashing your hat over and over again, because, as far as I know that is a good way to cause your hat to taper terribly. (But I'm sure some one more knowledgable could verify this.)

Oh, BTW: ;0 of the entire hat. ;-)

I had that same problem with my Fed IV Deluxe when I received it. Just dip your finger in some water and rub along and around the wrinkle. Let it dry, and it should take it out...

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I guess I will just have to leave it alone when I get it just right. It's about there already. The main reason that the stiffener is on my mind is because I heard somewhere that it adds water resistance. Any thoughts?

I'll see if I can get that wrinkle out with a drop of water. And I'll post some pics, but I have to run out now and get to the post office before they close.

And it's back up in the 80's today. Too hot for a felt fedora unfortunately...

Cammer wrote:
And it's back up in the 80's today. Too hot for a felt fedora unfortunately...

I live in one of the hottest parts of florida and I've worn my Fed IV year round....never too hot

I wore my fedoras all through the summer here in Miami and it was never too hot. Also, about creasing your hat over and over again, that is a good way tocreate a hole in your felt. I would crease it to how you like it and leave it alone. If you feel the desire to re-crease it, buy another hat and crease that one differently. ;-)

Dave

Cammer wrote: The main reason that the stiffener is on my mind is because I heard somewhere that it adds water resistance. Any thoughts?

From the Akubra website.....for what it's worth.

AKUBRA wrote:First and foremost - Never leave your hat in the car or in direct sunlight when not being worn. Do not force dry the hat if it has become wet. The inside leather band will shrink and once this happens it is hard to stretch back to its original size. Akubra hats are shower-proof and include a water proofing solution. As the hat ages the water proofing during manufacture may break down and the felt will absorb water. However, generally your head will remain dry.

Just wear your fedora everyday... till death do you part.

Enjoy it, but care for it right.

Thanks for the info on the stiffener guys. I'll not worry about it until/unless I ever need it.

DR Ulloa wrote:I wore my fedoras all through the summer here in Miami and it was never too hot. Also, about creasing your hat over and over again, that is a good way tocreate a hole in your felt. I would crease it to how you like it and leave it alone. If you feel the desire to re-crease it, buy another hat and crease that one differently. ;-)

Dave

I was actually joking about rebashing the hat over and over again. I guess my sense of humor is sometimes a bit dry to express in pixels. I'll have to work on that.

This is what happens to me when I get enthusiastic over something new. I tend to forget how best to express myself. But I really do appreciate the helpful suggestions. This is a great group here.

Vegeta wrote:I live in one of the hottest parts of florida and I've worn my Fed IV year round....never too hot

I also live in Florida, maybe not the hottest part because I'm right along the Suncoast (Tampa Bay area), but still pretty warm. I love it down here and I love the heat, but I lived the first 19 years of my life in Alaska and I'm just not quite as heat tolerant as some folks here are.

About my experience...
1.- About the wrinkle in the ribbon, just put a little steam on it and use something straight sided to use as an iron and it should be fixed.
2.- About the bashing, well... what I do is bash it dry and when you get the perfect shape for you, add some steam too in order to leave it that way. After that if you push the bashing out for any reason, just use your hand to push it back and it'll return to the "original perfect" shape.
3.- About the stiffener (I'm guessing that the stiffener it's to make the hat harder, correct? I'm not familiarized with the term ) fur felts don't need it. If your hat is made of wool it'll need some.
4.- About wearing it... YES! Wear it all the time! (That's what I do ;-) ) and if you are in a hot place and you sweat a lot, put some napking inside the sweat band in order to cover the liner, otherwise it will stain (Happend to me once )

And well, I think thats about it... Hope that helps!
Best Regards,
-Alfonso

As to water resistance of a Fed IV, I wouldn't worry too much.

I sat through the first half of a football game this fall with a constant fine rain. I watched my daughter's marching band at halftime with no let up to the rain and then left. My Fed was fine.

Actually I took the chance when I got home to tighten up my front pinch a little while the felt was evenly damp. I then set it on its crown on the shelf and all was well in the morning.

I think I remember Michaelson saying they were "tough as a pine knot".

Matt

I had a wrinkle like that on my Fed IV when I got it. The stitch was in the wrong place. I just took a fine scissors and cut the offending stitch out. The ribbon now lays flat, and the remaining stitches do a fine job of holding it in place.

Brian

Cammer wrote:Thanks for the info on the stiffener guys. I'll not worry about it until/unless I ever need it.

DR Ulloa wrote:I wore my fedoras all through the summer here in Miami and it was never too hot. Also, about creasing your hat over and over again, that is a good way tocreate a hole in your felt. I would crease it to how you like it and leave it alone. If you feel the desire to re-crease it, buy another hat and crease that one differently. ;-)

Dave

I was actually joking about rebashing the hat over and over again. I guess my sense of humor is sometimes a bit dry to express in pixels. I'll have to work on that.

This is what happens to me when I get enthusiastic over something new. I tend to forget how best to express myself. But I really do appreciate the helpful suggestions. This is a great group here.

Vegeta wrote:I live in one of the hottest parts of florida and I've worn my Fed IV year round....never too hot

I also live in Florida, maybe not the hottest part because I'm right along the Suncoast (Tampa Bay area), but still pretty warm. I love it down here and I love the heat, but I lived the first 19 years of my life in Alaska and I'm just not quite as heat tolerant as some folks here are.

I wasn't sure if you were joking or not, so I assumed you were being serious and figured I'd save you the pain of torturing your hat in such an unecessary fashion. I like to use these guys: ;-) to show sarcasm.

Oh, and enthusiasm is most welcome here...don't leave it at the door. ;-)

Dave

interbak wrote:I had a wrinkle like that on my Fed IV when I got it. The stitch was in the wrong place. I just took a fine scissors and cut the offending stitch out. The ribbon now lays flat, and the remaining stitches do a fine job of holding it in place.

Brian

Actually I did just what Asiana Jones suggested. I figured that it couldn't hurt, and sure enough, it came out PERFECT. Just like it was never there. The little spot only took about ten minutes to dry, perfectly flat. Thanks Asiana!

Glad everything worked out for you Cammer!

I'm pretty anal about the smallest details as well, so I know how annoying it must have felt to you. I'm just glad that I was able to help you out!

-Asiana Jones