hat bashing question

[skippymchaggis]

after lurking for a long time, and mostly participating in the Outerwear section, I just received my first non-baseball cap hat this morning, and have had a fairly fun time trying to figure out a dry bash for it. i'm leaning towards a version of the teardrop bash, but i'm finding that I can't get the side creases to stick near the front of the hat. the rear part of the crease will stay where it should (about 50% back on the sides) but then the front part of the hat isn't pinching in very well, and the front edge of the side creases release back. the hat is Fed IV.

i actually started the bash with the same approach as that really short video of the gentleman bashing a brown fedora with a center crease, three fingers on the back of the teardrop and a pinch on sides, but my hat isn't staying as...pointy at the front.

i'm still learning all the hat-speak, and i'm sure i've missed some info here, but i haven't been able to find what i'm looking for searching around. can anyone point me towards a bashing post, or share some info for a noob?

thanks!

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Welcome skippymchaggis You come to a great place!!!!!!!!!!!!

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0bFsukCT098&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0bFsukCT098&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

by one of our own.........Mattjh

 

[zetwal]

Spritz the crown with water. That will help the crease to stay in the position you want (once it dries).

 

[gtdean48]

Spritz the crown with water. That will help the crease to stay in the position you want (once it dries).

What Zetwal said. I use distilled water because I used to have well water that had lots of minerals in it & I don't trust the county water treatment either...

 

[Matt Deckard]

Very good video. In fact Akubra is the company that tells you to wait for the rain to shape your hat.

I shape mine dry usually, yet once in a while I'll head for the steam.

Here's more shapes.


http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=10272

 

[Carlisle Blues]

^^^^
I have not yet needed to wet my hats> I dry bash and so far I am very happy with their shape........

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I generally use the distilled water trick, but I also keep in mind the hat. Some hats don't do well with water, some don't like steam.

For a pinch issue, I usually start with a little steam. Boil some water and hold the pinch area of the hat 8 inches away from the water (in the steam) for about 10 seconds. Then, shape and hold in place for about 30 seconds. You might need to adjust your time based on how stubborn your hat is. Just remember, if you're close enough to the boiling water to hurt you hand, you're too close for the hat.

If steam fails, I use water.

 

[skippymchaggis]

thanks for the pointers.

i ended up using a bit of steam to get things to set (electric kettles are good for more than tea!). i was careful to keep the steam away from the sweatband, as i think i saw that steam and bands don't get along.

i'm kind of surprised at how fast steam works, but also how fast the hat sets up again. i need to get quicker!

as much fun as this hat has been, i know i'll be getting some more. and now that i have what i feel is a quality baseline to work from, i can figure out the specific details for the next one(s).

 

[zetwal]

That's one of the things that's great about soft felt fedoras. You can play with shape. Some you may want to crease one way, others another way. That's how I do it. Or maybe in time you will settle on one look for all your hats. It's amazing how the smallest change can really change the overall appearance and feel of a given hat. It can change the fit and ride too. When I joined the forum Loungers encouraged me experiment. I jumped in with both feet and never looked back.