I love the Fed IV!!

[StoryPNW]

Are the Roos all napping or did you just tell them some falling-down funny joke?

Lol, they were just super lazy. I do have some good dad jokes, but I'm not sure they are that funny.

 

[Yamahana]

I just got back from a week in Arizona, visiting family and enjoying some warmer weather. My Fed IV was the hat I took with me for the trip. It is one of my favorite modern hats for sure. The desert was so green it's been quite a wet spring form them.
View attachment 502408 The old Route 66 makes for some fun site seeing.
View attachment 502409 We also took the kids to a zoo in Phoenix, it only felt right to go see the kangaroos while wearing my Fed IV. View attachment 502410

Is that at Wildlife World Zoo over on the far west side?

 

[StoryPNW]

Is that at Wildlife World Zoo over on the far west side?

Yes sir! We didn't have as long to look around as we would have liked.

 

[Frunobulax]

Lol, they were just super lazy. I do have some good dad jokes, but I'm not sure they are that funny.

Dad jokes are what is holding Western Civilization together.

And I love zoos.

 

[Erehwon]

Congrats to you both!

Thank you!!

Yes, congratulations! And what a beautiful place to celebrate!!!

It is! It's so wunderful here.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

I spent the evening with this beauty (just arrived from Katoomba).

My second Fed IV but my first Heritage Fawn and I have to say I am overjoyed with it. What a great color (and a terrific contrast with the ribbon), the felt is superb and I really took my time to get a straight center dent - I believe that makes a huge difference in the overall presentation.

I am inclined to keep the wide pinch on this, giving it more of an old school vibe.

Thanks to the FL community for all the discussion of this hat over the years; it really does help a person decide if the FED IV is worth the money.

After all, for this price one can get a rather nice vintage felt.

Now that I own a small collection of vintage, I have to say that I could not be happier than I am with this purchase.

Truly a wonderful hat.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I spent the evening with this beauty (just arrived from Katoomba).

My second Fed IV but my first Heritage Fawn and I have to say I am overjoyed with it. What a great color (and a terrific contrast with the ribbon), the felt is superb and I really took my time to get a straight center dent - I believe that makes a huge difference in the overall presentation.

I am inclined to keep the wide pinch on this, giving it more of an old school vibe.

Thanks to the FL community for all the discussion of this hat over the years; it really does help a person decide if the FED IV is worth the money.

After all, for this price one can get a rather nice vintage felt.

Now that I own a small collection of vintage, I have to say that I could not be happier than I am with this purchase.

Truly a wonderful hat.

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One of the best looking Feds I can remember seeing. Very nice!

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

One of the best looking Feds I can remember seeing. Very nice!

Thank you, that’s kind of you to say.

I spent a lot of time studying photos of the FED IV before I ordered my new one and I had a definite plan of action for creasing it.

My approach was this:

1. Use absolutely as little creases as possible. That means, I wanted to be very slow and deliberate about each crease and to know what I wanted before I did it. I did not want to have to redo a crease because Akubra felt gets exhausted quickly.

2. I set the brim first and then I creased the crown. Most people do it the other way - they crease the crown first and then they set the brim. But I can’t count how many times I have creased a crown only to find out I couldn’t get the brim centered underneath it. Then the hat was slightly warped. For most vintage hats it’s not a big deal but the FED IV looks particularly awkward in my opinion unless it is very symmetrical.

I never actually even steamed this brim - I just snapped it down right out of the box. I love how it is almost flat to the horizon.

3. NO CAIRO TURN! Again, I believe the FED IV wants to be as symmetrical as possible for the best aesthetics.

4. Once I had the hat on my head with the brim down, I used a ball tipped needle to mark the center of the crown so I could crease the center dent. It has been my experience that the sweatband seam stitch with the little bow in the back cannot be trusted to mark the center of an Akubra. Besides, sometimes a hat just doesn’t sit straight on my head.

5. I used a straight edge to crease the center dent, like a ruler or something similar. (I used a thin hard back book). No matter how hard I try, I can never get a center dent straight using my fingers.

Having said all that, this hat is particularly handsome. This is the only time that I have ever seen a heritage fawn FED IV in person and I am completely blown away by the color. It’s been raining all day so I still haven’t even seen it in the sunlight yet, but it is a beautiful hue under a bulb.

6. Finally, extremely significant:

This particular hat has the sweatband positioned right at the head opening instead of a few centimeters inside the head opening. That puts the brim at a 90 degree angle to the crown so there is no “swooping” effect where the crown turns into the brim (I call it a “duck bill”). A duck bill design works for wide brimmed western hats but imo it makes a FED IV resemble a pith helmet.

I specifically asked Trudi at The Hattery to send me one without the duck bill effect and I am very pleased with the one I received.

Here is a photo of my first FED IV with the “duck bill”. I can’t figure any way to correct this without reblocking the hat. One of my Campdrafts has the same effect and one of them doesn’t and they are both heritage felt. To me, this inconsistency speaks to some quirkiness of the Akubra production process; however, it also makes each hat unique and that is even more lovely.

Duck bill:

The new FED IV without the duck bill:

I hope these comments are helpful to some folks since a lot of us are newbies when we first get the FED IV!!

 

[GuitarGuy99]

I spent the evening with this beauty (just arrived from Katoomba).

My second Fed IV but my first Heritage Fawn and I have to say I am overjoyed with it. What a great color (and a terrific contrast with the ribbon), the felt is superb and I really took my time to get a straight center dent - I believe that makes a huge difference in the overall presentation.

I am inclined to keep the wide pinch on this, giving it more of an old school vibe.

Thanks to the FL community for all the discussion of this hat over the years; it really does help a person decide if the FED IV is worth the money.

After all, for this price one can get a rather nice vintage felt.

Now that I own a small collection of vintage, I have to say that I could not be happier than I am with this purchase.

Truly a wonderful hat.

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That's a beauty!

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

That's a beauty!

Thanks GG99!!

Few hats have taken over my head as completely as this one has. My first FED IV did about 5 years back, but that was before I discovered vintage felt. Then, maybe 2 or 3 vintage hats became exclusive for a short time. And finally my one bespoke pure beaver felt did (and still does sometimes for a few weeks on end).

But since this Fed’s arrival, it hasn’t left my head except to sleep!

 

[Edward]

Lol, they were just super lazy. I do have some good dad jokes, but I'm not sure they are that funny.

As a non-parent, for me to tell dad jokes would be a real faux pa.

 

[GuitarGuy99]

Thanks GG99!!

Few hats have taken over my head as completely as this one has. My first FED IV did about 5 years back, but that was before I discovered vintage felt. Then, maybe 2 or 3 vintage hats became exclusive for a short time. And finally my one bespoke pure beaver felt did (and still does sometimes for a few weeks on end).

But since this Fed’s arrival, it hasn’t left my head except to sleep!

Who made your bespoke hat? I'm thinking about having one made.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Who made your bespoke hat? I'm thinking about having one made.

I got mine from Northwest hats. I’ve had it about five years now and I’m thinking to post a review on the Northwest Hats thread. It is the cheapest option I know of but for that, I do have a couple of criticisms.

My original post about it many years ago is here (you might have to scroll up or down to find it, my user name was “Nathaniel Finley”):

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/northwest-hats-eugene-ore.66155/page-78#post-2440657

If I ever go for another, I will probably try Gannon.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Who made your bespoke hat? I'm thinking about having one made.

I just posted an updated review on Northwest hats if you are interested GG.

 

[GuitarGuy99]

I just posted an updated review on Northwest hats if you are interested GG.

Thanks!

 

[scottyrocks]

Thanks GG99!!

Few hats have taken over my head as completely as this one has. My first FED IV did about 5 years back, but that was before I discovered vintage felt. Then, maybe 2 or 3 vintage hats became exclusive for a short time. And finally my one bespoke pure beaver felt did (and still does sometimes for a few weeks on end).

But since this Fed’s arrival, it hasn’t left my head except to sleep!

Shaping it in the shower can be effective.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Dad jokes are what is holding Western Civilization together.

And I love zoos.

Hilarious Fruno!!
I love Dad jokes and Boomer jokes/references especially and particularly if told by the enlightened younger single folks.

Because….Dads and Boomers been around long enough and through enough to sit back and chuckle knowing how sweet it would be just to reply “get back to me on that in 20 years ok?”.
Door slam, mic drop, in your face….without a word!!
B

 

[Zombie_61]

...I do have some good dad jokes, but I'm not sure they are that funny.

By their very nature, I thought dad jokes weren't supposed to be funny.

As a non-parent, for me to tell dad jokes would be a real faux pa.

Nicely played!

Shaping it in the shower can be effective.

Unless the city you live in puts all kinds of lousy chemicals, that would discolor the hat, in their tap water. I use distilled water in a spray bottle to re-shape my felt hats. Spray 'em down good, let it soak in, then go to work. So far that method has worked out rather well.

 

[The Lost Cowboy]

Shaping it in the shower can be effective.

I've been taking baths, old school cowboy style with the hat on!

 

[scottyrocks]

By their very nature, I thought dad jokes weren't supposed to be funny.



Nicely played!



Unless the city you live in puts all kinds of lousy chemicals, that would discolor the hat, in their tap water. I use distilled water in a spray bottle to re-shape my felt hats. Spray 'em down good, let it soak in, then go to work. So far that method has worked out rather well.

Actually, I was kidding. He said he only took it off to sleep. haha