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What is your favorite hat crease?

My "new" 50's black Meyser fedora from Stefan all creased up and ready go!! I love the grey ribbon on this one! And of course you always need an interesting crease when possible.....especially on a black hat!;) This one came out with a nice shallow flange brim and looks great just as it is!;) No brim break on this one....:rolleyes:;):)
M:)
PS YES, the crown pinch height is uneven.....gives it a great look (I think anyway).;)
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AbbaDatDeHat

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,876
My "new" 50's black Meyser fedora from Stefan all creased up and ready go!! I love the grey ribbon on this one! And of course you always need an interesting crease when possible.....especially on a black hat!;) This one came out with a nice shallow flange and looks great just as it is!;) No brim break on this one....:rolleyes:;):)
M:)
PS YES, the crown pinch height is uneven.....gives it a great look (I think anyway).;)
View attachment 145092 View attachment 145093 View attachment 145094
I love that!!
That’s an old style crease that i can’t remember what it’s called??
My Disney Camel Hair had a propensity to follow such a crease when i let it go it’s own way, hence the wonky way it is today.
Cool M!!
B
 
I love that!!
That’s an old style crease that i can’t remember what it’s called??
My Disney Camel Hair had a propensity to follow such a crease when i let it go it’s own way, hence the wonky way it is today.
Cool M!!
B
Yes, I have seen simular creases too....don't know if any were really named or not. I just like wonky creases when I have enough pliable felt.....plus.....I "listen to the hat".;)
M:)
EDIT I must say I have done this sort of thing with many of my vintage (and new when possible) as the felt really is nice to work with. It is VERY hard to photograph.......they look a LOT better and even more interesting in person........beats the heck out of a factory creased crown!!!;)
 
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scottyrocks

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9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
Just putting this here because yet again another of my hats has moved into the diamond category.

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This Penman originally came with a 6 point diamond, but to me it looked too much like a teardrop or C-crown, so I redid it with a center dent.

A couple of days ago, however, I got bored and started changing it dry and thought that it might look good with a true 4 point diamond. So I broke out the tea kettle and went at it.

What I find interesting is that it looks somewhat different in photographs than in the mirror. The photos make it look wider than the way my eye sees it in the mirror.

I had drafted a small essay on the way my eye, at least, perceives objects, hats in particular, in the mirror, on film, and in moving images. I didn't post it, though, as I hadn't finished it to my satisfaction. But I am going to have to do a video to see how I look in this hat's current incarnation with its diamond crease.
 

Air Wing Marine

One of the Regulars
Messages
122
Location
Houston
I want to shape some of my old hats to an open crown so I can experiment with different creases. My size is 7 3/8. What size and type block should I get? Where do I find the best deal? any tips on shaping?
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
I want to shape some of my old hats to an open crown so I can experiment with different creases. My size is 7 3/8. What size and type block should I get? Where do I find the best deal? any tips on shaping?

Most decent hats can be returned to open crown with just your fingers and maybe some steam; no block required.

If you want to remove all traces of the old crease, particularly if the felt isn’t all that great to begin with, a block is useful. Just to be sure we’re talking about the same thing, you are going to also remove the sweatband and then sew in another after reblocking, right? If you leave the sweatband in you either get a block that is too small to resize the hat (to accommodate the sweatband), or you end up resizing the sweat which means the hat will no longer fit you and there will be a ring line on the exterior of the felt caused by the sweat being forced outward by the block (it can also cause the sweatband to separate). An undersized block can be used to remove old creases from the crown but it won’t be as successful as a block that can completely restore the hat to original dimensions...and this means you either give all your hats the same shape by using the same block or you buy multiple blocks in different profiles. And down the rabbit hole you go.

Read this:

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/buying-hat-blocks-what-does-one-need-to-know.74078/

For hat blocks you can look for used or try:
https://hatterssupplyhouse.com/hat-blocks/



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
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Messages
12,032
Location
East of Los Angeles
I don't intend on removing the sweatband. I want to use it to steam out creases.
I've used distilled water in a spray bottle (I don't have a good way to use steam) and a smallish stainless steel mixing bowl to return my hats to open crown before I re-crease them. The curvature of the bowl is a reasonably good match to the curvature of the crowns, so I spray the felt liberally and use the mixing bowl inside the crown to return the hats to their original open crown shape. Doing this I can usually eliminate about 90%-95% of the previous creases, and any remaining evidence of previous creases is hidden by the new crease.

That being said, most of my hats are modern production Akubras and the oldest is only a little over 10 years old, so I have no idea how well this might work on vintage felt.
 
Messages
19,001
Location
Central California
I don't intend on removing the sweatband. I want to use it to steam out creases.

I’m not sure why you need/want a block. Blocks are made for...er...blocking hats, and it doesn’t seem that you want to block/re-block them so....

I bought a vintage heated “block” that is actually more of an inside crown iron that I use to remove creases, etc. You have to be careful not to cook the leather sweatband. Sometimes I use it cold and use a steam iron on the outside of the felt and the cold metal “block” as an anvil for the steam iron to press against. These heated “blocks” are still available on eBay.

With the liner removed, you can mist the inside of the crown felt and use the hot block to steam out the creases from the inside. A undersized crown iron is a benefit and my 21” iron/block works well with my 24+” hats. Care is required to not cook/damage the sweat.

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Closer to what you are looking for?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
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