Club Obi Wan

so I've recently received an AB and it's slightly loose. What is the best remedy for this? Just wear it and sweat in it until the sweatband shrinks a bit? Any input is appreciated!

Cheers,
IR

indyrocks wrote:so I've recently received an AB and it's slightly loose. What is the best remedy for this? Just wear it and sweat in it until the sweatband shrinks a bit? Any input is appreciated!

Cheers,
IR

I have the same question. Just got a Fed IV and it's just the tiniest bit loose. I'm sure I don't want to go down a size, but I don't want to use the sizing tape that came with it.

I would definitely suggest using the sizing tape if it works. My Fed Deluxe was slightly big on me when I got it, but it's already shrinking to the size of my head. If the hat is so big it falls over your eyes, perhaps you ordered the wrong size (check the tag and make sure you did get the size you ordered). Dan, custom hats are no different. Double check the measurements you gave Steve, remeasure your head again, AND measure the size of the hat. If he made it the wrong size, he'll be able to fix it for you. It happened with my AB, but he resolved the problem within a week if I recall correctly.

I would also suggest using the sizing tape. Maybe even that lightbulb method that is described somewhere in the Fed IV thread. Although I wouldn´t do that with an AB.
My Federation was slightly loose at the beginning, too. And after wearing it for some time and using sizing tape it shrunk to a perfect fit (without the tape). In fact, it became my most comfortable hat.

Don't worry about it. Wear the hat, it will snug up. Mine did

I would not alter the hat in anyway until you talked with the vender first.

Don't use TAPE! You don't want something glued in.

Just get some thin craft felt or foam, shim it under the sweatband for a little while. Wear it often, and the hat should shrink down in a few months. My new AB is the same way; I got it a couple of months back, and I had to remove the foam just last week.

Chewie, the sizing tape that Hats Direct provides is nothing more than foam with a weak adhesive on one side. You can stick it on the underside of the sweatband, and remove it later if necessary.

Thanks for all the advice, guys.

Thanks for the input guys. My hat is only slightly loose. When I jiggle my head it does shake around a bit so I'm hoping if I wear it a lot and maybe sweat in it, it will shrink down. This DOES happen right?

a fed will 'shrink to fit'....something fierce in my experiece

sounds like your AB needs some time to adjust to you. wait on the tape until the sweat has had a chance to 'warm up' to your head via a sunny day/you being active in it.

Indiana G wrote:a fed will 'shrink to fit'....something fierce in my experiece

sounds like your AB needs some time to adjust to you. wait on the tape until the sweat has had a chance to 'warm up' to your head via a sunny day/you being active in it.

Yea I definitely am not using tape one way or another. Worse comes to worse I send it back to Steve to be re-sized. I would rather not do that considering how busy he is, especially if it's something that will remedy itself.

Speaking of which, in order to tweak a cm or something like that what would need to happen? It wouldn't go back on the block would it?

would you say it shrinks in the cold, or the heat? I ask because I got my hat back in summertime, and wore it once in awhile, but in late september I started wearing my hat 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. However, i work in 30 degree temperatures. So I dont know if the hat will shrink or not.

indyrocks wrote:

Indiana G wrote:a fed will 'shrink to fit'....something fierce in my experiece

sounds like your AB needs some time to adjust to you. wait on the tape until the sweat has had a chance to 'warm up' to your head via a sunny day/you being active in it.

Yea I definitely am not using tape one way or another. Worse comes to worse I send it back to Steve to be re-sized. I would rather not do that considering how busy he is, especially if it's something that will remedy itself.

Speaking of which, in order to tweak a cm or something like that what would need to happen? It wouldn't go back on the block would it?

The hat wouldn't have to be re- blocked but he will need to remove all the parts and cut you a new sweatband. Again I will state this and maybe people will pay attention. Don't alter the product until you talk with the vender.

BendingOak wrote:

indyrocks wrote:

Indiana G wrote:a fed will 'shrink to fit'....something fierce in my experiece

sounds like your AB needs some time to adjust to you. wait on the tape until the sweat has had a chance to 'warm up' to your head via a sunny day/you being active in it.

Yea I definitely am not using tape one way or another. Worse comes to worse I send it back to Steve to be re-sized. I would rather not do that considering how busy he is, especially if it's something that will remedy itself.

Speaking of which, in order to tweak a cm or something like that what would need to happen? It wouldn't go back on the block would it?

The hat wouldn't have to be re- blocked but he will need to remove all the parts and cut you a new sweatband. Again I will state this and maybe people will pay attention. Don't alter the product until you talk with the vender.

Thanks for the help! Steve got back to me and said it will indeed shrink a bit once I wear it in a sweat in it a few times. Oak I believe you are very right, and it would a lot of people well to contact vendors directly regarding these issues first and foremost.

I MUCH rather have them arrive slightly loose than perfectly sized. As has been stated, the band WILL shrink with use and perspiration.

I've had more problems resizing perfectly sized hats than anything else. ALL my 'slightly loose' hats have fit me perfectly within a week or so of regular use and wear.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:I MUCH rather have them arrive slightly loose than perfectly sized. As has been stated, the band WILL shrink with use and perspiration.

I've had more problems resizing perfectly sized hats than anything else. ALL my 'slightly loose' hats have fit me perfectly within a week or so of regular use and wear.

Regards! Michaelson

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too Michaelson. Better to have some room to breathe. However, I just want to clarify what we all mean by "slightly" loose, as this is quite subjective. When I say it I mean the hat slides onto my head pretty easily without needing to push much. And if I lean all the way backwards it will eventually slide off.....Is that too loose or will I still be good after wearing it a couple weeks?

The sweatband will shrink to fit, unless the hat is like a size too large. I add a little bit to the head measurement due to leather shrinking, which is the nature of the beast. So, if the hat is just a little loose, not to worry. If the hat is snug, then you do have to worry, or invest in a cheapy hat stretcher, to maintain the sizing. Any serious hat wearer, needs a hat stretcher in their closet. In the same way, one needs an iron in the house to maintain your wardrobe.

If the hat is a size too big, it is better to get it resized. The leather will shrink, but if it has to shrink one whole size, you will get ripples in the leather, and that can be uncomfortable to wear. Fedora

Fedora wrote:The sweatband will shrink to fit, unless the hat is like a size too large. I add a little bit to the head measurement due to leather shrinking, which is the nature of the beast. So, if the hat is just a little loose, not to worry. If the hat is snug, then you do have to worry, or invest in a cheapy hat stretcher, to maintain the sizing. Any serious hat wearer, needs a hat stretcher in their closet. In the same way, one needs an iron in the house to maintain your wardrobe.

If the hat is a size too big, it is better to get it resized. The leather will shrink, but if it has to shrink one whole size, you will get ripples in the leather, and that can be uncomfortable to wear. Fedora

Makes sense Fedora, Do you think that it's too big if I tip my head back an it falls off? I just sent you an email.....

Mark Brody wrote:Chewie, the sizing tape that Hats Direct provides is nothing more than foam with a weak adhesive on one side. You can stick it on the underside of the sweatband, and remove it later if necessary.

I didn't even use the adhesive on my sizing tape. Just tucked it inside the sweatband, so that I can easily take it out when necessary.

When I got my AB back in the day, it was little too big. I thought about the adhesive tape, but I remembered how on other hats that I used tape on the taped ended up getting too compressed, this making the too big again, and the tape was very hard to get off cleanly. Plus, it always felt lumpy and made the sweatband stick out too much. It was actually uncomfortable at times. I then tried extra pieces of felt on the inside of the sweat. That worked alright, but it was still to think in some places. I then had an epiphany. Sheet cork or tenon joint cork for woodwind instruments (clarinets, saxophones). Actually, this wasn't my idea. When I bought a vintage hat off of eBay, there was piece of cork behind the sweat with the retailers name printed on it. It also said "sizing strip" on it. This worked perfectly. It was thin enough to where it didn't make the sweat stick out, flexible enough to bend around the hat without being lumpy, and I could get it in various thicknesses. Also, as an added benefit it help to absorb sweat and not let it bleed through to the felt and ribbon. I put a little cork in the front and back of the hat and eureka, it fit. I can move it around, take it out, put more in, fine tune it, etc until I get the perfect fit. Plus, when they sweatband does shrink a little, I don't have to worry about taking out a sticky mess.

If you want to try sheet/tenon joint cork (natural, not synthetic) you can either order it online (I get all mine from www.musicmedic.com) or you go to a local music store that also does woodwind repair and get some. They probably have some scraps laying around that they will give you.

Band Director Jones wrote:When I got my AB back in the day, it was little too big. I thought about the adhesive tape, but I remembered how on other hats that I used tape on the taped ended up getting too compressed, this making the too big again, and the tape was very hard to get off cleanly. Plus, it always felt lumpy and made the sweatband stick out too much. It was actually uncomfortable at times. I then tried extra pieces of felt on the inside of the sweat. That worked alright, but it was still to think in some places. I then had an epiphany. Sheet cork or tenon joint cork for woodwind instruments (clarinets, saxophones). Actually, this wasn't my idea. When I bought a vintage hat off of eBay, there was piece of cork behind the sweat with the retailers name printed on it. It also said "sizing strip" on it. This worked perfectly. It was thin enough to where it didn't make the sweat stick out, flexible enough to bend around the hat without being lumpy, and I could get it in various thicknesses. Also, as an added benefit it help to absorb sweat and not let it bleed through to the felt and ribbon. I put a little cork in the front and back of the hat and eureka, it fit. I can move it around, take it out, put more in, fine tune it, etc until I get the perfect fit. Plus, when they sweatband does shrink a little, I don't have to worry about taking out a sticky mess.

If you want to try sheet/tenon joint cork (natural, not synthetic) you can either order it online (I get all mine from www.musicmedic.com) or you go to a local music store that also does woodwind repair and get some. They probably have some scraps laying around that they will give you.

As an avid cyclist,I've been using Scrap pieces of Cinelli cork Handlebar tape under my sweatband. For $15 you can buy two rolls for bike handlebars.(plenty!) Get the plain cork type. It has adhesive on one side but you don't need to use it unless you remove the paper covering it.Just trim it a little to make it less than full width.
-raider 57

Oh, it was soooo reassuring to read this thread. Currently I've folded up some paper, and stuffed it under the sweatband - it works, and is removable once the hat shriks to my size...

It WILL definitely shrink down in even less than a month.

I got my Fad IV, the very day of our Halloween party, just last month. About three hours after it showed up, I was in my Indy gear (for the party) I had to go outside to help the caterers set up. It was POURING rain. I had my new hat and my new goat Wested on and they got DRENCHED. Absolutely soaking wet.

Wested goats and Akubra Fed IVs are the creme de la creme baby!

Rock solid and tough!

NOTHING happened to the jacket, except break it in better. The hat's got the bash and pinch in it permanently and it fits my head like a comfy robe, where it was just a tad bit big when I first got it.

I absolutley credit the information I sifted through here (on Club Obi Wan) in giving me the knowledge necessary to make such a wise purchase.

It'll shrink to fit you perfectly and it won't taper or discolor or warp.


So, what's the deal? Why no pictures? ;-)