hat softening

[swisslet]

I'm the proud owner of an Akubra Fed IV. I love my hat to bits and didn't think I would trade it for anything in the world.... and then when I was in London at the weekend, I tried on a Herbert Johnson Borsalino. Now, I decided not to buy this hat as I didn't think it *looked* as good on me, but I was blown away by how soft the felt was and how comfortably it sat on my head. It was soft and pliable and in comparison to it, my Fed IV felt as stiff as a board.

This experience has had two major effects on me:

1) I've realised that my Akubra can obviously take a bit more punishment than I have been giving it and can easily stand to be softened up a bit.....(at the moment the only really soft bits are the pinches at the front)

2) I hadn't realised how much I have been bitten by the hat bug. I nearly bought the HJ, but realised just in time that it would only be a subsitute for the hat that I really want. As soon as I got home, I got in touch with Marc Kitter from Adventurebilt and started the process of putting in an order for an AB Deluxe. Might as well go for the best, right? Yeah, it's a 14 month wait, but I'm already excited about getting my hands on one of those beauties.

In the meantime.... any good tips on softening up my Fed IV a bit? Or should I just wear it and let nature take its course?

 

[indycop]

Just work it in your hands. I softened the brim on my by just holding it with my thumb in the crown area and my fingers holding on to the edge of the brim, just bending it all the way around. I finally realized I could not hurt the hat and rolled it up into a ball, just smash it up and then pop it back into shape.