Club Obi Wan

Right, i have a problem with my Akubra Fed IV.

The wire or whatever holds the shape seems to have broken, and there is a piece sticking out that digs into my head.

Sorry if this isn't clear. I am not sure about technical terms.

Or is that the reed? I am confused. It's under the sweatbad. Or something...

You can remove the wire with a pair of needlenose pliers. Just get hold of one end of the wire and slowly pull it out. Make sure you clear the end that may be 'hooked' to hold the two ends together. Otherwise, it is easy to slowly remove.

The wire is there to hold the shape of the sweatband.

I've done this in the past with no problem. You may find the hat much more comfortable to wear too. I know I did.

Regards! Michaelson

Ok! Thanks I'll try that now!!

This is a problem with using wire. Ounce it gets a kink in it, it almost nothing you can do to it but have it replaced. Most just pull it out but I never liked a sweatband that didn't have a bell to it.


I know this isn't what you want to hear but that's all there is.

Still, it's not a lost cause. We used to clip those things and pull them out as soon as we got these fedoras, so it's something that has a 'common fix'.
As John points out, it's a common problem with the wire supported sweatband, and one that's used in all Akubra hats.

Regards! Michaelson

Ok I am thinking of getting a new hat at somepoint so I don't mind what happens.
To me as long as it remains a smart, wearable hat...

Hi,

It's the reed, that in the Fed IV (at least) is made from wire. I don't think that it's broken, though. I think that they are open ended, I assume so that they can thread them into the sweat during production - I may be wrong.

Mine has done this before. The end popped out at the back where the sweat is stitched together. I just pushed on the end that had protruded so it went back into the tube and pushed the open end further round so it wouldn't pop out again.

That sorted mine out.

Ian

Fixed.
I used the plyers to bend the wire in such a way that it was impossible to reinsert, then twisted the end 180 degrees, and it just slipped into place!

All is well again!

It sure is.

Thanks folks

Since your problem is solved, is there a reason to keep the thread open?