Club Obi Wan

I got my AB Raiders hat a few months back. When I first got the hat it the bash noticeably relaxed as seen below


As you can see theres almost no front pinch at all. I was able to bring back the front pinch and dents on each side of the hat by working the felt with my hand. However the dents seem to be uneven. And no matter how much I work the felt it seems to relax back to where it was. Every day I pick up the hat to try and even out the dents but the next day its back to where it was. Below is some pictures of what im talking about.

You can barley see it in this pic its kind of hard to tell but the left side has more of a deep dent then the right


Heres a pic of the inside after I work the felt after a while


And heres the day after


Any one have any ideas ?

I think John is the man

If the hat is turned the two sides won't be even.

You can check out John Penman's Tutorial videos near the top of the main Fedora page. He explains how to put the dents in the hat.

But . . . overworking the felt, especially to put that "razor thin" front crease in can weaken the felt. Felt is just matted hair fibers, and very fine hairs at that. Pinch them too hard and some of them will break.

My personal philosophy is to wear it a lot. It will take on character as you do. This one has about 4 years and one reblock on it.




If you must tinker, a little water from a spray bottle to lightly dampen the felt, or very light steam to do the same thing goes a long way.

Steam will solve your issue. Applying some steam to a bash that doesn't want to stay will help lock it in place. Don't go too heavy with it it can cause shrinkage and taper should it be over applied.

What about that hat right now?

Been working like crazy lately so havent had the chance to try it yet...I will try tomorrow and let you know how it came out. Hopefully I dont ruin it

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Hats hold their shape much better with some moisture applied while shaping. I use a spray bottle with distilled water. It takes a little longer to dry and set than steaming, but there is no danger of shrinkage due to heat.

When I feel the need to reshape a hat, I do it when I've taken it off at the end of the day so it can dry overnight.

Also, as stated above, be csreful of too sharp a crease. It can break the felt prematurely, or leave a permanent scar should you decide to want to widen the pinch, or reverse the hat during a reblock.