OK Indy guys! Need your help! Indy Fedora!!!!!!

[agent5]

And THAT, kids, is pretty high praise coming form the guy making the FINEST Indiana Jones fedoras anywhere.

Not just that, but he's made them for Harrison Ford as well. :thumbsup

Would you all agree that the hat (for ROTLA) should look just slightly too big?

Marc can probably best describe whats going on here as Indy would say, "He's the real expert". But basically what the Raiders hat is is an illusion. Its really only a 5" bashed crown, maybe a tad shorter, but its the block the hat is made on which has such straight sides that it creates the illusion that the hat is taller than it really is. That, along with the size of the ribbon and the shape of Fords face, all play a factor in how tall the hat will look. Its all an illusion.

The felt the Raiders hat was made on was also a very high quality felt and the hat you have most likely does not have the same characteristics as the older felt used on the originals. Several people own vintage HJ's and the felt reacts differently than any of the offerings they've had since the mid-80's.

In the end, the bash you put in it will only be a small part of getting the right look. You may get close, but without the block that Marc and Steve use, you just won't get it 100%. You just have to live with it. I do every day until I get my AB back from Steve. My poor Indy mannequin has a slightly tapered hat. :cry

 

[PHArchivist]

Thanks, Jason - awesome information.

The sides are straighter/taller than the previous (cheap) hats I've had, so I'm fairly satisfied with that. And Chris mentioned in my figure thread that Ford wore a 58 (my new hat is a 60) so seems I may have the size I need.

I'll probably reshape the brim to get it to where I like. I wonder if there would be a way to expand the upper portion of the crown (inserting some type of device/ring to hold it at a larger circumference) to reduce the taper, as this will be for a static display...

 

[darthwhitey]

pics?...:love

 

[rickrickrick]

I wonder if there would be a way to expand the upper portion of the crown (inserting some type of device/ring to hold it at a larger circumference) to reduce the taper, as this will be for a static display...

I suppose you could stick a hat jack (see attached) in it - they're really designed for stretching right around the hat band, but I don't know why you couldn't ease it upward into the crown.

Rick

 

[Marc]

That is something I'd recommend STRICTLY against doing...

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=6251&highlight=


Took SEVERAL hours to bring it back to life (see on page two).

Regards,

Marc

 

[rickrickrick]

Well, now I know why you couldn't.:lol

I WAS going to say "if you don't like the taper get someone to re-block the hat," but then decided to take a do-it-yourself tack, instead.

I still believe it would be possible to use the same sort of hat jack idea IF the form was the full length of the sides of the hat, not isolated in a narrow band like the hat jack. But why bother? Let a professional do it.

Vielen Dank, Marc. You do great work.

Tschüss!

Rick

 

[PHArchivist]

I suppose you could stick a hat jack (see attached) in it - they're really designed for stretching right around the hat band, but I don't know why you couldn't ease it upward into the crown.

Rick

I did speak with a person who was well "in the know" (a very well-informed seller, though not an expert or builder as Marc). He did suggest the possiblity of shrinking the leather band inside the hat. This was suggested since the size I need for my own application is somewhere between a 59 and a 60, and what I have is a 60.

I'd suppose -- granted this was successful -- that it would both tighten the fit on the head, and create a slightly less tapered appearance, since the bottom of the crown is being drawn in while the top of the crown is not.

Marc, I'd appreciate your input on this idea...

 

[DarkHelmet]

I don't know if there is a Burlington Coat Factory near you, but they carry 19.95 (sometimes on sale for 9.99) hats that can be easily converted:

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=34109

 

[WinstonWolf359]

I've used the "lampshade trick" on both of my last two hats because my own head is a 59.5, so I order a 60 and shrink it down a bit. It works well for me, and does seem to help straighten the sides a bit.

Just be careful and check the hat frequently. If you shrink it too much it'll be a pain to undo that, and the worst case would be the hat catching on fire...I think we all know burned felt is hardly screen accurate!

 

[PHArchivist]

I've used the "lampshade trick" on both of my last two hats because my own head is a 59.5, so I order a 60 and shrink it down a bit. It works well for me, and does seem to help straighten the sides a bit.

Just be careful and check the hat frequently. If you shrink it too much it'll be a pain to undo that, and the worst case would be the hat catching on fire...I think we all know burned felt is hardly screen accurate!

Would you mind describing the technique you used?

 

[WinstonWolf359]

Sure!

Fold down the sweatband, and using your hands get the sweatband very wet, then wipe off the excess. Be careful not to get the felt or the liner wet, just the sweatband. With the sweatband still flipped down set the hat on top of a lamp. You may want to stuff some cloth up into the crown to keep as much heat as possible away from the crown.

The rapid drying of the sweatband will cause it to shrink, how much depends on how long the hat stays up there. I think I left mine on the lamp for a total of about seven or eight minutes, checking on it every three or four.

Once you think it's good enough just leave it on your bust to finish drying so it will snug up perfectly.

 

[PHArchivist]

Sure!

Fold down the sweatband, and using your hands get the sweatband very wet, then wipe off the excess. Be careful not to get the felt or the liner wet, just the sweatband. With the sweatband still flipped down set the hat on top of a lamp. You may want to stuff some cloth up into the crown to keep as much heat as possible away from the crown.

The rapid drying of the sweatband will cause it to shrink, how much depends on how long the hat stays up there. I think I left mine on the lamp for a total of about seven or eight minutes, checking on it every three or four.

Once you think it's good enough just leave it on your bust to finish drying so it will snug up perfectly.

Perfect! Sounds simple enough. Would drying with a hair dryer work too, do you suppose? Not sure have a traditional lamp shade in the house!

 

[WinstonWolf359]

I think it would, since it's the same general idea, but it might be a PITA, standing there waving a hair dryer over a hat for 5-10 minutes.

I don't actually have a traditional shaded lamp either, I use one of those torchier-type lamps with a halogen blub. Just make sure nothing is touching or close to touching the bulb...if left alone for too long your hat WILL become a bonfire, and a nasty-smelling one at that. It IS, after all, made out of animal fur.

 

[Marc]

Nothing wrong with the lampshade trick. I'd think that the less "windy" way of doing it (with a lightbulp instead of a hairdryer) would be the better way of doing it though, as you don't risk to heat up the felt.

Regards,

Marc

 

[amish]

Kind of off-topic, but is there a place that I can get an Indy hat that is kid sized for a good price. I have seen the costume type stuff, but they really are not that nice.

Looks to spend around $40 or so on it.

Thanks!

Tom

 

[jedeyenight]

Guys, i went with the Federation... for starters
I also am looking for a kids indy hat. I see the disney ones on line but the gave no size. Are the elasticized?
Thanks,
Frank

 

[amish]

Ok, found some smaller sizes on the cheap here:

thefedorastore.com Indiana-Jones-Hats-s

Any opinions? Not looking for anything collectible, just something for a 9 year old and something that will not be destoryed to easily.

Also here is a dumb question, but I honestly do not know, was the hat crushable that he wore?

 

[Apollo]

Also here is a dumb question, but I honestly do not know, was the hat crushable that he wore?

Sure was. It was a felt hat so it was very crushible!

 

[PHArchivist]

Sure was. It was a felt hat so it was very crushible!

Well... I don't know about the actual hats he wore. But lore is that they were Herbert Johnson's.

The HJ I just got is not what I'd consider "crushable". Shapeable, yes. But I have a felt cowboy hat, and a felt Burlington Coat Factory fedora, which are both truly the soft felt you can wring in your hands and they will re-form to their original shape.

The Herbert Johnson I have is of the more rigid felt that - while you can custom shape it - is not the soft felt that you can stuff in a bag, and remove later and have it return to its original shape.

 

[Apollo]

Trust me Rob, Herbies are crushable as I found out the hard way! :lol

Don't forget the scene in "Raiders" after he dives in the drink to get away from the Hovitos.