Akubra Campdraft

[Zombie_61]

...I know you guys know this stuff, but I'm hopeful you veterans find some joy in watching your little ones find their wings.

Quality hats have a learning curve just like anything else. Fortunately, The Lounge is one of the best (if not the best) resources for information, so you're in the right place.

By the way, I think the higher crown does indeed suit you better.

 

[JoeyC]

Dave that hat looks great on you. I much prefer the re-crease. I like my CD's with a simple center crease, no pinch and a slightly dipped front, sort of western look, I find that suits me best in the CD's as well as some of my OR's. Others I place soft dents in and snap the brims. I try to let the hat sort of dictate how I shape it, crown height and block, brim width etc. and of course how it looks on me.

Wear it well.

Joe

 

[Preacher Man]

David, good looking CD! I like the new bash job better too. You got the dimensions right and it looks good on you. You wear it well! Good job!

 

[tropicalbob]

David, I honestly think that CD looks the best on you of all your hats. Cheers.

 

[tropicalbob]

I've already sold my first few hats on eBay. I once thought they were perfect. Now they look to me like miniature toy hats. If this CD becomes the norm, I may have a few others to unload.

Design really is a strange thing. I mentioned on another thread that years ago I bought my first brand-new car, and I sat on the curb like an idiot staring at the thing: it looked like the latest offering from NASA. Five years later I walk out the door and Jed Clampett's truck is sitting by the curb. What happened? Little by little car designs changed, and I hadn't noticed it. It's what the eye gets used to.

 

[job]

It's a cool thing when you've played around with a hat off and on and finally look at it and give it the thumbs up and go aaaaaaaaahhhh like Fonzie.

 

[Bob Roberts]

FWIW. My Silverbelly is much stiffer than my Moonstone.

 

[Zombie_61]

FWIW. My Silverbelly is much stiffer than my Moonstone.

That's what she said. :drum:

 

[Bob Roberts]

That's what she said. :drum:

Very good Zombie. Lmao.

 

[konadog]

here's my new silverbelly heritage from hatsdirect pre bash. thinking of doing a proper center dent with side pinches to get a slightly tapered look.

 

[Bob Roberts]

here's my new silverbelly heritage from hatsdirect pre bash. thinking of doing a proper center dent with side pinches to get a slightly tapered look. View attachment 28419 View attachment 28420

Nice hat! My Akubra CD in silverbelly needed lots if steam and distilled water misting to get the center dent and pinches deep n smooth.

 

[Zombie_61]

Nice hat! My Akubra CD in silverbelly needed lots if steam and distilled water misting to get the center dent and pinches deep n smooth.

Misting? I sprayed the hell out of mine with distilled water--not quite enough to soak all the way through the felt, but enough to saturate it nicely--and I was able to mold 'em like clay. And they've both held their shapes well ever since.

 

[RJR]

What Zombie_61 said,you need to get them pretty damp.

 

[tropicalbob]

I nearly burned my hand holding the thing over the kettle.

 

[konadog]

since i also need to block this guy long oval, would you recommend i go to a good hat shop or just mist the heck out of it, put in a hat stretcher, and mold it to the bash i want? again, this is the heritage model.

 

[Bob Roberts]

since i also need to block this guy long oval, would you recommend i go to a good hat shop or just mist the heck out of it, put in a hat stretcher, and mold it to the bash i want? again, this is the heritage model.

I've heard that wetting combined w the stretcher can increase the taper. Personally I dont like alot of taper and would go to a shop.

 

[RJR]

I don't believe that just going to LO will do much to the taper.

 

[Bob Roberts]

I don't believe that just going to LO will do much to the taper.

I mighta heard wrong. Lol. Or maybe it was wetting and stretching up a size that would mess with the taper...?

 

[jlee562]

Theoretically, I could see the front to back taper being stretched out a little bit, but just easing it out isn't likely to do much from a head on view to make the crown look more tapered. A lot depends on the blockshape too.

 

[89quattro]

In case anyone is interested, looks like Everything Australian has the full size range of bluegrass green Campdrafts back in stock. My 64 cm shipped out yesterday.