I love the Fed IV!!

[rrwine]

Just pulled the trigger on a tawny fawn Fed IV. Will be my second Fed - have the brown now. I was back and forth between another Fed or a Campdraft but went for the Fed. That tawny fawn color seems quite versatile. Maybe get a silverbelly Campdraft in the spring. Haven't had a chance to wear the Fed in any weather yet - it's been sunny and between 60 to 70 degrees since I got it. Looks like next week we'll have some winter slop so I'll get a chance to see how it fares. Kinda looking forward to it (did I just say that? - I take it back). I've only been a member of the properly hatted for a very short time and already I don't even think about leaving the house without my hat.

 

[monbla256]

Ok, I think I've been treating my (standard) Fed IV like a 1st edition of Shakespeare's portfolio or a little delicate flower fairy....

I know Fed IVs will take rain ok because the hatsdirect site says so, but otherwise how much rough treatment will they take? Can they flattened in a suitcase when travelling? How much can you bash and rebash? Will stains come out? Just how much will the pinch take before the felt is compromised/weakened and you get a 'Depp rip'?

Why would you put it in a suitcase to travel? It should be on your head! Yes you can recrease a hat if needs be. Stains ? If it's really a "stain" by definition, it won't come out, it will be "stained". Spots and dirt can be cleaned, some by you, some by a hatter. All of this depends on the environment you live in on a dailly basis and how hard you are on a hat and if it is the ONLY hat you wear. From what youv'e said about how you do things from past posts you've made, it will probably outlast your interest in it and probably be passed on to your heirs Put the thing on your head and WEAR it and get on with your life . It's a HAT

 

[JTopenroad]

Be sure to post pictures of your new Fed IV when you get it!

 

[jkingrph]

I just received the two "out of spec" Adventurer hats from David Morgan. Bashed one in my favorite shape, a teardrop and put the other back into the box for my son. We will shape it when I see him after Christmas.

The out of spec, according to DM is a wider ribbon and a removeable feather, which I,m thinking needs to go.

At $98 it seems like a pretty good deal these days, and I like mid brown, a little lighter than a dark or chocolate.

I misted mine with water to make forming the top easier, will let it dry tonight and give it a trial tomorrow.

 

[Winsor]

You are right! I'm as guilty as the next guy for babying and coddleing my hats. However, if you look at photos of men in the first half of the 20th century, both white collar and blue collar, they wore a beautiful fur fedora to PROTECT their head, from damp, dirt, dust, horse manure, mud, slop and whatever. Their HEAD was worth more than their HAT. I try to remember that sometimes.

 

[monbla256]

You are right! I'm as guilty as the next guy for babying and coddleing my hats. However, if you look at photos of men in the first half of the 20th century, both white collar and blue collar, they wore a beautiful fur fedora to PROTECT their head, from damp, dirt, dust, horse manure, mud, slop and whatever. Their HEAD was worth more than their HAT. I try to remember that sometimes.

Well said !! Being collectors as many are here, that fact is so often forgotten

 

[monbla256]

I just received the two "out of spec" Adventurer hats from David Morgan. Bashed one in my favorite shape, a teardrop and put the other back into the box for my son. We will shape it when I see him after Christmas.

The out of spec, according to DM is a wider ribbon and a removeable feather, which I,m thinking needs to go.

At $98 it seems like a pretty good deal these days, and I like mid brown, a little lighter than a dark or chocolate.

I misted mine with water to make forming the top easier, will let it dry tonight and give it a trial tomorrow.

You guys should get a big bunch of rain by Sunday so just put it on your head and get out in the rain!!

 

[Kirk H.]

Just pulled the trigger on a tawny fawn Fed IV. Will be my second Fed - have the brown now. I was back and forth between another Fed or a Campdraft but went for the Fed. That tawny fawn color seems quite versatile. Maybe get a silverbelly Campdraft in the spring. Haven't had a chance to wear the Fed in any weather yet - it's been sunny and between 60 to 70 degrees since I got it. Looks like next week we'll have some winter slop so I'll get a chance to see how it fares. Kinda looking forward to it (did I just say that? - I take it back). I've only been a member of the properly hatted for a very short time and already I don't even think about leaving the house without my hat.

I got the Fed IV in the Tawny too and love it. It has been through several good rain storms and we got some cold weather this week and it has done great. Enjoy the hat and welcome to the Lounge.

Regards

Kirk H.

 

[Wolfwood]

I must say that I have not intentionally babied any of my hats, but nature has been kind to me and has not thrown excessive bucket-loads of water upon me in several years. Medium rain and some snow is all that my hats have seen.

Insofar as my favourite FedIV colour is concerned, it has to be Heritage Fawn (see avatar). Bought it in size 63, but the past couple of years have made it a perfect fit for my 62 head. It began a bit loose and for several months I used some additional stuffing behind the sweatband, but now it is just perfect without it.

 

[rrwine]

Thanks Kirk. Looking forward to getting my new lid. My brown Fed has really softened up in the 2 weeks I've been wearing it. Now I know what folks here are talking about. Very noticeable difference. Looks like it will get a rain test in a few days.

 

[jkingrph]

You guys should get a big bunch of rain by Sunday so just put it on your head and get out in the rain!!

We moved here in 79 when I got out of the USAF, so a relatively short time. I have seen big spring and creek fed ponds 6-8 feet low, some bone dry. Lake Palestine, judging by boat docks is 10-12 feet low.

Right now if we could get a out 6" of rain a week for the rest of the year we might catch up for the year, but that does not count the deficit from last year.

Back to ponds, I have been seening a lot of farmers/ranchers bringing in heavy equipment and enlarging the ponds and dams and making them deeper so when the rains come they can store more water. There is one less than a mile from our house that is spring fed with a good watershed area that stayed fairly full most of the summer. Last week after a some of the recent rains I noticed a little water coming out of the standpipe (overflow) for the first time since early last spring.

I'll be out a bit a this weekend, so the hat will probably get wet.

 

[easportsracer13]

Center dent a Fed IV?

My face really only leads to a tapered fedora. Usually with a center dent and a slight pinch. Homberg-esque. I wonder if anyone has any pics of a Fed IV with a center dent?

 

[RBH]

My face really only leads to a tapered fedora. Usually with a center dent and a slight pinch. Homberg-esque. I wonder if anyone has any pics of a Fed IV with a center dent?

Here are a couple from this thread.
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...e-the-Fed-IV!!&p=761277&viewfull=1#post761277

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...the-Fed-IV!!&p=1076739&viewfull=1#post1076739
You may have to look yourself to find more.

 

[m0nk]

My face really only leads to a tapered fedora. Usually with a center dent and a slight pinch. Homberg-esque. I wonder if anyone has any pics of a Fed IV with a center dent?

You can also essentially look through this thread for anyone who has creased theirs in a "Last Crusade" style, however you likely won't find much taper. This hat is fairly strait all around, and while I thought my face needed taper too, I'm finding that I like the straiter crown more.

 

[Wolfwood]

Indeed, the hat on the head of my avatar is also a Fed IV with a centre dent. It retains its stovepipe shape even with the centre dent, though, at least for me, as I could not make the dent very deep because I don't like the top of the hat touching my head.

 

[jlee562]

My face really only leads to a tapered fedora. Usually with a center dent and a slight pinch. Homberg-esque. I wonder if anyone has any pics of a Fed IV with a center dent?

Posted this the other day in the "What Hat Are You Wearing Today?" thread:

An older pic of the same hat:

 

[EggHead]

jlee, what color is that?

 

[Orangegrad]

Jared - The Fed IV looks really good on you. Makes me think that us guys with narrower faces can wear taller, straighter crowns.

I was thinking that the out of spec Adventurer at DM (which comes only in mid-brown) might be a good option for me. But when I told my wife I was planning to buy, she said something like "another brown hat?" So I may have to go to Plan B which is ask for a Carbon FedIV for my birthday.

 

[tealseal]

"Faking" taper

My face really only leads to a tapered fedora. Usually with a center dent and a slight pinch. Homberg-esque. I wonder if anyone has any pics of a Fed IV with a center dent?

My $0.02: I had always thought that a tapered fedora was the way to go for my face, but now, after a month's constant wear, I've found that I enjoy the look of the untapered crown of the Fed IV more and more. My first bash was a very simple diamond which retained ALL the stovepipe shape. As I am contemplating my next hat purchase, I was intrigued by the look of the Meadowlark from Black Sheep Hat Works http://www.blacksheephatworks.com/Men_s_Hats.html Using a spray bottle and 1.5 hours, I approximated the Meadowlark's shape into my Fed to get an idea of how it might look. I find that the lower front and long dents give the Fed a nice "apparent" taper, while still retaining the awesome fullness of the crown. A "tapering" bash like mine might work for you as well but, as always, YMMV.

 

[jlee562]

Jared - The Fed IV looks really good on you. Makes me think that us guys with narrower faces can wear taller, straighter crowns.

I was thinking that the out of spec Adventurer at DM (which comes only in mid-brown) might be a good option for me. But when I told my wife I was planning to buy, she said something like "another brown hat?" So I may have to go to Plan B which is ask for a Carbon FedIV for my birthday.

You know, I happen to really like the taller, straighter crowned hats. The Fed appears maybe a bit to tall for me from some angles, but overall (excuse my vanity!) I think I can pull it off alright.

Egghead, mine is Carbon Grey. Out in natural lighting it comes out lighter than the hatsdirect.com pictures would lead one to believe.