Akubra Overload

[deadlyhandsome]

If any of you larger head Akubra fans are interested, I have two size 61 (7 5/8) hats for sale on eBay right now: A moonstone Federation IV Heritage DeLuxe and an Acorn Fawn Stylemaster


https://m.ebay.com/itm/Akubra-Style...397485?hash=item41d724f42d:g:IwYAAOSwbtNaPVJv

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Akubra-Feder...411354?hash=item41d7252a5a:g:ef8AAOSw1cNaPVTj




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[TunedVWGti]

Hi,

I'm rather new to the fedora lounge. I ordered an Akubra Bushman that I was excited about but the 58 didn't fit well. I'm usually a 7 1/4 in a long oval, but I just didn't like how tight the 58 was so I sent it back.

Then I stumbled upon a used Snowy River size 59 on eBay for somewhere near $60.

I went ahead and bought it with plans to play around with rebashing it. It sounded like a fun venture...

Upon arrival I noticed the used Snowy River was MUCH softer than the new Bushman I got the week prior but had returned. I liked the snowy river. The 59 is a little too big, but I figured with some pads under the sweat band I could make it work.

The front pinch on the Snowy River didn't work with my face shape so I immediately got to work steaming it into an open crown with my tea kettle and then I started in with some variations on a brick or cattleman crease. (Some front pinch hats the pinch is more set back, but the snowy river, the pinch is up front...just doesn't work for me...)

I've been playing around and learning with patience it's all very doable and fun!

I inserted pads in the front and back and I'm pretty happy with the results. The crown could be a little larger for my liking but overall I'm really happy.

 

[TunedVWGti]

Here are two more pictures. I don't have a before image.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Hi,

I'm rather new to the fedora lounge. I ordered an Akubra Bushman that I was excited about but the 58 didn't fit well. I'm usually a 7 1/4 in a long oval, but I just didn't like how tight the 58 was so I sent it back.

Then I stumbled upon a used Snowy River size 59 on eBay for somewhere near $60.

I went ahead and bought it with plans to play around with rebashing it. It sounded like a fun venture...

Upon arrival I noticed the used Snowy River was MUCH softer than the new Bushman I got the week prior but had returned. I liked the snowy river. The 59 is a little too big, but I figured with some pads under the sweat band I could make it work.

I really like the Stetson Buffalo Nickel front pinch hat at Orvis, but the front pinch on the Snowy River didn't work with my face shape so I immediately got to work steaming it into an open crown with my tea kettle and then I started in with some variations on a brick or cattleman crease. (Some front pinch hats the pinch is more set back, but the snowy river, the pinch is up front...just doesn't work for me...)

I've been playing around and learning with patience it's all very doable and fun!

I inserted pads in the front and back and I'm pretty happy with the results. The crown could be a little larger for my liking but overall I'm really happy.

Hello and welcome. For future reference, the preferred process for such questions is to use an existing thread such as Ask a Qestion, Get an Answer. It becomes cumbersome if a new thread is started for routine questions.

You might also look at how to use the Google search function (rather than the search feature on the Lounge's website).
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/how-to-search-the-fedora-lounge.61323/

Some of the old guard take umbrage at us newbies not following protocols. I'm sure there is some general information on your topic already posted here at the Lounge. A specific question not already answered would fit right in the Ask a Question, Get an Answer thread. No biggie, just for the future.

 

[TunedVWGti]

Darn!

Now I see the post new hats here forum section! I didn't see it originally on my phone.

Sorry.

Is there any way to redirect this thread there?

Sorry!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Darn!

Now I see the post new hats here forum section! I didn't see it originally on my phone.

Sorry.

Is there any way to redirect this thread there?

Sorry!

No worries. I still make mistakes here, but most of the long time residents are patient with me...most.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Welcome to the forum Troy. Don't worry about the post. A mod will probably move it but it will be linked so everyone will be able to find it.

Your Snowy River looks good on you. For sizing you will find plenty of posts with ideas about shimming it to fit. I don't own a Snowy River so was wondering if you have a pic of it in open crown?

 

[TunedVWGti]

Welcome to the forum Troy. Don't worry about the post. A mod will probably move it but it will be linked so everyone will be able to find it.

Your Snowy River looks good on you. For sizing you will find plenty of posts with ideas about shimming it to fit. I don't own a Snowy River so was wondering if you have a pic of it in open crown?

As soon as I got home that night I popped out the crown and started steaming it. I should've taken a picture however it slipped my mind in the excitement of creating a "new" hat.

They have a pretty low crown, which I was aware of from reading others reports.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

As soon as I got home that night I popped out the crown and started steaming it. I should've taken a picture however it slipped my mind in the excitement of creating a "new" hat.

They have a pretty low crown, which I was aware of from reading others reports.

Yes, I was curious to see the taper of the open crown.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Looks good. I did something similar years ago but put it into a Gus crease

Wear it in good health
Johnny


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[Cornshucker77]

Anyone ever owned a Akubra Adventurer? I've been thinking about getting one.

 

[Fed in a Fedora]

Anyone ever owned a Akubra Adventurer? I've been thinking about getting one.

There are multiple Akubra hats with that name. One is like a Coober Pedy and the other is similar to the Fed IV. Be careful to specify which you are discussing.

Fed

 

[RJR]

Anyone ever owned a Akubra Adventurer? I've been thinking about getting one.

Yes,I have an Adventurer.I believe it came from D.Morgan;there are at least two versions.Mine is fairly tall ,straight crown,the other is more tapered.The ribbon was

damaged and replaced by me.

 

[Cornshucker77]

There are multiple Akubra hats with that name. One is like a Coober Pedy and the other is similar to the Fed IV. Be careful to specify which you are discussing.

Fed

Didn't know that. Thanks.

 

[Cornshucker77]

Yes,I have an Adventurer.I believe it came from D.Morgan;there are at least two versions.Mine is fairly tall ,straight crown,the other is more tapered.The ribbon was

damaged and replaced by me. View attachment 100509

I like that and good job with the ribbon. A tall straight crown is what I was looking for. Thanks Bob.

 

[Nathaniel Finley]

I hate to do this, but I really feel the need to record this terrible experience I had the other day in Melbourne at the so-called “iconic” City Hatters in Flinder’s Street Station. It’s a wonderful location and the store couldn’t be a more charming set-up, just in a basement shop tucked under the main stairwell into the railway station.

I’ve been in there once before about three years ago before I knew anything about felt hats and I had a wonderful time. I purchased two hats. I was hoping for more of the same this visit but alas, I should never have learned anything about felt hats if I didn’t want to be disappointed.

The exact same woman served me - I want to make that clear. It was the same woman 3 years ago as yesterday. This is such an issue because she apparently knows jackall about hats - even Akubras, which is mainly what she stocks. In the space of ten minutes here is the list of bad information I received from her:

-Akubra heritage quality sweatbands and imperial quality sweatbands are exactly the same.

-A leather sweatband is more likely to shrink due to moisture than a cloth sweatband.

-The reason the fel on an Akubra Fedora (that’s a model, in the U.S. it might be called the Sydney but I’m not positive) - the reason the felt is so soft is that they don’t use as much stiffener in it.

-She’s not sure if my vintage 1950s Stetson sweatband is roan or not, but she’s quite sure it’s plastic (really, that’s what she said).

After that last comment from her I just hung my head politely and continued browsing the store. Imagine my horror when I saw the condition of the hats on display. I mean, open brimmed sombreros squashed down so they would fit on the shelf! (seriously, that’s how they are displayed); hats in various degrees of disarray with absolutely no regard for the quality of showcasing, and honestly a very, very limited selection.

I’m not sure what this post is meant to be because it will accomplish nothing and anyway it’s their store - let them run it how they want. Maybe I just want to record how disappointing that experience was for me after having gained even the most rudimentary knowledge of felt hats. After working three years in a hat shop that specializes in Akubras I’d hope to at least know that the Heritage sweat is of superior quality to the Imperial sweat.

She was just a young woman, and obviously very stylish and all of this. Maybe that’s more important to their market but serious Akubra collectors beware!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Anyone ever owned a Akubra Adventurer? I've been thinking about getting one.

Is this the Akubra Adventurer you were referring to?

https://hatsdirect.com/collections/the-akubra-range-1/products/adventurer

I toyed with the idea of getting one. I envisioned it as a quasi Indy hat that I could travel with. I still think it fits that bill, but so do a couple of other hats I own and the "need" went and I've moved on. It looks like an interesting hat and I've seen some photos of it being worn here on the Lounge and it looks good. If it is a style that you like I'd say go for it.



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[Frunobulax]

I hate to do this, but I really feel the need to record this terrible experience I had the other day in Melbourne at the so-called “iconic” City Hatters in Flinder’s Street Station. It’s a wonderful location and the store couldn’t be a more charming set-up, just in a basement shop tucked under the main stairwell into the railway station.

I’ve been in there once before about three years ago before I knew anything about felt hats and I had a wonderful time. I purchased two hats. I was hoping for more of the same this visit but alas, I should never have learned anything about felt hats if I didn’t want to be disappointed.

The exact same woman served me - I want to make that clear. It was the same woman 3 years ago as yesterday. This is such an issue because she apparently knows jackall about hats - even Akubras, which is mainly what she stocks. In the space of ten minutes here is the list of bad information I received from her:

-Akubra heritage quality sweatbands and imperial quality sweatbands are exactly the same.

-A leather sweatband is more likely to shrink due to moisture than a cloth sweatband.

-The reason the fel on an Akubra Fedora (that’s a model, in the U.S. it might be called the Sydney but I’m not positive) - the reason the felt is so soft is that they don’t use as much stiffener in it.

-She’s not sure if my vintage 1950s Stetson sweatband is roan or not, but she’s quite sure it’s plastic (really, that’s what she said).

After that last comment from her I just hung my head politely and continued browsing the store. Imagine my horror when I saw the condition of the hats on display. I mean, open brimmed sombreros squashed down so they would fit on the shelf! (seriously, that’s how they are displayed); hats in various degrees of disarray with absolutely no regard for the quality of showcasing, and honestly a very, very limited selection.

I’m not sure what this post is meant to be because it will accomplish nothing and anyway it’s their store - let them run it how they want. Maybe I just want to record how disappointing that experience was for me after having gained even the most rudimentary knowledge of felt hats. After working three years in a hat shop that specializes in Akubras I’d hope to at least know that the Heritage sweat is of superior quality to the Imperial sweat.

She was just a young woman, and obviously very stylish and all of this. Maybe that’s more important to their market but serious Akubra collectors beware!

Well, what she told you about the Akubra Fedora is likely true. Being a "city hat," it is a softer felt. I own one.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Nathaniel Finley]

Well, what she told you about the Akubra Fedora is likely true. Being a "city hat," it is a softer felt. I own one.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Yes, it’s partially true, but the rabbit is also sourced more judiciously to create the higher quality felt.

These hats have a better hand even than the Heritage felt I’ve handled and I found her explanation to be rather unprofessional and incomplete, unfortunately.

But I’ll leave it at that - I don’t want to beat up the store anymore than I already did.

 

[Nolucker]

I was in that store in Melbourne just last week and I left after 5 minutes. It's a real tourist trap, the hats are in awful condition, they looked like they may have been rejects from the Akubra factory. The staff knows nothing about hats. Later in the same week I was in the Hattery in Katoomba. This was a real hat shop with a large selection and a knowledgeable staff. I was helped by a young lady named Trudi who patiently fetched hats for me and let me make her nuts for 45 minutes until I found the right hat. She let me work the bash with the store's steamer behind the counter and I left happily with my new steel grey Fed 4. Just a great shopping experience.