can anyone help me with hat creases

[Sean]

ok so theres a hat i like a hole lot!!!!! it the Federation IV. the only thing is that its a Open Crown and i know nothing about bashing a hat. can iny of yall help me? my fav hat crease is the one on indy's hat

 

[Dinerman]

Here- take a read through this thread.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=10272
Indy had a centerdent, which is pretty easy to do. Find where the front and back of the hat are. Take your hand and in a karate chop gesture, push down the center of the crown in that area. That'll give you the center crease. Then pick the hat up by the front to get your pinches.
I made a video on how to crease a hat. This one's a diamond crease, but it's essentially the same, only without pusing the two points of the diamond out on the back on the crown.

 

[Sean]

ok the only rely ? i have now is how dose the hat stay in the shape you bash it in?

 

[Dinerman]

You can either apply a little steam (don't overdo it) or get the hat wet with some cold water to lock the shape in.
My experience is with vintage hats, and they've all shaped and held their
shape dry.

Good luck! It can take a little practice, but a hand creased hat has a lot of character.

 

[indycop]

Sean first what kind of bash do you want, Indy style, diamond? My preferred method with Akubras is to shape then lock it in with distilled water.

 

[suitedcboy]

In my experience, "dry" steam is the safer thing to do to hold the shpe once you've decided what you like.
Dry steam is steam that flows freely out of the pot as opposed to setting a tea kettle and allowing it to boil and be forced out of the hole which usually blows water droplets out with the steam.
A funnel like shape made from aluminum foil that will fit over the edge of a 4 qt sauce pan works well. Have a 1/2 to 3/4 hole in the end for steam to exit.

Distilled water works well but carries some risk of color bleed or water spots.
I have had some 100% beaver or beaver rich felts that showed signs of losing their dense finsih when they got soaked.

 

[kaosharper1]

Go to this site. David Morgan has a hat, the Adventurer, which is another Indy type Akubra but available only through him. I have one, and its a nice hat. Anyway, this link gives instructions on the "Indy" bash. It'll work on a Federation too:

http://www.davidmorgan.com/indy_bash.html

 

[indycop]

Distilled water works well but carries some risk of color bleed or water spots.
I have had some 100% beaver or beaver rich felts that showed signs of losing their dense finsih when they got soaked.[/QUOTE]
I have had no problems with distilled water on my akubras including the light silverbelly.

 

[Sean]

indy's crease is what i think i like the most

 

[indycop]

indy's crease is what i think i like the most

I think hatsdirect has a tutorial on their site for that one if not i will find the one Iused.

 

[indycop]

Here's one

http://kennydrew.com/indy/Raiders_f...s_fedora_crease_bash_tutorial_Indy_lounge.htm

 

[Rider]

Here's how I did my Federation. I experimented with a few attempted bashes before settling on one I liked. I had purchased a new, unused spray bottle. I filled it with distilled water and sprayed it down. I got it moist all over but not saturated. I set it aside to dry completely, and thereafter it retains it firmed right up and now retains its shape.

In my limited experience, I believe if you start with an unused spray bottle and use distilled water, your chances of discoloration or waterspots is minimized.

It's a little intimidating to do the first time, but you can do it. In the end, you'll be most pleased with the results because it's your unique creation not the work of a hatter.

Do look at the diamond bashes a little longer. They'll grow on you.

 

[KeyGrip]

As long as you keep the hat dry, you can experiment and practice with many different looks and just pop the crown back out. Its very easy with good quality felt.