Recovering an old hat.

[johnnycanuck]

This is a new to me Akubra “Down Under” model I got from Mm25. I knew it was a little small and he said there was a tear in the sweat band but I love the style so I thought “what the heck”

This hat is at least 20 years old. By the size tag, hat band and the red liner Akubra discontinued around the year 2000.

When I first got the hat I couldn’t wait and popped it on my head. The sweat band tore a little more and the hat had no give what so ever.

This is the stiffest Akubra I have ever put my hands on. So I started with bring the sweat band back before I did more damage. I went into my shoe kit and came up with a moisturizer and conditioner.

I Put about three coats on the sweat band over three days. Kept a hat Jack in it to keep its shape.

(The thing on the bottom of the picture)

I then started to try and stretch the hat. I even used a wrench to try and pry it larger. It stretched a bit but not much.

A few weeks later I realized the hat band is also leather and is probably just as dry. So I moisturized that and the sweat band a few more times.

Lastly I tried to give the hat a shower to loosen the felt itself. The hat still had weather protectant so getting it wet didn’t really work. The combination of all three seemed to do the trick. I can fit my hat block (shaped to my head shape) into the hat now. It still tried to shrink a little with wear. I feel until I get it in a good rain shower it will be a challenge to keep it this size. It just needs to loosen up.


Hope this may help other that get old shrunken hats.

here are a few pics of my 15 year old Down Under. Note the gross/stained white liner (wish they still used the red) and the studded hat band.

Johnny

 

[Mm25]

View attachment 280277
View attachment 280278

This is a new to me Akubra “Down Under” model I got from Mm25. I knew it was a little small and he said there was a tear in the sweat band but I love the style so I thought “what the heck”

This hat is at least 20 years old. By the size tag, hat band and the red liner Akubra discontinued around the year 2000.

When I first got the hat I couldn’t wait and popped it on my head. The sweat band tore a little more and the hat had no give what so ever.
View attachment 280280
This is the stiffest Akubra I have ever put my hands on. So I started with bring the sweat band back before I did more damage. I went into my shoe kit and came up with a moisturizer and conditioner.
View attachment 280283
I Put about three coats on the sweat band over three days. Kept a hat Jack in it to keep its shape.
View attachment 280279
(The thing on the bottom of the picture)

I then started to try and stretch the hat. I even used a wrench to try and pry it larger. It stretched a bit but not much.

A few weeks later I realized the hat band is also leather and is probably just as dry. So I moisturized that and the sweat band a few more times.

Lastly I tried to give the hat a shower to loosen the felt itself. The hat still had weather protectant so getting it wet didn’t really work. The combination of all three seemed to do the trick. I can fit my hat block (shaped to my head shape) into the hat now. It still tried to shrink a little with wear. I feel until I get it in a good rain shower it will be a challenge to keep it this size. It just needs to loosen up.


Hope this may help other that get old shrunken hats.

here are a few pics of my 15 year old Down Under. Note the gross/stained white liner (wish they still used the red) and the studded hat band.
View attachment 280282
View attachment 280281

Johnny

Jonny,
Glad to see you were abel to whip it into line. If you get it to hold the shape you want, it should last forever. Toughest hat I ever wrestled with.
Joe

 

[Hurricane Jack]

By the size tag, hat band and the red liner Akubra discontinued around the year 2000.

here are a few pics of my 15 year old Down Under. Note the gross/stained white liner (wish they still used the red) and the studded hat band.

I must have yet another generation with the white liner with plastic protector.

I bought the hat off eBay because I wanted something I could take open crown. In its original crease it appeared to me to have about the same blocking as the Camp Draft. I wanted a hat similar to this one worn by Jude Law in Cold Mountain, but with a flat brim not pulled down all the way around.

The brim is nice & thin; the crown has just enough stiffener to hold shape, but not as stiff as a Derby. Being chocolate I only wear it thru the fall & winter.

Still wet when pic taken

Was looking for a ribbon when I dropped this 1920's horsehair on it this fall.

It's a fun hat to wear, yet it's not huge.

 

[Mm25]

I must have yet another generation with the white liner with plastic protector.

View attachment 280324

I bought the hat off eBay because I wanted something I could take open crown. In its original crease it appeared to me to have about the same blocking as the Camp Draft. I wanted a hat similar to this one worn by Jude Law in Cold Mountain, but with a flat brim not pulled down all the way around.

View attachment 280327

The brim is nice & thin; the crown has just enough stiffener to hold shape, but not as stiff as a Derby. Being chocolate I only wear it thru the fall & winter.

Still wet when pic taken
View attachment 280326

View attachment 280325

Was looking for a ribbon when I dropped this 1920's horsehair on it this fall.

View attachment 280323

It's a fun hat to wear, yet it's not huge.

Funny because when I bought it, it was to wear like the hat Doc Holiday wore in Wynonna Earp. I never got around to curling the brim. The general shape lends itself to many looks.

 

[johnnycanuck]

I must have yet another generation with the white liner with plastic protector.

View attachment 280324

I bought the hat off eBay because I wanted something I could take open crown. In its original crease it appeared to me to have about the same blocking as the Camp Draft. I wanted a hat similar to this one worn by Jude Law in Cold Mountain, but with a flat brim not pulled down all the way around.

View attachment 280327

The brim is nice & thin; the crown has just enough stiffener to hold shape, but not as stiff as a Derby. Being chocolate I only wear it thru the fall & winter.

Still wet when pic taken
View attachment 280326

View attachment 280325

Was looking for a ribbon when I dropped this 1920's horsehair on it this fall.

View attachment 280323

It's a fun hat to wear, yet it's not huge.

You can’t really see it in the picture but it does have the plastic protector in the crown. I know there is another generation that has the Akubra logo on a plate hanging from chains on the hat band. Wonder how old that one is.

photo stolen from internet.
Johnny

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I know there is another generation...

It may just be deceptive but the brim looks bigger. I wonder if the dimensions changed?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

...the hat Doc Holiday wore in Wynonna Earp.

I've been suffering from Series burnout after binge watching a few, but I just put this one my list to watch.

Better than the series about high school sisters by day, butt kicking bounty hunters by night, I suppose.

 

[Silver-Wolf]

Johnny,
Only just noticed this thread lol. You did a good job on that DownUnder mate and glad you worked it out and had a win. When I do changes like that I have sometimes had to literally soak the hat for like an hour or so, with headbands etc on the hat if leather and then go about fashioning or stretching etc.

Anyways, make sure you nourish all the leather bits a few times and then do it every so often or the leather will want to shrink back if it starts losing any moisture. The leather they use is nice but if not worn often enough and they dry out Aklubra's are famous for shrinking.

I don't know if any of you have ever heard people saying/suggesting to soak your Akubra when first new, Akubra suggest you shouldn't do it but many, many Australians first thing they do with a new Akubra is soak it all and then wear it till dry to get that custom fit.

Heck I've got an Akubra I put in the washing machine and then even gave a bath and a couple of us stomped and kicked it a bit lol. Man it came out clean and nice, softer at long last lol but I was trying to shrink the hat 3 sizes or so.
I got this hat in the 80's, By the way the Down Under came out in the 80's and was very popular because of the Crocodile Dundee movie. The Down Under model is the hat used to make the 2 variants of "The Croc" they just did tear drop on crown, pinched bash and obviously put crocodile leather headbands.

 

[Mm25]

I've been suffering from Series burnout after binge watching a few, but I just put this one my list to watch.

Better than the series about high school sisters by day, butt kicking bounty hunters by night, I suppose.

Unfortunately it might be about the same! Lol.