New Akubra Squatter!

[Ugarte]

What has always been tough for me is that a center dent tends to touch the top of my head, which I don't like. Still, some hats just look great with a center dent approach. My solution has been to do a crease which I refer to as a "modified center dent." I start off with a pure center dent and shape the crease a bit to create just a tad more space in the center of the crown. Then, I create an upward dent right in the middle. The result -- in wearing the hat, it has the appearance of a center dent, but the crease is not touching my head in the middle, since it is now elevated. Hope that makes sense. Here are a couple of photos to illustrate:

Hope the concept comes through in the photos. Anyway, it's something to consider as a way of making room for your high-crowned noggin and still keeping the aesthetic of a center dent...

Sigh, okay. I broke out the steamer and I'm working on this one, but I keep busting it. Whenever I put the hat on, the center crease finds a way to become a diamond bash.

I will persevere because that's one sweet looking crease and it solves the issue created by my ridged skull very elegantly.

I have also noticed something wacky about the brim. I think my head may be terribly crooked. I'll work on it and post pics when I get a chance.

Wish me luck.

Mark

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[Ugarte]

....either way...I'm sending off for a hat friday...still working on which one...and what Hatsdirect has to say about what they have available...

Aye mate! That's the spirit!

Good on ya!

Mark!

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[riccardo]

Bad friends.

Hi guys,
you're really bad friends for me lol , I'm just going to order a Bushman at Hatsdirect, I'll order one in a regancy fawn color.
Many thanks rage: ) to the bad fellow ( ) who shows it in this thread, my next will be a beautiful Squatter, ugarte's lid looks very well.
Me too, like rbh and other, are going to really love the thin ribbon.
Haaaaappy day to you.

Riccardo.

 

[Colby Jack]

Spoke with Hatsdirect, they said the Bushman's will be in 3 months from now. Akubra is going on their summer break. They have a few (not sure what size) and that the color is regency fawn. So it look's like the Campdraft will be first...

 

[Ugarte]

The elusive Modified Center Dent

I have steamed and creased, but I have not yet conquered.

It looks pretty good, but not as good as Jimmy's. I worked this hat to an open crown with my steamer and a softball. It smoothed out pretty well, but I still have artifacts of the teardrop crease that was in it when I got it. I think that was a factory crease.

At any rate, while I don't think it looks as good as JTL's, it still a good looking crease and it's comfortable -- no loafing around on my pericranium. Viz some really hasty snapshots:

I have also noticed that, if I'm not careful, I tend to wear this hat off-center, which gives the brim a truly eccentric flair. That's not a problem, it's just that as a new hat wearer I did not realize how easy the "Raiders Turn©" was to achieve.

Okay, I'm off to play with this hat some more.

Mark
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[Ugarte]

Spoke with Hatsdirect, they said the Bushman's will be in 3 months from now. Akubra is going on their summer break. They have a few (not sure what size) and that the color is regency fawn. So it look's like the Campdraft will be first...

Congrats Jack. Can't wait to see it.

Mark
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[Colby Jack]

Neither can I!!! :eusa_clap

 

[Fatdutchman]

My face is a bit off center of my head, so all my hats are "turned" just a bit, with the front pinch a bit towards the ribbon bow. Go back and look at the picture of my Squatter and you can see the joint of the brim binding on the back of the hat. This is the center of the hat...as it came from the factory. You can see how my crease and everything is turned at an angle.

 

[jimmy the lid]

Hey, Mark. Looks like it's coming along! I have a couple of thoughts...

The crease looks really good in the first photo. The straight-on shot, though, makes the hat seem a bit tapered. Going with a straight c-crown tends to bring the edges of the crease more to the outside of the crown and causes the sides to straighten. It may be that the hat will look better that way.

If you decide to keep at it with the modified center dent, then I offer the following...When the hat is in open crown mode, do the ol' karate chop down the middle. The hat should look pretty much like Fat Dutchman's:

From this point, establish a couple of side dents, but don't use steam yet. The side dents will help to orient the front of the hat and help make sure the center dent is lined up properly. Then, at the back of the hat, round things out just a bit. It's almost like you're creating a miniature teardrop shape at the back -- but just enough so that the crown can be elevated at the point where it's most likely to hit your noggin. Once that's done, then you can shape the center dent so that it gradually angles to the front of the hat. You want to leave the front of the center dent pretty much the way it was after the karate chop:

[In your version, it looks like you've shaped the front of the hat more in c-crown mode, so that the crease angles away quickly from the pinch]. Once the center dent is shaped properly, I then hit the dent with steam and run my hand (using a knuckle or two...) down the center of the dent from underneath the crown. This creates an elevated ridge that does away with the part of the center dent that always sits on top of my noggin:

Once this is all the way you want it, you can set the side dents with a little steam and you're good to go!

Hope this is helpful. [huh] In any event, whatever crease you go with, it should make you feel great about wearing the hat. So, like I said, you may ultimately decide that the c-crown is a better look all things considered. Whatever you decide, good luck. Looking forward to seeing how things turn out!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[J.T.Marcus]

JtL, That's a great tutorial! Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried wearing it the way it looks in the first photo, without side dents? Sort of a fedora with a Homburg crown. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Ugarte]

Jimmy, the problem I keep running into seems to be related to the fact that the hat was a C-crown (teardrop) when I got it. It has been a real fight to get rid of that original crease which makes me think this may have been preformed.

Part of the reason my crease looks like it does is probably the legacy of this original teardrop crease. I worked with it today and had a pretty good looking open crown, but I could never quite get rid of all of the signs of that original crease.

The taper visible at the rear of the crown is the felt that made up the ridge around the rear bowl of that teardrop. To get the crease I've got now, I worked as round an open crown as I could, chopped the center dent down the middle, and then spread the dent quite a bit wider so that I could steam the crown soft enough to get the dome in it. From there I worried about the side dents. It seems widening the center dent is what lead to the C-crown looking front to that center dent.

Your tips above are helpful, but I am afraid I may have to have the thing reblocked to get completely rid of the teardrop. I also wonder just how deep your center dent is.

I'll probably keep resteaming and creasing because, well I just don't know when to leave well enough alone. But as it is right now, it looks good to my eye and sits well on my head.

Again thanks for the tips. More information is better.

Mark
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[jimmy the lid]

Part of the reason my crease looks like it does is probably the legacy of this original teardrop crease. I worked with it today and had a pretty good looking open crown, but I could never quite get rid of all of the signs of that original crease.

Mark -- your analysis makes complete sense. It is certainly quite a bit harder to eradicate the remnants of a factory crease. Also, it is relatively easy to take a hat that had a center dent and then re-crease it into a teardrop, since the old crease gets lost in the new shape of the crown. Going from a teardrop to a center dent is a different matter, as you've found out.

In the end, it's all about finding a look you're happy with. But the process you're going through now is invaluable in terms of getting ideas for how to find that look.

Good luck!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[jimmy the lid]

JtL, That's a great tutorial! Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried wearing it the way it looks in the first photo, without side dents? Sort of a fedora with a Homburg crown. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

J.T. -- I have to admit, I've never gone without the side dents. But, you're right, it would be a kind of fedora/homburg look!

Cheers,
JtL

 

[Boris K]

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Jimmy, that is one professional looking crease!

 

[riccardo]

Hi guys,
you're really bad friends for me lol , I'm just going to order a Bushman at Hatsdirect, I'll order one in a regancy fawn color.
Many thanks rage: ) to the bad fellow ( ) who shows it in this thread, my next will be a beautiful Squatter, ugarte's lid looks very well.
Me too, like rbh and other, are going to really love the thin ribbon.
Haaaaappy day to you.

Riccardo.

Hi guys,
I'm waiting for my Bushman.
Deb (hatsdirect) was very fine with me, she mailed me the hat's features because their version is a bit different compared with DM version :the australian Bushman has a bit lower crown 1/4 inch lower the ribbon like the Federation and a 5% more tapered crown less than,however, the Squatter.
I think, and hope, it could be a nice lid for outdoor or informal occasion, then I can't wait.
Regards.

 

[indycop]

Hi guys,
I'm waiting for my Bushman.
Deb (hatsdirect) was very fine with me, she mailed me the hat's features because their version is a bit different compared with DM version :the australian Bushman has a bit lower crown 1/4 inch lower the ribbon like the Federation and a 5% more tapered crown less than,however, the Squatter.
I think, and hope, it could be a nice lid for outdoor or informal occasion, then I can't wait.
Regards.

Can't wait to see pics of this one!!

 

[Fatdutchman]

Here's what I've been doing with western hats that I want to reshape. Take out the liner, fill it with water, and set it on top of the crown in the bathtub. Go eat a sandwich. Come back when the water has all run out through the felt. The crown should be reasonably well shaped now (as good as it's going to be without actual reblocking). You can push it with your fingers here and there as necessary to get a nice shape, then set aside to dry. Go back and check it every now and then while it's drying to push out any places that gravity might have sunk in. Now, after it's dry, shape it as you desire.

Hard creases will always leave a mark on the crown, but it's usually faint, and once you soak it and push it all out, it won't try to return to its original position.

 

[Colby Jack]

Hi guys,
I'm waiting for my Bushman.
Deb (hatsdirect) was very fine with me, she mailed me the hat's features because their version is a bit different compared with DM version :the australian Bushman has a bit lower crown 1/4 inch lower the ribbon like the Federation and a 5% more tapered crown less than,however, the Squatter.
I think, and hope, it could be a nice lid for outdoor or informal occasion, then I can't wait.
Regards.

Riccardo...was that you that bought the size 60 Bushman?....I was asking Deb about that one and the Campdraft...she said someone was getting the last size 60 Bushman...So I'm going for the Campdraft first....and the Bushman later on....:eusa_clap

 

[Ugarte]

Here's what I've been doing with western hats that I want to reshape. Take out the liner, fill it with water, and set it on top of the crown in the bathtub. Go eat a sandwich. Come back when the water has all run out through the felt. The crown should be reasonably well shaped now (as good as it's going to be without actual reblocking). You can push it with your fingers here and there as necessary to get a nice shape, then set aside to dry. Go back and check it every now and then while it's drying to push out any places that gravity might have sunk in. Now, after it's dry, shape it as you desire.

Hard creases will always leave a mark on the crown, but it's usually faint, and once you soak it and push it all out, it won't try to return to its original position.

Radical dude. I will take this under consideration, but I have a question. What do you use to glue the liner back in?

I have been working with the hat and have managed a better crease, though certainly not as fine as JTL's. The shape is better, but it's lumpy and the back of crown still shows a lot of taper from the original crease.

Like I said, I'll keep this idea in mind, though I honestly don't know how much better it can get short of a reblock.

Mark
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[indycop]

I used taylors glue, looked like runny elmers glue.