Floating or Sitting Crown?

[Vardeman Sneed]

During the last couple of weeks, I have been experimenting with crown bashes on my Stetson Rancher to fedora conversion project. Initially, I was considering shrinking the crown (6" open to 5" open) when I shrink the diameter (7-7/8 oval to 7-3/4 long oval), however, I am now having second thoughts. The reason: the top of the hat sits on my head!

(Melon head alert!)

To explain this better, I am now using a teardrop bash (4.75" in back, 5" in front, 0.5" trough [moat(?)], with the top popped up even with sides). When I place the hat 1-1/2 finger width above the eyebrows and 1 finger width above my ears, the trough actually touches the top of my head in the front and back. When I center bash, it is even worse.

I assume that one would want the top the crown to float above the head and not actually sit on the head. For this reason, I expect that I will leave the open crown height at 6".

Does anyone else have this problem, or my head just abnormally large?

 

[Art Fawcett]

60Cycle, you aren't alone. It isn't the size of your head, but rather how much of it is above the ears. I have several clients with the problem and your plan of keeping it at 6" sounds right. Try creasing it just a bit higher to 5 1/4 front, 5" back & see what happens

 

[jdbenson]

Me Too

I too have the same problem 60cycle. All of my current hats have fairly low crowns, and on most I'm stuck with a center dent; there's just not enough felt to do a proper tear-drop shape.

I just won a Dobbs off ebay that claimed to have a 5 inch crown bashed. Hopefully it'll be OK.

I'm gonna have try Akubra's Federation (5 - 6 inch crown) and keep saving my pennies for one of Art's beauties!

 

[carebear]

My Fed still sits on top of my head.

I'm not sure how to make that not happen without an 8" crown or having the thing perch precariously high.

 

[HDRnR]

I have the same issue, I like a high crown, center dent with as little taper as possible.

 

[Roadrunner]

It happens to me too with my Sydney with a C-crown bash, it's a 5.5" crown open. Anybody tried one of these 7" crown monsters?