Club Obi Wan

Hi All,
This is my first time posting on here. I'm looking for some helpful tips and critiques for a project I've been working on. I have been researching about hat making for about a year now and decided it was time to get my hands on a hat and just have some fun. I recently purchased 2 cowboy hats with which I had to do some serious cleaning, reshaping, new ribbon and brim cutting to get them looking decent again. Because I really enjoy Indiana Jones, I gave them a RotLR look.

I am new at all of this and am definitely still learning and would appreciate any helpful advice. If they are not at all decent please just let me know upfront. I won't be hurt. Below are pictures of the before and afters of the hats I've been working on. Thank you in advance for any help.

Before:

After:



Before:

After:

Not perfect, but a great start! I'd suggest working on the non-bow side of the crown. It's a little tapered. Really nice job though!

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You’re off to a great start.

Cowboy hats can be particularly hard to reblock. I had one reblocked into an Indy style fedora and was told due to cowboy hats are generally more tapered than an Indy fedora so it can be a struggle to get those tall straight side we like.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

What did you use to reblock the cowboy hats to open crown? Do you have an actual hat block? Or did you improvise?

Dr. Jones, Jr., Thanks for the critique. I've reworked that side of the hat a bit and it I think it looks a bit more straight. However, I'm thinking I probably need to make some adjustments to my hat block for it to really have that straight Raiders look though.

Indiana Jeff, Agreed, it is a challenge, yet, not totally impossible.

Howard Weinstein, I made my own hat block. Here are some pictures of it.




As I've looked at some blocks from some of the well-known hatters doing Indy hats and I can see that there are some significant adjustments I probably need to do at the top. Gosh, I can't believe how flat it is and how much more of a curve it needs on the sides. I'm sure that's not helping with the tapering. Let me know what you guys think.

Wow, making your own block is very ambitious! Especially without having much info to work from in knowing the exact shape the block should be. Maybe those here who have 'em can post pics of their hat blocks, in case that helps you nail the shape.

Trial and error may get you where you want to be. Looking forward to seeing how your project progresses!

I have a #52 wooden block I got on eBay, which is said to be close (though not exact) to the Indy blocks.
Here it is side by side with a plastic Hat Shaper block -- you can see the #52 is wider, less oval front to back, more "square" and "blockier" with a flatter top than the taller, rounder Hat Shaper block (which works well with my western hats).

Welcome, Indysdad!

I think what you’ve got here is a great effort. Looks like a solid job.

I had a few goes at making my own hats and started with reblocks like this. I found that making sure the hat was pulled all the way down ont to the block and leaving no gaps or space as well as leaving the hat on the block well after it dried helped retain the block shape and eliminated most of the taper that I found in the crown after my first few reblocks.

Not sure if you covered that in your attempts, but I found that helpful.

I’m not on here very often anymore, but I stumbled in today and am glad I found this. Keep up the good work.

Dave

Howard,
Thank you for the pictures! This will definitely help for sure. I'm planning on making those adjustments soon and will try to post some pictures of the progress.

Dave,
Thanks for the advice. I have been pulling the hat down all the way, but I know that I could definitely leave it on a bit longer. I probably just get a bit excited about the next phase of the process and rush that part

Indysdad: As to leaving the hat on the block, I know the feeling of wanting to tackle the hat again ASAP.
I've learned to be somewhat more patient and find I get better results (i.e., the hat holding the newly-established open-crown shape better) if I leave it stretched on the block overnight.

Maybe some more experienced hatters can add their 2-cents and confirm...?

Howard Weinstein wrote:Indysdad: As to leaving the hat on the block, I know the feeling of wanting to tackle the hat again ASAP.
I've learned to be somewhat more patient and find I get better results (i.e., the hat holding the newly-established open-crown shape better) if I leave it stretched on the block overnight.

Maybe some more experienced hatters can add their 2-cents and confirm...?

Yes, best is to leave it over night. If the felt has been stretched with steam and water then it must "rest" until dry, best is overnight depending on your climate. The felt will try to resist and try to pull back a bit. Then steam and shape the crown the day after. That drying process is faster but once you have gotten your finished crease in the crown, better to let it rest on its own. Just like a rainy day with the hat, just leave it alone until dry. Of course, working on an old hat and trying to make it into a specific style is a different story compare to buying a new fur felt and block it for the first time. Way more difficult and could result in damage.

Indysdad: Great work! It's fun to start out and explore ways of making a hat from scratch. It's not always as easy as it looks. Keep up this drive of yours and you will be fine. We need more hatmakers out there.

/ Mikael

HUFVUD HATMAKER

I normally wear my hat until dry unless really soaked (not to the core) but enough to take off. I leave all creases in and set it over the arm of a chair to keep the brim curl.

I appreciate all the helpful input. I took some time today to sand down my hat block and round out the curves on top. I'm hoping this will help those sides to be a bit more straight when I put the center dent in the hat. Here are some pictures of the updated block.



I've also got one of my hats sitting on the block now and will leave it there the rest of the night. I think you guys are right and I'm sure that will do the trick.

hufvud, I'd love to try and take a hat from a new fur felt some time and just start from scratch. Hopefully making my way there.

I don't know if this has been covered somewhere else, but just in case. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about whether polyester or cotton (or maybe some other fabric) is the better way to go for ribbons on a hat? If so, what are the biggest differences? Which is stronger and lasts longer? Any concerns or things to consider with either of those?

Here are 3 more hats that I have rebashed. Let me know what you guys think. Heres a crazy story. I put the gray hat on eBay and someone ended up buying it almost right away. I was thrilled to see how quickly it was sold and then was even more thrilled when I saw that the shipping name and address belonged to my brother. He had no knowledge that I had starting making and rebashing hats. He simply was looking for a good fedora/Indiana Jones hat.

Anyways let me know what your critiques would be on these. Thanks again for your responses.


This one I made for my wife. Maybe one of these days I'll make one for myself.


This is for customer.

Indysdad wrote:I don't know if this has been covered somewhere else, but just in case. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about whether polyester or cotton (or maybe some other fabric) is the better way to go for ribbons on a hat? If so, what are the biggest differences? Which is stronger and lasts longer? Any concerns or things to consider with either of those?

There are a number of threads here about hat ribbon. Best I can recall without rereading, a high or 100% rayon content is what most vintage ribbons were made of and is considered to still be the best. Cotton ribbon will be the quickest to shrink and discolor over time.

Indysdad wrote:Here are 3 more hats that I have rebashed. Let me know what you guys think. Heres a crazy story. I put the gray hat on eBay and someone ended up buying it almost right away. I was thrilled to see how quickly it was sold and then was even more thrilled when I saw that the shipping name and address belonged to my brother. He had no knowledge that I had starting making and rebashing hats. He simply was looking for a good fedora/Indiana Jones hat.

I sure hope you charged him a premium price!


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

The revised block looks good, as do the hats. It's satisfying to take one hat and make it into something entirely different, isn't it?

I think of it as "Fun with Felt!"

Don't bother with polyester ribbon. You want at least a 50% rayon content. Most old hat ribbon I find is a rayon/cotton blend, and it works well. The ribbon needs to shrink to conform to the hat, but rayon seems to shrink a little less, and not discolor as easily, so the higher percentage of rayon, the better.

Those are very nice looking hats. Great job on turning an old cowboy hat into a fedora!! Keep up the good work and let us know about your offerings!

You show great improvement in the last set of hats! Fantastic work! What size hat you are able to make?

Thank you! Feel free to message me if you're interested in prices on my 2nd Hand Adventure Hats. At the moment I have size 55, 56, and 57 blocks. But I am always willing to make more blocks if I don't have your size.

Just wanted to post an update. These are still old hats that I've reblocked. Hoping to build one from scratch soon. Just collecting the needed supplies and studying up. Then the fun can begin.

This one is brown even though the lighting makes it look more green. This is a Stetson with a Petersham grosgrain dark brown ribbon.



This one has Todds Costumes petersham type grosgrain black/brown ribbon.

My advice is to move the brim break up into the crown 1/4 inch in the front and the back. This will lower your crown front and back without lowering your crown overall. I believe this was done on the raiders hat, and the original brim break is evident 1/4 inch out on the brim which was responsible for the so-called "dimensional cut" (which never happened, imo). You'll have to shorten the sweat band and move it up into the crown 1/4 inch front and back as well, along with the ribbon. My last advice is go 3 - 4 sizes too big for you, so when you cinch that ribbon, you get that weird vertical channel in the front dent on Indy's right side. AND some reverse taper everywhere. Your latest block is basicly correct and your hats look great!

3thoubucks, Thanks for the advice. I haven't gotten there yet but might give that a try in the near future.
I've gathered some supplies to build a hat from scratch and will be starting that pretty soon. I'll try to post pics of the process.

I've been reblocking olds hats for just about 6 months now. I've been most satisfied with the outcome of the hat below.

Wonderful work. I have done this myself. Love working with western weight hats. You can get excellent and durable results from hats like these.

! Most impressive work here. Nice job, all the way around! Like 'um all ! W>

I'm no hat expert but these hats are absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you!

Here is the first hat I've made from scratch. Color is not totally screen accurate, but the experience was great.

Beautiful lid!

Crown height after bash in front is around 4 3/8 - 4 1/2"

You did catch this thread is 3 years old?

Regards! Michaelson

...behind the times M

3 years old or not, I'm back at it. I must admit I haven't done much with hats for a while. Just the occasional reblock. But it's funny this thread was dug up just the other day because I had just recently decided to make another couple hats and received my hat bodies in the mail 2 days ago. Already have one on the block. I'll try to keep you posted.

It's hard to not want to make a hat every once an a while...Unless of course you're broke.

Yep, I pointed out the age of the thread as the example shown was your first attempt and with the years gone by you may have newer examples to share.

Regards! Michaelson

saw several used/vintage fedoras and akubra hats that might make good clay for your mold and not too bad on price either.

Here are some pics of the raw body I'm using. Its sable and 100% rabbit. I like the color a lot. I was using old cowboy hats and any thing else I could get my hands on for a while. It was good practice at first but I do enjoy the start to finish process of making it from the raw body.







As I said before the color is really nice and matches pretty close with my hat by Mike Northwest Hats. Here are some pics.

It's got a pre-cut vintage Poet Dr. WHO vibe about it. I like it. Brim/Crown ratio also looks in tune with the current adjustment norms. Are you going to put these out there for purchase? It's a very good-looking hat.

Indysdad wrote:

Unless that's your lunch on your stove, I really like your steamer.

That's what I use too!

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:

Indysdad wrote:

Unless that's your lunch on your stove, I really like your steamer.

That's what I use too!

Regards! Michaelson

The most consistant model of steamers since...well, pretty much ever.

And, who doesn't like their hats to have that distinct smell of the home kitchen. Mmmmmm.

bantufo wrote:It's got a pre-cut vintage Poet Dr. WHO vibe about it. I like it. Brim/Crown ratio also looks in tune with the current adjustment norms. Are you going to put these out there for purchase? It's a very good-looking hat.

Bantufo, thanks for the compliment. I'm not a vender but I have sold a few hats here and there to anyone who was interested. In fact, the first hat I made I sold on eBay and my brother bought it promptly. However, he did not know that I had made that hat (he was not aware I was making any hats) and I did not know that it was him who had bought it until I saw the address I was sending it to. What are the chances of that?
Anyways, I do not really have the time right now that it takes to commit to pursuing a profession like that. But again I do appreciate the kind remarks. I enjoy making hats from time to time for family members and friends.

Here is the finished product of the hat I just made. This is a Christmas gift for a family member.

Indysdad wrote:Here is the finished product of the hat I just made. This is a Christmas gift for a family member.

Hi there Indysdad. I’m looking to build a block. Would you be willing to share some information on your process?


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MikeMac,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I'm from Tampa Fl, and the hurricane has made this week a little crazy. I have made a couple blocks and I am just going to be honest and say I may or may not of done it all correctly but in the end I have been able to successfully reblock and make hats from scratch with them. I'm going to point you to this thread which was really good and since I pretty much followed this process. Most of the steps were pretty much the same. (http://www.indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=20997). Also this thread was super helpful as well (viewtopic.php?t=27053).

What hat shape are you going for? I made my blocks to achieve the Raiders look.

Step 1 - The wood. Use a type of wood that will not shrink or warp. Don't use pine. Just look up a wood that doesn't shrink or warp and take a look at your options. The wood should be like a 2x8 so that you will have enough to work with. You will end up stacking the wood up and gluing it together with wood glue. Make sure that you have enough wood to make it at least 7.5 inches tall. This will help with making sure you have enough space to work your brim if you get a brim block.

Step 2 - Take wire and wrap it around your head (or whoever you are making a hat for) to get the right head shape. Then you can trace the shape onto those boards.

Step 3 - Cut the wood. This can be really tricky if you don't have the right tools. A table saw, chop saw, jigsaw would all work for this part. Jigsaw would definitely help with precision cutting. Cut the shape out and as mentioned in the thread linked above, you want to make sure to leave the line you have drawn. And honestly I cut it out even a bit larger (Like an 1/8 of and inch) so that I could sand down to the correct size. I did this mostly because I wanted to make sure that the same came out correctly. Fortunately for myself, I have been doing carpentry work for about 4 years, so I have most of the necessary tools. However, when I made my blocks I did not and it took quite the problem solving to figure out how to do everything. If you don't have all the tools you think you'll need just try to borrow some from friends and make-shift some stuff if possible.

Step 4 - Glue the pieces together. Use liquid nails or titebond wood glue. Let the glue dry for about 24 hours

Step 5 - Drill hole on the bottom. The hole should be big enough to stick your thumb in. This will help you with leverage and being able to get your hat off the block after steaming it. It can be tricky otherwise.

Step 5 - Sanding. The shape of the block is a huge part of making sure you achieve the Raiders look. Getting it right is what this step is all about. If you look up an open crown of a Raiders Fedora from other venders you can get a good idea about what the block shape should look like. Here is an example from Advantage hats https://shop.advintage.de/en/Harrison-F ... ble/10149M. I paid close attention to Fedoraiders hats because his Raiders hats are just about perfect and his understanding of every detail is incredible. Look him up on this site to get a good idea of what I mean. I found some pics of his blocks which was also helpful. Anyways, sand the block to the desired shape. You will probably want to use a palm sander or something like since there will probably be quite a bit of sanding to do. Check the size with a sewing tape measure to make sure you're not sanding down too much.

Step 6 - Coat it in Polyurathane. A couple coats would be good.

Step 7 - Send me some pics or post your process. I'd love to see how it turns out and if you need any more help/tips/critiques let me know.

Hope it goes well.

Cheers,
Indysdad

P.S. If anyone else has any thing they would like to add to that please do.

Indysdad wrote:MikeMac,
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I'm from Tampa Fl, and the hurricane has made this week a little crazy. I have made a couple blocks and I am just going to be honest and say I may or may not of done it all correctly but in the end I have been able to successfully reblock and make hats from scratch with them. I'm going to point you to this thread which was really good and since I pretty much followed this process. Most of the steps were pretty much the same. (http://www.indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=20997). Also this thread was super helpful as well (viewtopic.php?t=27053).

What hat shape are you going for? I made my blocks to achieve the Raiders look.

Step 1 - The wood. Use a type of wood that will not shrink or warp. Don't use pine. Just look up a wood that doesn't shrink or warp and take a look at your options. The wood should be like a 2x8 so that you will have enough to work with. You will end up stacking the wood up and gluing it together with wood glue. Make sure that you have enough wood to make it at least 7.5 inches tall. This will help with making sure you have enough space to work your brim if you get a brim block.

Step 2 - Take wire and wrap it around your head (or whoever you are making a hat for) to get the right head shape. Then you can trace the shape onto those boards.

Step 3 - Cut the wood. This can be really tricky if you don't have the right tools. A table saw, chop saw, jigsaw would all work for this part. Jigsaw would definitely help with precision cutting. Cut the shape out and as mentioned in the thread linked above, you want to make sure to leave the line you have drawn. And honestly I cut it out even a bit larger (Like an 1/8 of and inch) so that I could sand down to the correct size. I did this mostly because I wanted to make sure that the same came out correctly. Fortunately for myself, I have been doing carpentry work for about 4 years, so I have most of the necessary tools. However, when I made my blocks I did not and it took quite the problem solving to figure out how to do everything. If you don't have all the tools you think you'll need just try to borrow some from friends and make-shift some stuff if possible.

Step 4 - Glue the pieces together. Use liquid nails or titebond wood glue. Let the glue dry for about 24 hours

Step 5 - Drill hole on the bottom. The hole should be big enough to stick your thumb in. This will help you with leverage and being able to get your hat off the block after steaming it. It can be tricky otherwise.

Step 5 - Sanding. The shape of the block is a huge part of making sure you achieve the Raiders look. Getting it right is what this step is all about. If you look up an open crown of a Raiders Fedora from other venders you can get a good idea about what the block shape should look like. Here is an example from Advantage hats https://shop.advintage.de/en/Harrison-F ... ble/10149M. I paid close attention to Fedoraiders hats because his Raiders hats are just about perfect and his understanding of every detail is incredible. Look him up on this site to get a good idea of what I mean. I found some pics of his blocks which was also helpful. Anyways, sand the block to the desired shape. You will probably want to use a palm sander or something like since there will probably be quite a bit of sanding to do. Check the size with a sewing tape measure to make sure you're not sanding down too much.

Step 6 - Coat it in Polyurathane. A couple coats would be good.

Step 7 - Send me some pics or post your process. I'd love to see how it turns out and if you need any more help/tips/critiques let me know.

Hope it goes well.

Cheers,
Indysdad

P.S. If anyone else has any thing they would like to add to that please do.

Thank you! This has been so helpful. It’s a daunting task, but this is certainly a great starting point! Lots to digest here..


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