Some questions and observations after receiving my gray Akubra Federation yesterday.

[MattJH]

Threads already consulted:

Matt Deckard's thread illustrating various bashes.
dzacca's thread requesting Federation bash suggestions.
My own thread asking about the ability to pull off a high crown.

Sites already consulted:

David Morgan's tutorial on bashing open-crown fedoras.
The tutorial on Hats Direct regarding bashing open-crown fedoras.

First and foremost, I'd like to say that I see what you all mean about the quality of the Akubra. The felt is dense but malleable, so much so that when I dropped it onto its open crown (intentionally), a huge dent reflected the spot of impact. I had always imagined them to be stiffer; not stiff like a bowler hat, but stiff like... well, I guess a cowboy hat.

Also, people aren't kidding about the shipment time for Hats Direct. I received it within 5 business days of my order placement, and that's including the USPS Presidents Day interruption!

The size 61 (7 5/8) fits me just fine. The opening of the Akubra Federation is very round, so the sides stick out just a tad, but nothing a little bit of sweat and regular usage wouldn't fix. The hat is HUGE, but everyone says that when they first get one of these, and many end up liking the tall, non-tapered crown after a bit of getting used to. I've been regularly wearing my gray Stetson Sovereign and black Borsalino Traveler, so this is a massive change.

Here's what I'd like to do -- I want to bash it by hand only, using the diamond crease that Dinerman so kindly included a short demonstration movie of in Matt Deckard's thread illustrating various bashes. I don't want it to be symmetrically perfect. If I did, I'd have ordered it pre-bashed, you know? I want it to have that natural, hand-bashed look. I have it sitting at home right now with the crown shaped the way I want it. Diamond bash, brim front downturned, somewhat tight pinch but not nearly as tight as an Indiana Jones hat.

Here are my questions:

01) When hand-bashing without the use of steam or water, what's the best way to get the hat to retain its shape? I'm expecting a sort of non-answer here; that is to say that there's no way for it to retain shape until it becomes wet at some point. Yes/no?

02) If you hand-bash a crown without the use of steam or water, and it hasn't been exposed to rain, is it easy to re-bash into a different shape if the creases aren't tight? How about after it's been in a rain? Because it's sitting at home with the bash I want, I'm worried that if I get home and it doesn't look right, I won't be able to easily reshape it by hand.

03) The Akubra Federation is definitely not a casual hat that you can stroll around town with, at least not after my observations! Its appearance is drastic and large; it seems impossible for it to simply blend in with any outfit. In fact, it currently reminds me of a fez without the tassle but with a large brim. It's huge. A fellow member here sent me a private message warning me of this, but I had to have it in my hands to see for certain. If you're not imitating Indiana Jones, what's the best way you've found to pull this hat off without looking like you just walked off of a period movie set? Remember, I don't dress vintage -- I just love hats.

I look forward to reading your replies! This is one of the best interactive forums I've ever had the pleasure of being a participant of, and I've been doing the message board thing for, gosh, over 12 years now. Nice work.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I cold-bashed my Fed without using water or steam, and it has held its shape perfectly ever since. I think getting thoroughly damp in the rain a few times afterwards helped "set" the form, but honestly, even when it was brand new, the crown never once popped back out on its own. The Fed is pretty stiff, after all.

Of course, I just did a simple center-dent and pinch-front bash for the Indy look. It may be that the more complex diamond or C-crown bashes, which require narrower folds to retain their shape, can't be done without some water or steam. I'm sure plenty of other folks will advise...

And yeah, there's no getting around that the Federation is a big hat, and it requires a certain amount of guts - and not caring what other folks might think - to wear it without feeling a bit self-conscious!

 

[Feraud]

I shaped my Fed Deluxe with steam and it held the style perfectly. It did not taper or change shape at all. I am not the type to fuss over my lids and do not need to bash and re-bash as the mood strikes me. That is what owning multiple hats is for.
Casual is as casual does. You wrote how you have the bash set into your hat. You are finished with the "hard part". The only thing to do is to wear it!
I see guys who primp and fuss with their hats while wondering why they do not come off as cool and casual! :eusa_doh:
Enjoy the hat. It is a good one.

 

[playitagainsam]

When you get it like you want it, give us some pics. I got a black one on the way myself and I have been used to a 2" brim and 4" crown so it ought to be interesting

 

[Not-Bogart13]

01) Over time, by wearing it, playing with it, etc, the shape will get trained in.

02) I re-bashed mine several times over the first few weeks. This will actually help break in the hat, and letting it sit a day or two won't hurt unless you really make deep creases or hit it steam or water. When it gets wet, the shape is going to set a bit, but nothing is permanent. That's a great time to fiddle with the shape to get it the way you want. And if you get tired of one bash, I find it's easy to change it with some help from water. I recently changed my two year old c-crown Fed into a center crease. You have nothing to worry about. The Fed is a great hat to play with. A word of caution, however, if using water to shape; use the purest water you can find, like distilled or spring water. It helps avoid stains and discoloration.

03) First, don't worry about the hat being "huge". That will change over time. When I got my first one, I was floored by it's size. I gave the crown a deep c-bash to take some hieght off of it (the diamond crown will help, too), and I was hesitant to wear it at first. But I got used to it, and I can't stand low crowns any more! lol Anyway, wear it casual if you want, it'll work. You just need time to adjust. I often wear my gray Fed with a black leather jacket or a gray military BDU-style jacket. It will blend with what you wear. The Federation is great that way. Will it look good with just a t-shirt? Probably not. But a polo or denim shirt should work fine. Pants, of course, are required by law. Anyway, the t-shirt can work if you've got something over it, I would think. Just try not to think about it. Don't let the hat wear you... wear the hat. Every day if you can.
NB

 

[fedoralover]

Here's a shot of a diamond crease variation that isn't quite so deep as Matts. When I got the hat I reshaped it back to an open crown and started over, deciding that this was the shape I wanted for this particular hat. You see it's really all on how you want it to look.

fedoralover

 

[MattJH]

When you get it like you want it, give us some pics.

I certainly will! My digital camera is currently on loan.

Here's a shot of a diamond crease variation that isn't quite so deep as Matts.

That looks almost identical to mine! That's what I'm talking about -- the rough, asymmetrical bash. I like that. Perfection is for machines.

Thanks to everyone's responses so far.

 

[MattJH]

When you get it like you want it, give us some pics.

Here we go:

 

[fedoralover]

Dumbjaw, I used to have a gray Akubra federation, also I have had 3 brown ones. There is nothing wrong with that bash at all. I do recall you saying that it seemed "big", that being the case, if you wanted to, you could experiment with the crown by putting the top crease in a little deeper. It would help to minimize that.

fedoralover

 

[MattJH]

I do recall you saying that it seemed "big", that being the case, if you wanted to, you could experiment with the crown by putting the top crease in a little deeper. It would help to minimize that.

Thanks for the feedback! Actually, it didn't take me long to get used to the high crown at all, and now I like it quite a bit. That's a good thing -- I can't lower the crown any further or the top of my head would dome out the top!

 

[Dinerman]

Your bash looks like a shield. It's a nice variation that I've seen in some old photos.
good work.

 

[MattJH]

Your bash looks like a shield. It's a nice variation that I've seen in some old photos.
good work.

It was the result of me half-following the .FLV video you made for everybody demonstrating the diamond bash. So I did that, but I purposely did it just a tad sloppy, because I really wanted it to look hand-made, you know?

Thank you for the compliment!

 

[MattJH]

Follow up:

The hat is beginning to fit perfectly (despite my previous doubts about high crowns in a previous thread, I've been wearing it daily!) except for one thing:

The very front of the hat. The back is fine and the sides actually have a very small, comfortable amount of head room, but the very front where it hits my forehead is tight and it leaves a red line mark. My common sense tells me that if the sides were pushed in a bit, it would leave more room in the front, but if I begin to push the sides in, it creates a slight indentation on the side of the non-tapered crown, so that doesn't seem to be a good option.

Thoughts?

P.S. - Dinerman's compliment on my very first bash ever made my day.

 

[fedoralover]

Buy a hat stretcher, they are about 15.00 at any western supply store. They are just a turnbuckle on two pieces of wood. You don't have to put much pressure on it to just slightly stretch it, let it set over night and you will notice the difference.

fedoralover