Just got my first hat in..

[simmonsjeffreya]

Well, after debating which hat to get for a bit, I finally ended up buying an Akubra Sydney in Charcoal from David Morgan. I took some pics of the hat, and in a few minutes will take pics of the fit on my head and was hoping you all could say if it fit's "right." It seems to sit about where it should, with the felt strips in the sides, but I figured I'd ask the experts...

So here's the pics of the hat out of the box:

And one without flash to see the true color (well, as close as possible.)

And here's where my questions start... This is a pic of the liner+sweatband. Is it normal for the sweatband to "bubble out" like this? Also, is that plastic supposed to come out or does it serve a purpose?

Well those are all the pics I have of the hat coming out of the box, I'll post the pics of the fit in a few minutes.

-Jeff

 

[handlebar bart]

Sydneys have a fairly thin and supple sweatband and mine poofs out like yours and it is over a year old. And the 'plastic' liner stays in. Enjoy your new hat

 

[simmonsjeffreya]

And here's some pictures of the fit with brim up:

And with front brim snapped down:

And final pic to show the small gap (about 1/8-3/16") in the area of both temples:

Anyways, sorry for looking kinda like a hobo, just got home from a long night at work. If you all could give advice on if it fits right, I'd appreciate that. It seems to fit Perfectly on the front and back, with a 1/8-3/16" gap on each side. Also, I've been wearing the hat for an hour or two now, and while the fit is nicely snug, it doesn't leave a red mark when taken off.

I thought I read somewhere that once a hat is bashed, it will tighten up a tiny bit, is this true? I am hoping to put either a classic center crease with front pinch or a diamond crease into the hat.

The only other question I have now is, if I attempt to bash the hat multiple times, will it ruin it, or leave lines that I won't want? I ask this only because I'm going to attempt a diamond crease first, and if that doesn't work out, I'll go to the center crease with front pinch. I'm not too confident in my bashing capabilities currently, and for now on will order them already bashed from David Morgan, but wanted to get my size correct first.

By the way, ordering from David Morgan was easy as can be. I ordered Saturday night, it shipped Monday morning via USPS Priority ($8) and got from Washington to NY in 2 days and was waiting at my door when I got home from work today. Came with a very nice pamphlet full of information as well. Anyways, I look forward to any comments/advice.

-Jeff

 

[handlebar bart]

The felt is so soft and with so little stiffener that you may have a hard time getting it to keep a sharp defined bash, but you won't have a issue with mutiple bashes. It will take a good steaming or soaking to get the bash to stay. My bash was put in with steam by a real pro, when I was a newbie, and just sitting idle the bash has partially popped out. The thing I love about the Sydney is the brim flanging, the brims sure do have alot of character when snapped down.

 

[Goose.]

Jeff....
Here's some pics of my Sydney. My first Akubra was the Sydney...over a decade ago.

Recent pics:

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If it feels good on you and YOU think it fits, then what the hell do I know?
Like that hot chick with the guitar sings; "If it makes you happy · It can't be that bad".

So far as your gap...I'm guessing that it should form to your noggin soon enough.

FWIW, I have 16 Akubra felts. The Sydney/Fedora is hands down the softest of the bunch.

Welcome, looks good, enjoy your cool hat, and don't forget to tip your cocktail waitress.

 

[Colby Jack]

Looks like a good choice! Enjoy your new Sydney and welcome to the lounge simmonsjeffreya:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Akubra]

FWIW, I have 16 Akubra felts. The Sydney/Fedora is hands down the softest of the bunch.

NOW THAT IS A DISEASE THAT IF I CAUGHT MY WIFE WOULD KILL ME!!!!

lol lol lol

She thinks 3 Akubra felts, 2 Stetsons (one felt one Panama) and some assorted others is bad enough!!:eusa_doh:

 

[Akubra]

NICE LID!! Looks like a good choice.

Don't worry about the gap. Wear the hat day in and day out and it will conform to your head. Having a hat that is too tight is a much bigger problem IMHO.
That is where a hat jack comes in, it cuts down on break in time and can save you some literal headache.

Enjoy it and wear it in good health.

 

[simmonsjeffreya]

The felt is so soft and with so little stiffener that you may have a hard time getting it to keep a sharp defined bash, but you won't have a issue with mutiple bashes. It will take a good steaming or soaking to get the bash to stay. My bash was put in with steam by a real pro, when I was a newbie, and just sitting idle the bash has partially popped out. The thing I love about the Sydney is the brim flanging, the brims sure do have alot of character when snapped down.

Thanks for the info, and you were quite right, it is hard to get a nice defined bash in this hat, though it may be just me. I couldn't get a "classic fedora" bash to stick with this hat so got a little daring and managed to come out of it with this... Not sure if I'd call it a C-Crown or a Teardrop? Also, thanks for all the warm welcomes.

 

[Bird's One View]

The gaps at the sides imply that your head is a longer oval than the hat was blocked.

This is true for me as well. I have put foam at the front and back, rather than filling the gaps at the sides, to encourage the hat to conform to my head.

 

[handlebar bart]

Thanks for the info, and you were quite right, it is hard to get a nice defined bash in this hat, though it may be just me. I couldn't get a "classic fedora" bash to stick with this hat so got a little daring and managed to come out of it with this... Not sure if I'd call it a C-Crown or a Teardrop? Also, thanks for all the warm welcomes.

Nice. :eusa_clap Looks like a great bash to me

 

[simmonsjeffreya]

Nice. :eusa_clap Looks like a great bash to me

Thanks for the compliment. While I liked that look, it just wasn't what I wanted in the end so I did some googling around and found what a real teardrop looked like, so I gave it a go. One thing as you'll see in the pictures is the front pinches have issues. Since this hat's felt is so soft, the pinches stay in for about 30 minutes then pop back out, is there anything (besides hairspray) that I can put on it to make it a bit stiffer?

Any hints or tips how to keep those front pinches to stay would be appreciated. If there is a stiffener or something that doesn't affect the hat in any negative way that would be great. Also, while I read the guides on how to steam a hat, this was all done by hand... if I were to use steam, would that keep it more permanent? One thing I read about using steam is to take the lining out first, but this lining seems to be glued in, would it be ill advised to steam with the lining still in?

Anyways, here's the pics of the new bash, this is definitely going to be the final bash as long as I can figure a way to keep the pinches locked down as it really bugs me that they constantly pop out, yet I don't want to pinch them really hard like I did in the first bash, as I find I like the rounded front better. This is all the same hat, just looks very different in different lighting conditions.

 

[FurFeltFedora]

Steam it, and it will stay

 

[daizawaguy]

There is a very big difference between the Sydney left and a Fed etc. I doubt that the soft felt of the Sydney (Fedora in overseas markets) will hold a bash like you are giving it. Had both hats and know the feeling. I think when you move on to the Federation you will get more satisfaction with the bash. I`ve never seen a Sydney hold more than a soft centre dent. Also, your spaces at the side seem to suggest your head is long oval...Not an Akubra expert, but had both hats and thats my two cents worth...

 

[Mr. Paladin]

Jeff, its a nice hat and seems to suit you. Wearing it will help with the fit, especially if you sweat it a little. I like your crease if you can get it to stay. You might try Kahl's Hat Stiffener spray if you can't get it to hold otherwise and want to keep it as is.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

You look fine. I would not do too much yet with stiffener. Let the hat grow on you; get it used to you. Then start messin with it.

 

[Aureliano]

You look fine. I would not do too much yet with stiffener. Let the hat grow on you; get it used to you. Then start messin with it.

:arated: Agree, wear it for a while, try steam too. Stiffener makes, IMHO, hats feel terrible.

 

[Inusuit]

I don't own this particular hat, so am unfamiliar with the qualities of the felt. I have rebashed a number of hats, some several times. gtd on this forum gave me a tip that has worked well on my vintage hats. He recommends using distilled water to soak the area you want to work on, then allowing the hat to dry completely. I use a spray bottle. I have found that this works for me much better than steam. You milage may very. As others have pointed out, you won't hurt the hat by experimenting with various bashes.

 

[Goose.]

There is a very big difference between the Sydney left and a Fed etc. I doubt that the soft felt of the Sydney (Fedora in overseas markets) will hold a bash like you are giving it. Had both hats and know the feeling. I think when you move on to the Federation you will get more satisfaction with the bash. I`ve never seen a Sydney hold more than a soft centre dent. Also, your spaces at the side seem to suggest your head is long oval...Not an Akubra expert, but had both hats and thats my two cents worth...

Completely agree. And with spraying a bit of water and wearing it a bit before you try anything else. Still, my Sydney pops the bash sometimes and none of my other hats do. It just way softer.

Maybe ValEag will chime in...he has two Fedora (Sydney) hats that he wears often.

 

[handlebar bart]

I would take what you have and give it a good steaming with a teapot. Still the large side dents will still be tough to stay, you will have to fiddle with this hat more than most but thats not a bad thing.
I like the feel of the felt, but as my addiction has grown I don't care for the low crown for myself. If the crown on the Sydney was taller and still kept the supple soft felt it would be my idea of a close to ideal modern production hat.