pointy head?

[swisslet]

Hello all. I've been reading here for a while, but have only just joined, so please bear with me if this has been discussed before. I've been slowly getting into hats for a number of years now... graduating from the baseball caps that made me look like a nugget, through a leather Barmah hat, via a couple of panamas (including one picked up in person from Otavalo market in Ecuador) and finally onto a 'proper' fedora last week. As I get older, I increasingly have a hairline that needs covering up in the sun and keeping warm in the cold!

Thanks to the excellent advice here and elsewhere, I opted for an Akubra Federation IV Deluxe from hatsdirect. It looks fantastic, and in spite of a bit of trepidation, the bash on the open crown went fairly well, I think. I'm very pleased, but I have one problem that is nagging away at me: the hat touches the top of my head.

As I believe is fairly typical for a Fed IV, my top crease is fairly broad and shallow (the hat just seemed to take that shape) and yet when I wear the hat, the top of my head makes a little indentation right in the middle, pushing the hat up slightly.

The question is: should I care? Does this matter?

Now, I have never had this problem with either of my panamas. The fed IV sits fairly low on my head, I suppose, with the brim just sitting fractionally above my ears. It's also big enough that - should I so desire - I could pull it down even further. If I sit my hat any higher on my head than where it naturally rests though, it looks odd. I'm reluctant to put in any more foam (there's some in the temples to fill the hole left by my slightly oval head) as, pulled tight, the hat already leaves a mark on my forehead, and I'm fairly comfortable that a bit of natural shrinkage through wear will leave it just right.

Is it normal for the crown of a hat to rest on the top of your head like this? Am I doing something wrong? Is this even something I should be worrying about? Should I try a different bash (like a teardrop)?

Maybe I've just got a pointy head!

Your thoughts on this are much appreciated.

ST

 

[indycop]

Hello! All of my hats do this including my Peters Bros. custom which is super tall ( probably 6 inches open crown). It will sit just above my ears and still touch the top of my head. My diamond shaped hats from Art which are my favorite hats took on the little hump in the middle from the top of my head. I don't think its a big deal, noone can see it and it only matters if its uncomfortable to you. I have long gotten used to mine sitting that way and sometimes if I lightly set a hat on and its not touching I look to see if I have it on right!:eusa_doh:

 

[deanglen]

Indycop and I agree. All of mine touched, and there's no hair up there to intervene, but after a while it feels like the only "right" way.






dean

 

[PADDY]

How 'I' address the problem...

This just about sorts the problem out for me!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Welcome to the Lounge - thanks for posting.

I think it's quite proper for a fedora to bottom out a little like that. I've never considered otherwise until you mentioned it.

Sometimes though, with certain hats, this makes it feel like it's not sitting/fitting well around the sweatband - like it's 'riding high' a touch.

When this is the case, I add a step to my teakettle steam/bash process, which is to form in a hump for the top of my head. I actually use a small glass bowl and after exposing the hat to some steam to soften the felt, I invert the bowl on the top of the hat and use my other hand/fingers to gently push up the felt in that area. Then, the hat fells less like it is resting totally on top of head and more like it is formed around all aspect of my head, including the top.

Personally, I also like the look of that area of a bashed fedora. If a hat only has the bash with a 'crater' in the middle and no hump, it doesn't look finished to me.

G'luck!

 

[indycop]

This just about sorts the problem out for me!

Is that your Lord of the Rings hat?

 

[swisslet]

ah - thanks guys.

This is all very helpful and reassuring. I think part of the problem for me is that the hat is still so new and I'm going through the process of getting used to having it on, and wearing it enough to have it match up to the shape of my head. I'm actually currently sat in my study 'working from home' with my fedora perched on my head, putting in the hours of wear I assume the hat will need to adjust (like a new pair of shoes).

It's good to know this is pretty normal though. I have a pretty big head (a 62), and I've spent most of my life not being able to wear a "one size fits all" type hat, so I suppose I'm probably a bit sensitive about the shape of my noggin and assume that must be the problem.

I am 6 foot 5 inches though, so I'd probably look really weird with a *small* head, right?

(and Paddy, that's some hat you've got there. Less Lord of the Rings and more country bumpkin, if you ask me!)

ST

 

[Woodfluter]

So ST, you're a 62?! And I thought I was having problems finding 60s.

I like hats to sit fairly far down on my head, maybe I'm pointy-headed also. Is your Fed IV the Deluxe or regular? The reason I ask is that I've seen some signifigant difference in how much those two Akubra felts (Heritage vs Imperial) soften up and break in. After spending a goodly sum on a new hat, you probably won't feel like beating the crap out of it, but if you have the Deluxe, I'd suggest doing just that. Bend in the sides over and over, punch the crown up and down, then mash in on the sides very hard again and again. And grab the edge of the brim and flop it around all over. Eventually it will soften up to a degree, and it won't tend to press in on the top of your head at the center dent - it will have more give all around and conform to your head - mine did anyway. More like the oldies.

As noted, steaming and pushing up a little rise in the center is often a good idea - I do that too. Or a teardrop or diamond will fix that also. More flexible crowns aren't much of a problem because they just mash in where your head hits! Good luck and welcome!

- Bill

 

[swisslet]

Woodfluter - it's a deluxe and it looks and feels beautiful. I'm very pleased with it, albeit not quite yet accustomed to seeing myself wearing such a high-crowned hat. To be honest, I have probably been guilty of babying it a little bit. It's my first open crowned hat, and it's new and I don't want to break it. Yeah, yeah... I know it's an Akubra and it's probably nearly indestructible, but it's my baby!

I've been faffing around with the bash for a week or so now, and the brim and top are starting to soften up nicely, so it's only pushing a little tiny bit. I can feel it, but probably only because I'm thinking about it. Don't laugh, but I was also brave enough to use a bit of steam this morning to straighten out a little wrinkle in one of the side dents too. I don't think I'm quite at the place where I can sit on it a few times, but we're getting there. I'm also pretty confident that over time and with wear it will be "just so".

It's coming to the Glastonbury Festival with me this year, for starters.... that ought to give it some serious wear.

Thanks again for your help chaps.

 

[barrowjh]

I have to form almost all of my hats with a hump for my actual 'crown.' The C-crown (or teardrop) and diamond creases really facilitate this, as in both cases the sides and back of the hat are NOT tapering in, creating an opportunity to first push the crown down, pinching all around the edge of the crown, and then go around and push up all around the interior of the crown while holding that section of the pinch with the other hand on the exterior of the hat (lots of iterative steaming). Ultimately, you form a bubble for your 'crown' that is hidden from sight, visible only from above, raising the felt in the middle of the crown to where it is about even with the level of the pinch around the edges. Search for pics of C-crowns; many of these will have this 'bubble' - especially the hats that are raked down front to back.

 

[Colby Jack]

Is that your Lord of the Rings hat?

No IC...thats a "Mountain Dew" hat!:eusa_clap

Welcome Swisslet...any pics of you in your new Fed?

 

[swisslet]

I've been inspired by what I've read here and by the pictures of Jimmy the Lid's teardrop bashed AB that are on another thread.... and I've had a go at putting a teardrop in for myself.

It's probably not perfect, and perhaps it isn't even straight, but it looks pretty good and, most importantly it feels more comfortable too.

I'll give this a whirl for a few days and see how I go.

Excellent.