Akubra Campdraft

[Fed in a Fedora]

Johnny,

Thanks for the suggestion. I have also shaved some stray hairs or even small rough areas from a hat or three in the past. Sadly, this is a large area against the band and the corner at the crown. Initial attempts to do the simple touch-up shaving were not successful. I need to study this a bit and consider sanding it with a good backing. Will likely need to remove the band, but I like a wider hat band anyway.

I got a hat kit because they failed to perform a quality check at the factory and again at the distributor. I will go back to ordering only from the guy (Sam Menche of Everything Australian) who actually checked each of my hats before shipping. Such attention to detail separates the best from the other guys.

Fed

 

[Joshbru3]

Akubra more than likely does not pounce further than 400 grit. I would take a 220 to the rough areas (going in a counterclockwise one way motion) and then finish with a 400 grit in the same manner. This should take care of the uneven roughness. Do not press too hard, but rather let the sandpaper do the work. If 400 isn't smooth enough, you can go to 600 grit, but I highly doubt Akubra is going that high.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Aether,

Most of us started with the same concern regarding the brim of the CampDrafts, but quickly came to appreicate them. I now leave my smaller brims at home in favor of these hats. I like the look and the sun protection.

I do have a Silverbelly CD and it is a very nice tan hat - second only to the Bluegrass Green for wearing time.

Fed

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Akubra more than likely does not pounce further than 400 grit. I would take a 220 to the rough areas (going in a counterclockwise one way motion) and then finish with a 400 grit in the same manner. This should take care of the uneven roughness. Do not press too hard, but rather let the sandpaper do the work. If 400 isn't smooth enough, you can go to 600 grit, but I highly doubt Akubra is going that high.

Thanks for the input. This is exactly what I was thinking. I even bought some 220 grit for the purpose. I just need to face up to removing the band or masking it and then doing the sanding.

On the other hand, my wife says that few people are tall enough to even see the rough so she says that I should just leave it there. So if I mess it up, there will be the dreaded "I told you so moment..."

Fed

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Josh; I am curious - How did you work the 200 grit sandpaper? I have been tempted to use my Bosch Palm Sander with 200 grit. Clamp the palm sander to the workbench and hold the hat gently in hand and work the felt. I read into your post that wrapping the sandpaper around the hand or holding the sandpaper in hand and working against the surface gently is your suggested method.

I wear my A.Campdraft (FL Bluegrass) lots in MN hard weather. The hat is a trooper for tough situations. The pouncing and ribbon work is something that perhaps only I notice. The sweatband and liner are tough stuff!

Best, Eric -

 

[Joshbru3]

Thanks for the input. This is exactly what I was thinking. I even bought some 220 grit for the purpose. I just need to face up to removing the band or masking it and then oding the sanding.

On the other hand, my wife says that few people are tall enough to see even the rough so she says that I should just leave it there. So if I mess it up, there will be the dreaded "I told you so moment..."

Fed

Ah...the dreaded "I told you so" moment.....I know them well.

Depending on where the uneven spot/spots are, you may not need to remove the band. Where on the hat are they located? Under the reed of the sweatband or the ribbon?

If they are located under the ribbon, then I have had great success with cutting a couple tacking stitches, raising the ribbon, sanding the uneven spot, and just replacing the ribbon tacks.

 

[Joshbru3]

Josh; I am curious - How did you work the 200 grit sandpaper? I have been tempted to use my Bosch Palm Sander with 200 grit. Clamp the palm sander to the workbench and hold the hat gently in hand and work the felt. I read into your post that wrapping the sandpaper around the hand or holding the sandpaper in hand and working against the surface gently is your suggested method.

Eric, my personal preference when it comes to sanding felt is always by hand. Even though it takes longer and uses much more physical effort, hand sanding allows the person who is sanding the ability to "feel" the felt better. It is extremely easy to "oversand" felt with a power sander but to be very honest, its very easy to over-sand felt by hand as well. Its not the pressure which is so important, its allowing the sandpaper to do its work and evenly take the layers off of the felt. If sanding is done too hard or for too long in one particular spot, color blothchy-ness shows up very easily. Also, sanding should always be done in a counter-clockwise motion. I do have a couple tricks which allow for clockwise sanding at certain points in the hat making process, but that's only to shorten the length of the felt nap when final grit sanding has not done the trick.

One thing that I have learned the hard way several times.....sanding a vintage hat body in little sections does not always work. Vintage hat bodies have "aged" and many have faded ever so slightly though the years. Sanding a vintage hat body may reveal a slightly different color underneath the faded layer of felt once sanded. Its not always the case, but it does happen. That's why caution must be taken when sanding vintage hat bodies unless a complete rebuild of the hat is being done and the entire hat body is being sanded (crown and brim) entirely. Modern hats usually do not have this problem if they are new enough or have not experience major sun exposure.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Thanks for sharing Josh.

I need to experiment on a "yard hat."

 

[Aether]

Thanks Fed. I'm relatively new to brimmed hat wearing, so still probably getting used to what looks 'normal'.

Alas, I think it's a foregone conclusion that I'll buy a CD. Thanks FL, my bank account hates you!

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Alas?

Hey, it could be worse. I have 3 CDs in various colors. But that is not the problem. The wife's tolerance is finally being challenged with my growing collection of hats. There are a few Stetsons, some Beaver Brand westerns and even a Borsalino which all appeared over the past year since I joined FL. I already had a bunch of hats before I got here, but things have surely escalated lately due to the rampant enabling atmosphere of FL.

Fed

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Ah...the dreaded "I told you so" moment.....I know them well.

Depending on where the uneven spot/spots are, you may not need to remove the band. Where on the hat are they located? Under the reed of the sweatband or the ribbon?

If they are located under the ribbon, then I have had great success with cutting a couple tacking stitches, raising the ribbon, sanding the uneven spot, and just replacing the ribbon tacks.

I thank you for your continued guidance. I will likely use a small sanding block and protect or remove the ribbon to work the rough area out. To answer the question regarding the location of the rough, it is not a spot, but more like an elliptical band just below the narrow ribbon:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22906&d=1421383571

I actually might replace the ribbon for the one at the right of this photo.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=22904&d=1421374714

Fed

PS (Hopefully, nobody mistakes this for a rant against Akubra. They make a very good product for a reasonable price. I have 3 Camp Drafts/Campdrafts and enjoy them all. Attractive, affordable, durable and comfortable hats which protect you rather than you worrying about them.)

F

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Comparison notes on 3 Campdrafts:

Camp Draft vs Campdraft. There are two different names inside of these hats. One distributor uses Camp Draft while another uses Campdraft. They are basically the same hat. I guess that either name is correct.

The lower priced hats are Silverbelly and Bluegrass Green. The Silverbelly was a bit larger than the BlueGrass, but both fit the same now. The Bluegrass had a far better sweatband in terms of being soft and supple. Not sure why, but it is so.

The Moonstone is deluxe/heritage collection. The feel of the deluxe is softer to the touch and look. This is also a bit more supple hat and the crown took the crease quicker. The sweat is a bit thinner material and supple, but not far from the Bluegrass. The weight of the deluxe is lighter. The break-in period was quick.

Just thought that some people might want some feedback on these points.

Fed

 

[diabolicaldog]

I was at a Camp Draft in my Camp Draft on the weekend. Hardly a brim under four inches to be seen.

 

[cloudatlas]

Does anyone have both a Campdraft and a Squatter? I am trying to decide between a Glen Gray Campdraft and a Steel Gray Squatter (the Squatter is quite a bit cheaper), and would love to see some noggin shots for comparison. I looked on the Squatter thread, but unfortunately, most of the pictures have been removed.

 

[gtdean48]

...

Camp Draft vs Campdraft. There are two different names inside of these hats. One distributor uses Camp Draft while another uses Campdraft. They are basically the same hat. I guess that either name is correct.
...

I've seen Camp Draft in the sweatbands of Imperial grade hats & Campdraft in Heritage grade.
The word is "campdraft" or "campdrafting" which is Australia's version of working cowhorse.
The only place I have seen Camp Draft as 2 words is the sweatband of my Imperial grade Akubras.

 

[gtdean48]

Does anyone have both a Campdraft and a Squatter? I am trying to decide between a Glen Gray Campdraft and a Steel Gray Squatter (the Squatter is quite a bit cheaper), and would love to see some noggin shots for comparison. I looked on the Squatter thread, but unfortunately, most of the pictures have been removed.

Can't help you out with photos of both. I've had both but got rid of the Squatters due to the low crown height, too low for my taste.
Yours may vary though. If I was going for a grey colored squatter, it'd be the moonstone = GREAT color. IMHO

 

[cloudatlas]

Thanks! I have a Sydney in Regency Fawn that I love, and thought the Squatter might be a tad better for a fishing hat because of the wider brim. Some sort of grey would be nice, and EA's steel grey is quite a bit cheaper than the Hattery's moonstone, but the moonstone pics I've seen are pretty darn nice.

These Campdraft pics are pretty alluring, though. The crown on the Campdraft can look a tad wide, though. Maybe it's something that can be adjusted by the right bash.

 

[gtdean48]

Oops, didn't think I still had these photos. This Squatter had its brim trimmed by previous owner just behind the brim binding.
He was going for an Indy look & I got a brown one & a grey one for a huge discount. I raised the crease as much as I could.
Grey Squatter...

Glen Grey Campdraft...

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Does anyone have both a Campdraft and a Squatter? I am trying to decide between a Glen Gray Campdraft and a Steel Gray Squatter (the Squatter is quite a bit cheaper), and would love to see some noggin shots for comparison. I looked on the Squatter thread, but unfortunately, most of the pictures have been removed.

I tried to buy the Glen Gray Campdraft and was advised that this is no longer available. I ordered the Moonstone and like it, but mine is a bit blue/gray.

Fed

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

I've seen Camp Draft in the sweatbands of Imperial grade hats & Campdraft in Heritage grade.
The word is "campdraft" or "campdrafting" which is Australia's version of working cowhorse.
The only place I have seen Camp Draft as 2 words is the sweatband of my Imperial grade Akubras.

Good point. This name change may be due to the quality level rather than the distributors. My two Imperial sweat bands are marked Camp Draft from Sam at Everything Australian while the Heritage is marked Campdraft from another company. My initial assumption of the difference being by distributor might have been wrong.

I was aware that the campdraft name refers to their working cattle with horses, but was more interested in the differences in how/why they printed the variations on their hats and in literature. The fact that there are two names from the same company is amusing. Most people here seem to use the hats as fedoras, so the names seem a bit out of synch. The ride time that mine gets is in the saddlebag of a Harley so I can go from helmet to fedora.

Fed