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Akubra Overload

1967Cougar390

Practically Family
Messages
789
Location
South Carolina
The brims on all three of my Fed IVs were rather flat when I received them, but developed more pronounced flange on their own during the first few weeks I wore them; not a deep flange by any means, but more noticeable. Steam and a little shaping should do the trick on yours.

As far as the boxes Hats Direct/The Hattery uses, this has been an on again/off again problem for quite some time. When I ordered my first Fed IV back in 2008 it arrived with one end of the shipping carton crushed inward approximately 25%. I had been advised to expect this because it was a chronic problem at the time, so I wasn't too surprised and was pleased when the hat inside was unharmed.
I was able to coax the flange of the brim exactly how I wanted. I gave the front a little extra “snap down” because it would not stay down on its own. My Moonstone has a perfect flange and snap to the brim.

Steven
 
Messages
11,894
Location
Southern California
I was able to coax the flange of the brim exactly how I wanted. I gave the front a little extra “snap down” because it would not stay down on its own. My Moonstone has a perfect flange and snap to the brim.

Steven
Snap? On a Fed IV? None of mine ever had that ability so I simply shaped the fronts of the brims as I wanted them and left them alone. Not a perfect solution, but good enough for me. :cool:
 

Boomerang

One of the Regulars
Messages
253
Location
Washington State
Snap? On a Fed IV? None of mine ever had that ability so I simply shaped the fronts of the brims as I wanted them and left them alone...
The first Fed IV I received was in black. That bad-boy is stiff as a board the the brim does indeed "snap" up and down. My moonstone Fed IV is less stiff overall, and the brim gently "clunks" up and down. My tawny fawn Fed IV arrived floppy as all get-out. It's definitely the least-firm hat I own, and the one that took the most work to get into shape.

So my experience is that stiffening on the Fed IV is all over the road. Not a complaint, just an observation.
 

1967Cougar390

Practically Family
Messages
789
Location
South Carolina
Snap? On a Fed IV? None of mine ever had that ability so I simply shaped the fronts of the brims as I wanted them and left them alone. Not a perfect solution, but good enough for me. :cool:

On the Tawny Fawn that’s basically what I did. I steamed the brim 1/4 of the way around at a time until I achieved my desired results. I added a little extra dip at the front might be a better term than snap. It looks good to me so that’s how it will stay. The Moonstone actually snaps and stays down or can be snapped back up. I will definitely wear it in the down position. Both Feds are wonderful and I couldn’t be happier with them. :)
Steven
 

1967Cougar390

Practically Family
Messages
789
Location
South Carolina
The first Fed IV I received was in black. That bad-boy is stiff as a board the the brim does indeed "snap" up and down. My moonstone Fed IV is less stiff overall, and the brim gently "clunks" up and down. My tawny fawn Fed IV arrived floppy as all get-out. It's definitely the least-firm hat I own, and the one that took the most work to get into shape.

So my experience is that stiffening on the Fed IV is all over the road. Not a complaint, just an observation.

My Tawny Fawn Fed took the most work to shape of all of my hats. I enjoyed the challenge and the end result. I feel the work really makes it my own.

Steven
 
Messages
11,894
Location
Southern California
The first Fed IV I received was in black. That bad-boy is stiff as a board the the brim does indeed "snap" up and down. My moonstone Fed IV is less stiff overall, and the brim gently "clunks" up and down. My tawny fawn Fed IV arrived floppy as all get-out. It's definitely the least-firm hat I own, and the one that took the most work to get into shape.

So my experience is that stiffening on the Fed IV is all over the road. Not a complaint, just an observation.
It's not only the Fed IVs; varying degrees of stiffness seems to be common on all of the hats Akubra makes. Most of my Akubras were about the same when I got them, but one of my Campdrafts was so stiff that it actually required some effort to snap the front of the brim down the first three or four times. And on my most recent Akubra, a stingy-brimmed Hampton, the crown was/is so soft and malleable that it seems they forgot to use stiffener on it. *shrug*
 

Rumad

One Too Many
Messages
1,536
Mine was open crown Héctor. It came pretty stiff, the brim much more than the crown. I pretty much wore it for a week, and between all the steaming/tweaking I did plus being in the rain twice it already seems a bit softer. I’ll say it pretty unfair to compare them to customs, because they’re just different animals, but I WILL say I’m very happy with mine.
 

Héctor Fernández

One Too Many
Messages
1,267
Location
Greatest Country, U.S.A.
Thanks my friend. I believe you are right, it would be an unfair comparison.

Mine was open crown Héctor. It came pretty stiff, the brim much more than the crown. I pretty much wore it for a week, and between all the steaming/tweaking I did plus being in the rain twice it already seems a bit softer. I’ll say it pretty unfair to compare them to customs, because they’re just different animals, but I WILL say I’m very happy with mine.
 
Messages
11,894
Location
Southern California
Mine was open crown Héctor. It came pretty stiff, the brim much more than the crown. I pretty much wore it for a week, and between all the steaming/tweaking I did plus being in the rain twice it already seems a bit softer...
Akubras like rain! Well, mine do anyway. It's probably an effect of the so-called "acid rain" we're allegedly exposed to these days, but rain water has had a softening effect on the felts of my Akubras; slight, but noticeable. And while they're wet it's a good time to tweak the crease/bash if you so desire--the hat's already wet, why not take advantage of the opportunity? :D
 

tropicalbob

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,954
Location
miami, fl
Is this level of stiffness equally as hard with the open crown models?
Hi, Hector. After looking at the Akubras I have and reading the comments of other members, I've come to the conclusion (could be wrong) that the style has nothing to do with the stiffness or softness of a particular hat. Rather, it seems to me that particular production runs display more or less stiffness due to either the amount of starch added during production or the way a particular run of fur felt absorbs the starch. I'm just guessing but it makes sense to me. I'd like to ask a custom hatter the question.
 

1967Cougar390

Practically Family
Messages
789
Location
South Carolina
I posted this in another thread but it seems to be a perfect fit for the Akubra Overload.

E217C528-C4D0-4C80-8005-85AA68B155D9.jpeg


From left to right:
Fed IV in Moonstone
Stylemaster in Carbon Grey
Fed IV in Tawny Fawn
Sydney in Regency Fawn

Steven
 

Ian

New in Town
Messages
24
I do remember the Clubman and similar Johnny, and my Dad was of the era where going to work at the office without a hat was sacrilege. I was an outdoor worker so my choices were bigger brims for shade and a handmade brow band. Now I'm an office worker in mental health and today's choice is my no longer available Akubra semi Homburg that I altered the bash and brim on
20200406_134049.jpg
 

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1967Cougar390

Practically Family
Messages
789
Location
South Carolina
I’m thinking about getting another Stylemaster. I’m intrigued by the Bluegrass Green. Does anyone have outdoor pictures of this color Stylemaster? I don’t want a Leprechaun green, the Bluegrass looks like a lighter grey with some hints of blue and green. Is this correct?

Steven
 

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