Bashing 101

[1OldGI]

I think understand the concept of the bash. Shaping the crown however you want it to be right? Can anyone direct me to a site (or talk me through the procedure)? With a 7 1/2 spud size, vintage hats are pretty hard to come by but I am eyeballing a couple on ebay. As such some basic, bashing 101 and vintage hat restoration advice would be greatly appreciated. One of these old hats would be the perfect companion for my pre-1940 Kaywoodie pipes. Difference being, I know how to restore a horribly mistreated old pipe but not so with a beat up old hat. Thanks in advance

 

[rmrdaddy]

GI,
Here's a great resource from the forum. It's a bunch of great hat threads all together:
http://thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=28658

Here is one specifically on creases/bashes:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=10272

Enjoy!

 

[Ray-Vigo]

Just curious-- is bashing limited to fur felt or does it work for wool felt and crushable felt too?

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Bashing, in this context, is something one does to a hat which comes with an open crown. I've only seen fur felt hats offered this way. I have only seen wool hats with preformed crown shapes built right in.

 

[Spats McGee]

Like HPG, I've never seen a wool felt hat come with an open crown. However, I recently rebashed two wool felt hats, one unlined Burlington Coat Factory cheapie and an unlined Jaxon fedora, from a center dents to C-Crowns (or my best approximation thereof). So it can be done with wool, but the two that I did took a fair amount of work and quite a bit of water to get the preformed shapes out. I suspect that it's easier with fur felt, but don't know that for sure, as I don't have a fur felt hat yet.

 

[duggap]

To bash my crease

Once upon a time we had a thread on the word bash. Seems it is a term that either came from COW or the FL and was not a term used back in the day. I for one voted we keep the term but most wanted to go to the term crease. Either way, just get yourself an open crown and bash to your hearts content. And good luck cause I ain't no good at it. :rage: lol

 

[barrowjh]

For us amateurs, it is impossible to get a machine-pressed C-crown bash out of a fur felt. I have never succeeded with that. The machine press seems to have stretched the fur felt a bit extra right at the crease, so without re-blocking it altogether you just cannot get away from that shape.

 

[scotrace]

Once upon a time we had a thread on the word bash.

"Bash" is not a hatter's term.

And I wouldn't use the term with a hatter.


But it's all a tempest in a teapot. Bash it, dent it, crease it, shape it, mold it.

But enjoy it.

 

[Belegnole]

Until I came here I had always known the terms concerning hat shaping to be different. In fact the general term was to "shape" a hat. The dent on the top a crease and on the sides the pinch. When I first heard the term bash used I thought that I had been mistaken, and admit I rather like the term. However it brings to mind a amateurish shaping or something done by a drunk. Bash sounds manly and being men we like manly things....being manly men and all.

 

[Daoud]

Until I came here I had always known the terms concerning hat shaping to be different. In fact the general term was to "shape" a hat. The dent on the top a crease and on the sides the pinch. When I first heard the term bash used I thought that I had been mistaken, and admit I rather like the term. However it brings to mind a amateurish shaping or something done by a drunk. Bash sounds manly and being men we like manly things....being manly men and all.

Well, ya gotta bear in mind that there are plenty of females in The Lounge.

"Bash" IS an interesting term, though- particularly since neither of the two regular dictionaries ( Webster's Collegiate and The American Heritage Dictionary) I've consulted assigns the meaning "to shape a hat" to the word "bash." I thought it might be a Britishism, so I checked out Partridge's " Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English"- it gives some very surprising meanings to the word, but nothing to do with hats.

But there it is. Res ipsa loquitor, as Hunter Thompson would say. That's the word we use....I've seen the term in David Morgan's catalogue for years, as well.

 

[RBH]

Since this....

"Bash" is not a hatter's term.

I have creased my fedoras.
But on a wool hat... bash would be the correct term.
It takes alot of water and alot of bashing to change the shape of a wool hat.
But, it can be done... I have done it!


But to try and answer your question 1OldGI, shaping a fedora is really very easy. Some of the members here recomend using steam, and it will work. But I always use water, just wet the area you wish to crease and then be the artist... just crease what you would like the felt to look like.

 

[Dinerman]

Here are some basic hat shaping/ cleaning/ things to do when you first get your hat tips:

Gently steam from the outside, working in sections, never applying the steam for too long, in order to soften the hat to work it with your hands, and return it to open crown. Let it sit to dry and re-stiffen, as the steaming process reactivates the stiffner in the hat. Once that is complete, you should be able to crease the hat into whatever shape you want by hand, or you can lightly apply steam to the crown to soften it up to make it easier to work with. Don't make any of the edges too sharp, and don't literally "crease" any part of the crown- Just dent it. For a brim that has been deformed, or doesn't snap right, snap it down all around, and lightly apply steam from the top. Use your hands to smooth any bumps. Let cool and dry, then snap the brim back up all around.

Be careful not to leave steam on the felt for too long, or too close. Be sure not to get the steam on the sweatband, as it can shrink, dry, or warp the leather. Be extra careful about the sweatband area if there is a plastic or onionskin backing, put in to protect the felt from sweat. I had a hat catch on fire once during steaming when I steamed too long, and that plastic heated up too much.

I'd recommend distilled water. Regular water won't really make that much of a difference, but there is always the possibility of staining with regular water. Distilled water doesn't leave deposits in your steamer, either, if you have one.

Bring the front and back of the crease down to the point where the straight sides of the crown and the top dome of the hat begins.

Starting with a centerdent is always a good place to begin, as you can make sure your crease is symmetrical to begin with, and work from there.
------------

Sometimes at the back of the sweatband, where the ends of the reeding meet each other, there can be some green gunk on the metal which joins the reeding. This can be scraped away, but be careful to make sure it doesn't touch the felt, as it stains incredibly easily.

Avoid flipping the sweatband out if possible. Some hats have stitching, weakened from time, which is sturdy enough for years of wear, but if direct pressure is applied from flipping it out, it can snap, which sometimes can require a new sweatband to be installed.

That being said- one thing that may require flipping the sweatband out-
Hats which have shrunk. Sometimes shrinkage of a hat is not from actual shrinkage of the leather, but from shrinkage of the plastic membrane behind the sweatband, which forces the sweatband to buckle in. If this is the case, carefully cut or tear the plastic layer out, then wear the hat as much as you can, or put it on a stretcher, to stretch the sweatband back out. This is common on older hats. I've had to do this on several '50s Adams, a '40s Stetson Imperial, recently on my '50s Dunley, and on several other hats. It's easy to miss this, and a hat stretcher wouldn't solve this kind of shrinkage without removing the layer. In most cases, though, this layer hasn't shrunk, and is very nice to have, as it prevents sweat from soaking through and staining the band.

For a thin spot, but not a hole, in the front pinch, remove the liner, and smear hot glue on the inside of the crown where the thin spot is, to stabilize it.

This is about all I can think of for dealing with common problems with your first vintage hat, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

I hope this helps.

 

[Belegnole]

Well, ya gotta bear in mind that there are plenty of females in The Lounge.

Yes, true and even though Women wear men's clothes these days....I take that back. Women have always worn men's clothes; while men do not wear women's clothing. Sometime we can get into the advancement of clothing styles based on gender that I have been theorizing. That aside it was a jest as I have never taken the word bash to be feminine.

I have however done a wee bit more researching. And found references to shaping Australian Military hats as bashing and the crease as a bash. The comment of hard felt requiring a bash to shape it may not be far off.