Akubra Overload

[Neophyte]

I just ordered a Squatter (willow green) and a Fedora (carbon grey). Along with my Federation IV (dark brown, standard), these three should hold me over for a LONG time. EMS courier shipping means it will be here in about 4 days, so I'll be posting pics sometime around Friday. Wish me luck!

 

[elvisroe]

Nice work!:eusa_clap Why do things by halves?
I look forward to seeing what you do with that fedora.
Squatters are great for shade, I don't mow the lawn in anything else.

 

[elvisroe]

I hope I'm not breaking protocol here - but thought I'd ask:

I need an Akubra liner for a military slouch I've converted. I'd prefer the gold one, but will take anything. Anyone got a spare?

Ive got a white one I pulled out of my Fed iv.

might be a bit deep[huh]

 

[metropd]

1) Black, just like in the photo on their website.
2) I don't have mine with me, but I'd say about 16-19 ligne.

You can look at mine until yours arrives:

Randy

One of my favorite pics on the Lounge! Simply brilliant!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Neophyte]

Yeah. I wanted a Campdraft REALLY bad, but with my dark hair and pale skin, all their colors (even Glen Grey) were too light. So I decided I wanted three hats that were different enough and would go with different sets of clothes within my wardrobe. Here's my reasoning:

Fed IV (dark brown)
---standard hat, works with most of my colors, but not all. Fairly large brim width, unbound edge.

Fedora (carbon grey)
---unbound edge, softer felt than standard imperial quality, thinner ribbon than Fed IV, works with most of my whites and dark blues, smaller profile overall than the fed, and a bit of taper to change up the look, plus a snappier brim.

Squatter (willow green)
---larger than the fed, bound brim, green works with a lot of my colors, thinner ribbon, a small bit of taper. I plan on wearing this with my dark green Eddie Bauer waterproof and weather-resistant coat/jacket when it starts getting cooler, as my shoulders are kinda narrow and this looks to be a big hat.

All open crown.

I'm really looking forward to these hats. Now all I need is a hat brush. I'm glad that I could have them before going back for my second year of college, so I can REPRESENT!!!

 

[CRH]

Looks like Neophyte is learning the ropes, or the lids or... Anyway

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Neophyte]

Thanks, CRH, I'm definitely trying. Unfortunately, there is no teacher like experience, so hopefully my experience will be a good one.

The hats are a big part of my self-prescribed multi-step program called "How to Improve Your Image and Your Personality", alternatively "How to Look Sharp and Be Sharp!" I won't go into why I feel I needed to implement this program, but I will say that the little time (well, relative to some) that I've spent on the Lounge have helped me hop off the fence and get going. Let's just say that, as I aspire to go to med school, I've decided to begin cultivating a slightly more professional image.

Plus, it's summer, and I've really nothing better to do

 

[The Good]

A Fedora and Squatter, nice choices, and the best part about them is the open crown feature! That's also something I'm after as well. For my next hat, I may go with either a silverbelly Campdraft or a moonstone Federation. I'm still deciding which may be preferable.

 

[djgo-cat-go]

I just ordered a Squatter (willow green) and a Fedora (carbon grey). Along with my Federation IV (dark brown, standard), these three should hold me over for a LONG time. EMS courier shipping means it will be here in about 4 days, so I'll be posting pics sometime around Friday. Wish me luck!

:eusa_clap Good luck! you managed to get some money to buy yourself a bunch a hats! Congrats..

 

[Neophyte]

Thanks for the congrats! I'm really looking forward to their arrival.

 

[Neophyte]

Pleasant surprise today! The Fedora and Squatter arrived 2 days earlier than expected. I ordered them Sunday night and they got here this morning on Wednesday.

The brims on these hats are stiff as a board and have MUCH more curl than the Federation IV. This wouldn't be so bad, but right now they look quite ridiculous on me. The crown of the Squatter holds a bash well, and represents my first successful attempt at a center dent bash.

To those who own either of these models: does the brim "calm down" after a while? I don't know if I can wear them with such severe curl and stiffness.

For now, until I work with these hats and bring them into their own, the Fed IV remains my favorite (though, to be fair, I've had this hat for over a month now).

When I get back to the house, the first wetting and shaping begins, starting with the brim. If I can't get it right, I'll post pics and see if you guys can help me at all. Wish me luck.

 

[indycop]

Just take it swimming...
That's the main thing I don't like about the fed IV is the lifeless brim. I prefer to work the brim myself so a stiff brim doesn't bother me.

 

[tnitz]

Brim curl

I had a DM Squatter that I was able to nearly flatten the brim on. The ribbon binding is the limiting factor. I will tell you what I do, but you need to decide for yourself if you are willing to risk it.

First, kinda decide how you want the brim to look. Do you want a flat curl all around, with the "corner" pushed out the edge? Do you want a sharp drop in front with flatter brim in the back? Get an idea of where you are going with it. You will need to work kinda fast. You can do alot to the brim, either by moving the curl to certain parts (like working more curl in front or back and less on the other end) or try to generally work it out (or in) by basically "crushing" the felt in the curl and "stretching" the binding.

Here's how you do it. And I want to say that it doesn't ALWAYS work, but often does. It's the same way I induce curl into a Federations, but they don't tend to hold their curl well over time. Use a good iron with no scorch marks and that produces good steam. Look at your hat and make sure you know where the crown meets the brim - it's often where the sweat is sewn to the felt but not always. You will be ironing the brim counter clockwise in smooth continual motion but you want to be sure that you have the edge of the iron right on that point where the brim meets the crown. The felt will look kinda funny when you do it, but you will brush it back out later. Just be sure to move the iron continuously and smoothly. Watch what happens to the brim. If you are going to be successful you should start seeing the brim flatten. If you are looking to increase curl you would be increasing the pressure on the inside edge of the iron. It's hard to describe, really, but kinda intuitive. When you are about there you want to be ready to take the iron of and do any fine tuning of the brim while it's still hot. It will probably cool rapidly. If you want front droop, this is when I set it so I can get a smooth transition to the upswept back.

In theory you are compressing fibers and so are making the brim thinner, but I've never been able to notice it so maybe I am thinking wrong. Anyway, I can't find any danger to it at all, it's just that some unbound hats, like the Federations, will reach a point where they just want to stay flat and don't curl at all any more.

I've never had to "fingerwork" a curl in - I want to be clear, this is not just heating the felt and working in a curl with your fingers - the steam and the heat of the iron, coupled with the edge of the brim (bound or unbound) and the padding of the ironing board, are finding a curl to rest in. You'll see once you do it.

You can do it wet, but I wouldn't.

 

[tnitz]

Lazy Man's Reblocking

I apologize upfront that I can't post images - I just can't get it to work.

What follows is something I've been doing recently. You can choose for yourself whether or not it's worth trying. I've been happy with the results.

A month ago I ordered and received a silverbelly Camp Draft. I could not have been happier. A week later I could already tell that it was changing shape having been exposed to sun and rain. Two weeks later and the honeymoon was virtually over. Recently it's been sitting on the shelf.

In the interim, I realized that my military slouch was merely decorative and gathering dust. I think I wore it once, hunting. Having heard from someone on this forum that ordered a plastic mold from Hatshapers, I decided to give it a go - my wooden blocks all have taper and are for different hats altogether. The ABS mold arrived a couple days later and I immediately soaked the slouch in cold water and stretched it over the mold. I was pleased with how easily the cattleman's crease came out and that I was able to stretch the crown a little (1/4") and completely change the character of the hat. It dried, I put some soft creases in it in different styles and noticed how quickly and how softly the top of the dome softened up while the sides remained fairly stiff. I added a 1 1/2" ribbon and have been wearing it since. It's an entirely different hat now.

Last night I decided to take the plunge and do the same to my Camp Draft.

Here's what I do and some cautions:
* I wouldn't do this to a "nice" hat. There are downsides to the method. It will not produce a hat with as full a crown as the Camp Draft, for example, comes with, it will leave a slight bulge where the sweat is, and it's not at all the same as getting it professionally reblocked. I use it for my more casual hats which are the ones that are most subjected to shrinkage.

*We will leave the sweat in - this creates the slight bulge at the base of the crown and will compress the sweat a little. Also, since we are not binding the felt to the mold at the base, we will be limited in how much we can stretch the felt and in theory it could shrink on the mold, losing some crown height. I haven't experienced that, but it's possible. What I have noticed after a half dozen times doing this, is that the crown height will vary about 1/4" from time to time, simply because we are limited in how much we can stretch the felt. However, there are also benefits. Since we are leaving the sweat in, we can redo this anytime we want and a day later be wearing the hat again. If the hat gets soaking wet we can simply place it back on the mold. The slight bulge at bottom creates the impression that the middle of the crown, the waist, is smaller, giving something of a cross between a taper and a reverse taper. It's odd, but I kinda like it actually. It works best, however, with ribbons that actually cover the sweat so you can't see it.

*The dome will not mimic the original dome of the Camp Draft, Squatter, Federation III or IV, or military slouch. It is more domed than any of those. The mold is straight sided however, and once creased I personally don't see alot of difference. The "corners" are of similar radius to those originally on the Camp Draft. However, if you try this and find it works, the beauty is that you can replicate it again whenever you want. I typically use a center crease, but played with a porkpie as well and found that I could create both that looked nice. I didn't play with a diamond or teardrop as much but think it works fine for those, too.

*Here we go - Remove the liner and clean it and set it aside. If this is the first time, wet the crown completely, from inside and out. You don't have to wet the brim, but I do to avoid any possible waterstaining. Work the hat down onto the mold evenly. The brim will tell you when you are off. The mold is high enough for the hats noted above. At this point spend your time working out the creases and stretching the crown over the corners. You will feel when the dome is completely onto the mold - if there's space up there, you can feel it. Once it's seated (and you may need to rewet it) then start working on the sides. If you are trying to increase crown height the start working the sides down the mold as best you can. The best you can get is the have the sweat hit the bottom of the flanged mold all around. I only got that far once, most of the time I'm more like an 1/8" from the flange. If you reach the flange, great. If not, work the felt down as far as you can and then make sure the seat is evenly away from the flange all the way around and not tilted one way or t'other. Work from the dome down again and make sure it's all even all the way around. Then check the brim. If there's a strange warp, it probably means your hat is tilted on the mold. Work it out. Then, with your fingers, even out the brim as best you can (you'll clean it up later, once it's dry and off the mold). Then, I take a fine Scotchbrite pad and "brush" the nap counter clockwise all around. You don't have to do this, but it makes later brushing easier and the hat will look nicer from the get go. Let the hat dry out of the sun and where it can dry fairly slowly, usually overnight. If you can, while the hat is drying, every once in a while go and work the felt down over the mold again from the dome down to the brim. Sometimes you may gain a little height. Pay particular attention to the sides of the crown to avoid any wrinkles or creases. It's harder to stretch the felt on the sides without some kind of anchor, so you just have to watch it.

*When the felt feels completely dry, remove the hat from the mold. It will take some pulling so be careful. The sweat and felt over the sweat will still be wet. Let it do it's final drying off the mold. Don't put it on or put creases in it yet. Let it dry out.

*When it's completely dry you can look at the bulge created by the sweat. If it bothers you, you can iron or steam it out, just keep the heat and steam away from the dome. It doesn't bother me and after a few days wearing it goes away. On wider ribbon hats you probably can't even tell.

*Now, pop a center crease in it. Pop it out. Do it about four times. Now pop a pork pie in it. Pop it out. Do it a few more times. Try a diamond. Pop it out. Where I am going with this is that the dome will soften up pretty quickly, to the point you should be able to put in any top crease you want and pop it back out. The sides will still be somewhat stiff which helps to let you pop the top creases in and out. If you pinch, put in some soft pinches and pop them out a few times. It will get to the point where it will go right to the pinch and come back out. If you want a sharper crease or pinches, do whatever you usually do - you just won't be able to pop them back out.

*Brush your hat once dry. What's cool is that you can actually put it back on the mold dry to brush it good. If the crown works for you and your style of crease, you can simply remove the liner anytime it gets wet and let it dry on the block. Shrinking in the sun? Wet it and put it back on the mold. It's not the same hat, but to large extent will be the same hat from this moment onward.

Again, this is nowhere near as good as sending it off for professional reblocking. But it's a pain and not inexpensive to have a hat reblocked these days (for me it never was, actually, easy but always kinda costly) and this works great for my hats which aren't fine dress hats (which usually don't have the problems anyway because they aren't subjected to weather extremes) but that I still want to look good.

I am a 7 3/8 LO, wear a size 60 Akubra, and ordered the Medium Plus size straight sided dome. One plus for me is that the mold I received is more oval than the standard Akubra block so makes a nicer crown for my face.

 

[Neophyte]

The brim on the Squatter and Fedora are very snappy. I can push the brim snapped down pretty far back, and as I do the curl in back gets sharper. The problem, I guess, is that I'm used to the upward "swoop" of the brim of my Fed IV. There is very little, if any, swoop on the Fedora and Squatter, so when slightly tilted back on my head, my head almost looks like a saucer (the UFO kind)...let me see if I can take a picture of what I mean. It's not bad, it's just very different from what I'm used to. My Fedora doesn't have a bound brim, but it does the same thing.

Alright, here's my Fed in it's current state (picture just doesn't due it justice ). Notice how the brim kinda points up/swoops up:

And here's the Squatter, with the jacket I plan to wear with it, and it's UFO-ish downward swoop. I also find the center dent more flattering to my facial features than the bash on my Fed IV. The hat seems to be cocked slightly to the side, and is not totally centered on my head, but I believe the effect I'm discussing is still VERY NOTICEABLE:

It still looks good, but I believe it would look AMAZING with a moderate (compared to the Fed IV, at least) amount of "swoop" in the brim.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Neophyte,
How about a shot of the Fedora when you get a chance? Thanks, CB

 

[Neophyte]

No problem. The fedora is very much like the Squatter, but with about a half-inch smaller brim, and a slight taper to the crown when unbashed. It's really friggin' soft, almost like my Fed IV after taking 5 days to dry out after that huge rainstorm I got caught in (for more info, check out "How Much Rain Can an Akubra Take" thread). It'll take about thirty minutes, but I'll get you the picture soon.

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Thanks Neophyte, no hurry, I have a Fed IV and a Squatter and I'm just curious about how the Fedora compares.

 

[danofarlington]

Thanks Neophyte, no hurry, I have a Fed IV and a Squatter and I'm just curious about how the Fedora compares.

Now I'm interested in the Squatter, and appreciate the photo. It's a mighty big hat. Chuck Bobuck, do you find yourself wearing it often; if so what are the conditions (like you know it's going to rain); what color did you pick; are you happy with the color?

 

[Chuck Bobuck]

Now I'm interested in the Squatter, and appreciate the photo. It's a mighty big hat. Chuck Bobuck, do you find yourself wearing it often; if so what are the conditions (like you know it's going to rain); what color did you pick; are you happy with the color?

Dano, It's the one currently in my avatar. The brim is a little wide. I curled it in a Hollywood brim now, but no current pics. The crown is not as generous as the Campdraft or Fed. I do like it and it makes a great snow and rain hat. I don't find myself wearing it as often as my Fed. Here's a comparison shot with the Fed IV...