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Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 5:41 pm
by Mttr
I might buy a Fed IV soon, but I have a few questions.
1) I watched the Penman video on bashing a Indy hat, so I know how to do it, but I'm wondering if I would need steam or not to bash it.
2) What's the difference between the regular and the deluxe? Shipping is already a fortune (I'm in Canada) and I don't want to spend way too much if I can help it.
Thanks!
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 7:47 pm
by jlee562
You don't need steam per se, but it's helpful. A spray bottle of water also works.
The deluxe is a different fur blend, better sweat and, and finer finishing.
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 8:16 pm
by Texan Scott
Here is food for thought. When members begin to get into fedoras, many times they gravitate toward custom hats, and if you are considering a new hat, you might give these some consideration:
Advintage-Harrison
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... =advintage" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Garrison
http://garrisonhatters.com/garrison_hat ... 13_003.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Steele & Jones
http://www.steele-jones.com.ar/en/sombreros.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
These would be in range.
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 9:29 pm
by Ridgerunner58
What JLee said.
You can crease the hat dry, but a little water helps set the creases in place. Distilled or purified water is probably preferable since tap water can have chemicals that might affect the dye.
The difference between the regular felt and the Deluxe is noticeable. Since you're already paying a small fortune for shipping I would opt up, or consider one of the customs mentioned above, or even Northwest Hats, since they will do a beaver felt for you for not a whole bunch more than the Akubra.

Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 12:03 am
by ChrisMD
Personal opinion: Go for a custom Garrison. He makes a MEAN lid that will last you and he can always reblock it for you and clean it up whenever you need it. A quality hat for sure and at one heck of a price too.....
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:07 am
by Texan Scott
The logical outworking in the school of thought is that at some point, people begin to reach or a custom hat, and that is why I made those suggestions. A Fed deluxe is around $167 or so, these customs are in the $200 range. The Advintage is 80/20 blend, which makes for a very fine hat, as well.
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:08 am
by Glenville86
I have 4-Fed IV with one of them being a deluxe. I creased/bashed them all dry and it only took a few minutes per hat. Of course, once it gets rained on, you can detail it a little more if you want. Mine took shape with minimal effort.
The Advintage hats are good hats as well and a good price with the exchange rate.
I usually grab one of the Abruka Feds if it is raining or snowing. I personally find them excellent in foul weather. The only downside for me is they are too warm when the temps are above 60 Fahrenheit. For some, it does not affect them that way.
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:42 am
by alkenobi
Mttr wrote:I might buy a Fed IV soon, but I have a few questions.
1) I watched the Penman video on bashing a Indy hat, so I know how to do it, but I'm wondering if I would need steam or not to bash it.
2) What's the difference between the regular and the deluxe? Shipping is already a fortune (I'm in Canada) and I don't want to spend way too much if I can help it.
Thanks!
hi , i'm also from canada ,montreal, i received my fed IV deluxe in moonstone grey 10 days ago , this is my fourth indy hat and it's the first that came" open crowned ". with the help of the penman's bashing tutorial i bashed mine in about 10 minutes and found it pretty easy without the use of cold or steamed water . im really happy with this purchase .i cant tell you how it would be with the regular one but with the deluxe it's easy. it took 6 working days with , regular shipping , to arrive and there was no extra charge. i also purchased a brown advintage harrison fedora ,2 months ago , "pre bashed " in raiders style ,only because i was not comfortable with the idea of bashing it myself.lets just say that this wont be necessary again.the advintage seems to be of better quality but not by much. it was delivered two weeks after i placed the order with no extra charge.im happy with both of them.i still play with the bashing on both of them,that's part of the fun of it.i tend to go to adding something more personal to the bashing instead of total sceen accuracy.i'll try to post some pictures of both of them later.
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 1:06 pm
by Glenville86
Just to add that I just did a generic bash on my feds and not a specific Indy movie style. That is why my time in shaping them was short.
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Basically a center dent and a loose pinch. Since then, they have taken on their own look from wearing.
They sort of look Crystal Skull but not identical to the movie hat.
Re: Quick question about Fed IV
Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 1:45 pm
by Mttr
Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to go for a Fed IV Deluxe, custom hats sound nice and all but I've seen enough good things about this hat that I feel like it is what I should get. I'm also not too worried about bashing now, I'll probably use a bit of steam however just to get it to stay in place.
Thanks everyone!