What kind block was used for an Indy Fedora?

[Detective_Noir]

what made Indy's hat so squared off with no taper from the bash he had compared to hats i have that are from the 30's and 40's where i try to use the same bash but it starts to taper in from the sides? was the hat made with a more flatter top opposed to the others where they have a more rounded top in their open crown form?

 

[jlee562]

We talking about the Raiders hat here?

The original Raiders hat was a Herbert Johnson. Nobody is really quite sure what the block exactly was, although the guys at Adventurebilt Europe have reason to believe that the block used on their "Henry" factory hat is indeed "the" block.

Another factor is "the turn." I hope John Penman doesn't mind me quoting him from Club Obi Wan:

If the hat was turned you would have a much more boxy hat. That's why I always suggest to people to have it turned/creased off center. It really makes the hat much more screen accurate. The other thing is the brim would appear just a tad shorter by turning it, it will pick up the brim in the front so you could wear it more straight on and with the brim looking a tad shorter would make the hat appear taller.

 

[DJH]

D_N, if you've not seen it already, read the story of the Indy Fedora over at the Indy Gear site.

The legacy of the Indy hat is very much kept alive by the members there. They helped Akubra with tuning the blocks for their Federation hat and some of the members that make hats, Delk, Penman and Garrison have blocks that make a hat very similar to the original.

But you are right, if your hat has any taper or is rather rounded at the top, it is hard to make a center crease and retain that nice straight crown. If you start with the right style hat, it is perfectly possible though.

 

[m0nk]

I'm going to agree with both on the turn being a major factor. My Akubra Fed IV had some slight taper, even though it definitely had the best block Akubra has used yet. I just redid the crease and included a turn and it's spot on for a Raiders hat now.