Club Obi Wan

I'm finally at that point where I can really tell the suttle differences between fedora's that have the "Indy" shape and not. Like most of us, I really want my hats to have the right look and shape.

So ..... I'm gathering info to make myself a block, but I'd like to hear from our resident millinery test pilots out there to see what you've done and maybe gather some info to help myself and others to get a step beyond pure experimentation! (and running sentences, jeez)

I know some have purchased the base for you blocks from Ebay and gone from there. And there have been a couple of quick posts recently. And I'd like to not send a ton of hats to Fedora and abuse his kindness.

Heeelllppp!


Eric

I've been thinking about making a block my size out of boards of wood and some Elmer's glue and I'm working on the details.

Well, at the risk of blowing my future fortune, here's what I have been storming about in my brain:

Materials and tools needed (DO NOT USE POWER TOOLS IF YOU ARE AT ALL UNCOMFORTABLE DOING SO. READ YOUR OWNER'S MANUALS. GET ADVICE FROM MORE EXPERIENCED INDIVIDUALS. BETTER YET, ASK THEM TO DO IT FOR YOU. WEAR YOUR SAFETY GLASSES. AND...PROCEED AT YOUR OWN, ASSUMED RISK)-

1 - bald cap/skull/cap/swimmer's cap
some - plaster impregnated gauze (cast material)
some - water
some - 4/4 hardwood (actually 3/4" to 13/16" typical finished thickness); 8 to 10 pieces (enough to yield the desired height when stacked) approx 12"x12"; larger for huge noggins, smaller for small ones; maple would be good for its density and tight pores
1 - 1/4" template material, say, 12"x12" (acrylic, masonite, plywood)
1 - Router (preferably in a table)
1 - flush trimming bit
1 - bandsaw or jig saw or coping saw or scroll saw
1 - pen or pencil
some - yellow wood glue - use water proof; I like Titebond II. Or you could use polyurethane glue.

I think this is how I would go about it. Don the skull cap. Wet some strips of the gauze and start wrapping your head like you've got some kind of injury. Careful not to get your hair involved. This stuff sets fast, so it won't be on your head for long. Use enough so you'll have a nice, intact ring to pop off once it has dried. VOILA. You now have (presumably) a perfect facsimile of your head shape.

Trace around the inside of the plaster ring onto your template material. Carefully cut, now, on the outside of that line. But don't cut the line. You can sand right up to it to make it perfect. Okay. now you have your template. Use it to trace around on all your pieces of hardwood. Roughly cut out the shape from each piece of hardwood, staying 1/16" to 1/8" away from the line. Align and attach the template to the hardwood cut-out by means of brads or double stick tape. I prefer brads. Using a flush trimming bit in a router mounted in a table, trim the hardwood to the shape of the template. Remove template, and repeat for the remaining hardwood cut-outs. (Without a router, you could sand to the line on each one. The router and template will more likely ensure exact matches).

Something else worth doing. Mark yourself 3 index marks on the template and transfer these to each hardwood piece before removing the template from the board. This will aid in alignment of the hardwood pieces later.

Once you have all your identical parts shaped, align them, stacked on one another, and clamp the stack. Do this dry. No glue yet. Using a combination square, draw some new, vertical index lines on the outside edge of the stack. These will be for final alignment when you are gluing up.

Remove the clamp and start your glue-up. Follow directions on your glue bottle for set times and clamping times. It would be okay to also use brads or screws to "clamp" each piece to the one below it. Care must be taken here, however, to maintain alignment of the pieces as you drill or drive, manually or pneumatically. Further, keep in mind that you'll be shaping the top eventually, so you don't want any fasteners to impede your progress or damage your tools.

There will be the inevitable glue squeeze out, but never fear. If using yellow glue, you may remove the excess (while fresh) with a wet sponge or rag. If using polyurethane glue, you are better to wait until it has dried/cured, then scrape the excess.

No matter how well you aligned the pieces, probably some sanding will need to be done. Of course you'll sand the transition from vertical to horizontal at the top per your fancy, after removing some of the bulk by more agressive means.

Once shaped to your liking, sand the whole block smooth, up to 220 grit. Finish with polyurethane or spar varnish. Actually, check with Fedora on finishing the block.

Back to shop with me. Sorry for any typos or misspelled words. I hate to post without proofing.

Cab

1 - bald cap/skull/cap/swimmer's cap
some - plaster impregnated gauze (cast material)
some - water
some - 4/4 hardwood (actually 3/4" to 13/16" typical finished thickness); 8 to 10 pieces (enough to yield the desired height when stacked) approx 12"x12"; larger for huge noggins, smaller for small ones; maple would be good for its density and tight pores
1 - 1/4" template material, say, 12"x12" (acrylic, masonite, plywood)
1 - Router (preferably in a table)
1 - flush trimming bit
1 - bandsaw or jig saw or coping saw or scroll saw
1 - pen or pencil
some - yellow wood glue - use water proof; I like Titebond II. Or you could use polyurethane glue.

I already have a pencil and some glue, so I am on my way

Once you have the outside of your head cast, can you use bondo or some other medium to fill it in? Peel the plaster off and you have your actual head size. In my case, I would have to file the point off the top and make some other adjustments, but I was actaully preparing to try this. I was thinking of making a bondo shell and filling it with something later to keep the density. The block would have to be widened slightly to compensate for the sweatband, I would think...

rick5150 wrote: I already have a pencil and some glue, so I am on my way

Once you have the outside of your head cast, can you use bondo or some other medium to fill it in? Peel the plaster off and you have your actual head size. In my case, I would have to file the point off the top and make some other adjustments, but I was actaully preparing to try this. I was thinking of making a bondo shell and filling it with something later to keep the density. The block would have to be widened slightly to compensate for the sweatband, I would think...

Good point on the sweatband compensation. I had thought about that, too, but obviously failed to account for it above. I suppose when making the template, simply oversize it the thickness of the sweatband.

I like the idea of filling in the "negative" of your head. If the proper material (whatever it may be)is available, that sounds like a good plan, less time consuming, and, for some, safer.


Cab

If you don't want to wrap plaster bandages around your head, you can do what I did and make a block out of solid plaster. I created a cylinder about 8 inches high (leave room - you need to chisel it and sand it down to 6 inches to get the dome in) out of sheet styrene. This was a perfect circle if looked down upon from the top. To this I added a base, so I basically had a trash can made of styrene that was 8 inches high and a little over 22 inches in diameter. I filled this with wet plaster and let it dry. Once complete, I broke the styrene off and had a perfectly cyndrilical block of plaster, the top of which I worked into a dome - this takes time and a bit of an artistic eye, alternatively you could use isometric measurements to get it right. I sanded the dome down and then added shellac to seal the deal. It works wonderfully and gives me the perfect Raiders look (alternatively, you could make the mould oviod)...

-John

It is much easier to buy a vintage poplar block from ebay in your size,and just add the bondo to assume the desired shape. Of course this involves a bit of sanding. I use a little "square" with one side of the 90 degree angle on the bottom of the wood block and the other side on the block itself to keep the sides true all the way up to the top. I am used to working with a square so it is easy for me to do so. If you are lucky, the block you buy will be close in form already and the addition of the bondo will be minimal. That was the case with my own modified block, but the one that I just finished in a smaller hat size was not even close to what the end result needed to be. I just use a piece of flexible card board and run it around the circumference of the block, secure it into place with duct tape and fill the space in up the desired crown height. Actually I add 1/4 and inch here so I can sand the top down to the crown height I am shooting for. Bondo drys really fast so you add the bondo in small amounts, gradually working you way up to the top of the block. If you mess up, you just sand off the excess, or add more bondo to the area you need it. This stuff is good to work with, but requires lots of hand sanding to get the block looking good and uniform. regards, Fedora

It is much easier to buy a vintage poplar block from ebay in your size,and just add the bondo to assume the desired shape.

Assuming you win the bid...