I love the Fed IV!!

[frussell]

That's good to know. As usual, Jenny and company are the best. Their customer service is second to none. I would have saved you the postage $$ if I didn't already have one in that color. Good luck on the next one. Frank

 

[James71]

That's exactly what their representatives told me to do, and when I told them I did that and it still did not fit, they said pack it up and send it back, and when you send us the tracking number we'll send a replacement.

It was their idea, not mine. I myself would think that the situation is as you describe, but I asked three times with two different representatives (Jenny and Deb), and the basic response was "okay, you wet the sweatband, dried it, and it's still too big. We'll exchange it."

The girls at the Hattery will bend over backwards to help you out. Their customer service is second to none. They seem to take the old adage "the customer is always right" to heart, which is unusual in this day and age....

Hubbbit, was yours imperial or heritage quality? My imperial grade akubras shrink to size with a few good wears, but the heritage grade one took about two months to come down to size. The sweat band is a much better quality leather and took a lot longer to shrink, but shrink it did and now it fits perfectly.

 

[hubbit]

Hubbbit, was yours imperial or heritage quality? My imperial grade akubras shrink to size with a few good wears, but the heritage grade one took about two months to come down to size. The sweat band is a much better quality leather and took a lot longer to shrink, but shrink it did and now it fits perfectly.

Mine was Imperial, only because I measure a 62 (they recommended and sent a 63) and the Heritage in Moonstone only goes to 61. That's not a stocking issue but a manufacturing one; Akubra for some reason won't make the Heritage any bigger in Moonstone, although all other colours are available.

I do plan on getting the brown and fawn colours in Heritage as time goes on. I hear many good things about the Deluxe Fed IV.

 

[Yeps]

Okay, what's the kite crease? Would that be the same as a diamond? I've used the search, but came up with nothing, other than this thread.

I guess you could call a kite a diamond. I can't think of an example, but I am sure I saw one. It is a diamond crease, but with the front edges of the diamond much longer than the back, creating a much leaner shape.

 

[jlee562]

Something akin to this?

 

[DudeInBlack]

Quick Question: Does the Fed IV not have any snap in the brim?

Curse this 3-day weekend, delaying my Fed IV Deluxe even more! They say patience is a virtue, but that doesn't make the wait any easier.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Yeah, I'd try a center dent. That's what these hats were originally designed for. You can always change it back if you don't like it.

A gazillion Indiana Jones fans can't be wrong. The Fed IV looks great with a center dent!

Sadly, I can’t get a good fit with a proper looking center dent, my head is just too big (as many are fond of telling me).
I love the workability of this hat though, no concerns about reshaping it at all.​

A more elongated teardrop or kite would probably look great as well.

I think I’ll try a kite; that might give it just enough “taper” at the top to offset the mushroom effect. I think putting the dome in it really pushed the sides out; I wish I didn’t need to do that. We’ll see what happens.​

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Pushed the wrong button. To the question on snap: a very little, but not anything like a real snap brim. It isn’t formed to be snapped back and forth.

 

[Brando11]

Very nice, Mr. Hedberg! I have a gray Nostalgia that is one of my go-to hats, but I've been thinking of getting a Moonstone FedIV myself. Yours looks great- Could you post a side-by-side of the two; I'm curious about how much lighter in color the Akubra is.

Thx a lot-

-Brando

Picked up my first Federation this past week; should have gotten one sooner. I gave it a slightly off kilter, six-point diamond bash that kept the crown as high and straight as I could go but still allowed for a nice tugboat effect. Far easier to shape than my Nostalgia despite the heavier felt, and it’s actually more comfortable to wear. I now understand why it has its own thread.

 

[frussell]

Here's an old pair of photos from a Lounger comparing the two, Fed in Moonstone to Nostalgia in Caribou. I've owned both at the same time and found the photos accurate as far as color. Frank

 

[Yeps]

Something akin to this?

That is exactly what I am talking about. Does anyone else call this a kite or did I make that up?

 

[monbla256]

That is exactly what I am talking about. Does anyone else call this a kite or did I make that up?

I've always seen it refered to as a Diamond Teardrop. Never have heard of a "Kite" myself.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Very nice, Mr. Hedberg! I have a gray Nostalgia that is one of my go-to hats, but I've been thinking of getting a Moonstone FedIV myself. Yours looks great- Could you post a side-by-side of the two; I'm curious about how much lighter in color the Akubra is.

Thx a lot-

-Brando

Thanks Brando.

Here’s a pick of it with my just restyled Nostalgia in direct sunlight. Brim is still wet. And a little later with a cloud overhead. Good comparison of how different they look in natural light, but not as good as that older pic frussel dug up in showing the true color. After I saw the moonstone in person, caribou just looks dirty now.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Here’s my current attempt. Not nearly as bulbous as the initial one, plus I was able to tackle the brim. I found I couldn’t do a kite style diamond, and the normal four point or six point still forced the sides out too much, so instead I went with a c-crown and a long pinch which rounds over the top a bit. This version is a little less tapered than I had it earlier this morning (see sun vs cloudy photo above) which was the result of adding a longer pinch. I expect I will be able to improve it more after its first rain.

Until I realized mud and moonstone probably wouldn't mix I was wearing it around outside. The Fed is a very comfortable hat. I wish I could put in an order for a brown one right now.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

B.J. Thanks for the pic of the 2 hats. Interesting color comparision. They look more alike than different from the front.

I like the new crease.

BTW: Yard and table look inviting this holiday weekend. Here's hopes you and family fill the table and enjoy the day.

Best, Eric -

 

[Yeps]

I like the new crease.

Agreed.

 

[T Rick]

That is exactly what I am talking about. Does anyone else call this a kite or did I make that up?

I never heard Kite until you mentioned it. I do like it though, and it's very descriptive. I've been referring to mine that are bashed that way as having a sort of Diamond/Cross, though I suspect to most, it's probably just an unnamed variant of the Diamond.

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Eric – Thanks. I hope you had/have a great Labor Day as well.

Yeps – Thanks as well, especially for the earlier advice as I just wasn’t sure what the problem with it was by looking at the photo, other than that it didn’t look right. Since it’s to be the work hat I’ll just keep refining it slowly now that it’s publically wearable.

 

[Brando11]

Wow! Thanks gents- beautiful hats the two of them. VERY similar in appearance; if I were unhappy with the Nostalgia I'd go for a Moonstone Akubra, but now I'll choose another color.

 

[scottyrocks]

Sadly, I can’t get a good fit with a proper looking center dent, my head is just too big (as many are fond of telling me).
I love the workability of this hat though, no concerns about reshaping it at all.​

I was reading another thread re the stiffness of a particular hat. I think they were talking about how to loosen up the felt. Someone suggested denatured alcohol, and then there was discussion about what type of sizing was used to stiffen the hat, so no positive solution was found, as of my last reading i that thread.

Anyway, the idea of just working the hat with your hands came up. And that brings us back to this post. I took my tawny fawn Fed IV that I don't wear often because its so stiff, and decided to just mangle it. I crushed it in every direction and rolled it around like a caterpillar tread for several minutes. The felt loosened up beautifully, and now the hat conforms to my head much more 'intimately.'

So, I don't know if you have the 'intestinal fortitude' to do this with a new hat, but I have found it to work wonders making a fairly stiff hat noticeably less stiff, and fit me much better. And if it fits you better, it should better take whatever crease you should want to put in it.