Calling Indycop and RGraham (if you're still here) RE: Akubra Boss of the Plains...

[H Weinstein]

A couple of years ago, you both participated in a short thread about the possible difficulties in coming up with a good style for this tall open-crown Akubra. You're the only ones I was able to find who had hands-on experience with this particular hat -- which I'm thinking of getting.

The old thread emphasized the stiffness of the brim. And Sam at Everything Australian e-mailed me to say the crown was stiff too, but still shapeable. Did either of these factors cause any major problems for you?

I want to do a pinchfront-teardrop crease with a crown height of around 4.5 inches. Is that feasible? Just wondering what you eventually did with your Boss of the Plains hats, how easy/tough it was to shape, how (un)cooperative the stiff brim turned out to be, and whether the hat in general has softened up over time.

Thanks for any experiences you may able to share with me!

 

[rgraham]

Yes, I still have the hat, but don't wear it much.

I shaped mine into something that looks similar to the one shown in Everything Australians website. I didn't pinch mine in as severe at the top of the crown, as the bottom of the dent would hit the top of my head. The look is one that is kind of like a Dallas Police circa 1963.
I suppose you could turn it into any kind of shape you'd like, but it would need a lot of steaming to get the brim to cooperate. I've tried some minor changes, but I keep coming back to the original shape. I don't think I like the color either. It's the tan fawn, and it's just too milk chocolate brown. It's a cheap looking color that detracts from the overall look. I know I would have liked the silver belly more.

Let me know if you have any other questions...

 

[H Weinstein]

Thanks so much for the reply.
Between the color and the brim, though, it sounds like you were disappointed in the hat, overall. Seeing it online, I envisioned all kinds of creative ways to shape it. Now I'm not so sure. I really wanted more of a western curl to the brim. That sounds difficult at best. This may not be the hat to tackle for my first bash attempt!

You may have saved me a hundred bucks or so.

It appears the Akubra fedora styles lend themselve to shaping much more readily than the stiffer Akubra western styles do. Is that an accurate appraisal?

Thanks again!

 

[rgraham]

Yes, I was disappointed. I had ordered a campdraft in silver belly, and wanted this hat to be a different color. I'm sure you could wet this hat down and shape it into a hat similar to those worn in sixties westerns. Short brimmed and stove piped. Google sixties tv westerns or Bonanza tv show and you'll find some of these styles.

 

[indycop]

I still have mine and like it. It is the tan and I like that. It was stiffer but wear it in the rain and its good. The ribbon is not done as nice as the campdraft tho but easily replaceable. Mine has a Jimmy The Lid teardrop, I will try to get you some pics tomorrow.

 

[handlebar bart]

Mine has a Jimmy The Lid teardrop, I will try to get you some pics tomorrow.

I remember that night. lol

 

[H Weinstein]

Hi, Indycop. Yes, pics would be especially appreciated, since the teardrop is what I'm interested in doing.

Any specific tips/advice/impressions on working on the crown and wrestling with the brim would be more than welcome, too.

Thanks so much!

 

[indycop]

Here you go, sorry for the cell phone pics, I can't find the charger for the camera.:eusa_doh: You also mentioned you prefer a western curl on the brim. I had that in the brim before taking it out for just a dip front and rear. It takes the western curl quite well.

The slight dimple in the top is the last remnant of the gus crease I originally put in it.

 

[H Weinstein]

Thanks for taking the trouble to add those pics. They're very helpful.
So the brim is re-shapeable, desite its standard stiffness?
Looks like you did a great job on the hat!
Would you say a first-timer could successfully tackle bashing this hat?

 

[indycop]

It's no different than creasing anything else. Just use some Distilled water in a spray bottle. Once you get it wet the stiffness does not matter til it dries, by then t's already shaped.

 

[RBH]

I remember that night. lol

Me too!!! :eusa_doh:

 

[jimmy the lid]

Me too!!! :eusa_doh:

lol lol lol Gotta say, that was a good night!


HW -- you may want to check out this thread to help you with your teardrop efforts.

Cheers,
JtL

 

[H Weinstein]

Thanks, Jimmy! Not only had I already found, read and studied your excellent how-to -- I even printed it out so I'd have a quick-reference paper copy, too!

But you (and many others here) clearly know what you're doing.
I'm just wondering if a rookie like me will run into problems wrestling with recalcitrant western-hat felt vs. what appears to more pliable fedora felt. I guess the felt is pretty much the same, the difference appears to be that western hats are typically over-stiffened and fedoras are not. In your experience, is that accurate?

 

[indycop]

I wouldn't compare the Akubra Boss to the western felt that you find in most western stores here. Definitely easier to work with.

 

[H Weinstein]

Thanks! That's good to know.
Presumably, that would be true of something like the Akubra Bobby, too, if I wanted to try re-shaping that one..? Or is comparing recreasing a precreased hat vs. an open crown (like the Boss) really apples and oranges?