This is what can happen if you do experiments!

The real Henry · Jan 20, 2006

As my Federation had a bit side (not front) taper I tried to fix it with a hat stretcher! And this is the result:

BTW-It's already on the way to a great Hatmaker!

scotrace · Jan 20, 2006

The new Indiana Jones Movie

Indiana Jones and the Bulbous Head

I can imagine your horror when it was finished! Yipes!

Mycroft · Jan 20, 2006

So your plan "mushroomed"

into a model of an atomic bomb mushroom cloud.
Compare:

Anyway, it is a cool learning experenece.

tonyb · Jan 20, 2006

You're a brave man, Henry. Do tell ... just how did you manage to do that?

Andykev · Jan 20, 2006

Whoops!

You said "hat stretcher". Is it one of the wood ring with the hand screw in the middle? Or, do you have a "crown block" of wood? Or even still.. a metal or wood dome on a stand with the vice type screw, or gads! a heated plug in one?

Anyway, the hat is supposed to be gently stretched to "relax" the minor shrinkage to the leather sweat and somewhat the felt, often due to , er, sweat or minor rain. Heat too, like leaving the hat in a hot hot car.

You should not stretch the hat to that degree, once you have for example wet the felt and stretched it over a block, as in making a hat, what you see is what you get. You can send that hat to Art or Graham, or any reputable hatter and have it redone withou too much difficulty.

photobyalan · Jan 20, 2006

Hmm...looks like this guy's hat:

The real Henry · Jan 21, 2006

I just had one of those 'wood-rings'!

Biltmore Bob · Jan 21, 2006

Is there any way to salvage it?

Andykev · Jan 21, 2006

Show me how,, mon ami>

The real Henry said:
I just had one of those 'wood-rings'!

OK. I was thinking, what were YOU thinking?

How far up did you put it (whoops don't read into that!)

You should ONLY use the stretcher on the SWEATBAND. I don't know how you deformed the crown. How did you do it?

tonyb · Jan 21, 2006

Oh no. Don't tell me you ...

jake_fink · Jan 21, 2006

Yeah, it looks like the stretcher was right up inside the crown.

Yikes.

tonyb · Jan 21, 2006

Henry, is that indeed what you did? Kinda looks like it. Don't feel too bad about it, though. I wasted a lot of time and effort working on cars until I learned that, unless I consulted a patient professional every step of the way, I had better limit myself to oil changes.
I saw a variant style of Hallett hat stretcher with a "business end" that reaches 3 1/2 inches into the crown, with no taper. And it has flanges at both ends that lay on the underside of the brim, so that you really can't drop it in too far. Looked pretty nifty. I believe it's available on that famous online auction site.

WEEGEE · Jan 21, 2006

TRUE GROWTH OFTEN FROMOUR MISTAKES

Henry,

Well done in a grand way!!!

A toast to you:cheers1:

android · Jan 21, 2006

It is wise to learn from our mistakes.

But, it's a lot wiser and more fun to learn from somebody elses mistakes and then mock them!

tonyb · Jan 21, 2006

Now, now, boys and girls, there's nothing wise in mocking. (But I gotta admit, it IS funny.) A big tip of the mushroom hat to Henry. We all owe you a drink, pal, and a pat on the back. Keep on trying 'til you get it right.
By the way, I COULD (if I were feeling masochistic) tell you all about the time I literally cooked a sweatband, or the time I started a fire in a microwave oven by attempting to flash-dry a cap with a metal button.

WEEGEE · Jan 21, 2006

sECOND THE MOTION

No fun intended...i respect a man trying a new way of looking at the world.

Owe you a drink, Henry...:cheers1:

vespasian · Jan 21, 2006

I used a hat stretcher on an old fedora, but spent quite a few hours with cardboard, steam and the like to mimic the old shape and then work it back to the desired shape a few milimeters at the time. You localised the stretcher into the top of the crown. I wouldnt have tried it unless it was a hat way past its best and not worth the expense of a shop job. Top marks for effort though.

Raindog · Jan 21, 2006

Henry, I'd have tried it myself. I've thought in the past about stretching the top of a fedora to avoid the tapering problem.
However, thanks to your brave effort, now I won't

Hope it gets sorted out. If not though, you have a good hat for further experimentation!

Jeff.

The real Henry · Jan 21, 2006

Ok, I'll note your names, so if I can ever get to the US, I'll get some free drinks!:beer:

I can say just one thing: I knew what I was doing, but I didn't know the result!

But I don't feel sad about the whole story, cause the Fed. will be blocked and I think it will come back as a great Indy fedora.:fedora:
I sent it to Marc Kitter(Adventurebilt Europe), who probably owns the best Indy block on the market! And as Steve Delk he will also block hats! Well, but mine was in a very(...ahem..) rugged condition(broken sweatband and no bow!

) so he has to do bit more than blocking!

The real Henry · May 29, 2006

Marc Kitter must have done something wrong! ; )

Hey Folks here's my story:
Some of you maybe remember, that I totally destroyed the look of my Federation with trying to get the taper out of it!
Here are the pics-

Beside that the bow, the lining and the sweatband were broken!

So I decided to sent the Hat(if I could still have called it like that) to Marc Kitter to fix all of those Problems, BUT he did something I would'n have exspected! He sent me a Herbert Johnson from 1981! :-s :-k I don't know if he calls that humour?!

No, Serious!What Marc has done with my Akubra, by giving it a 'new Face', can really be called art! 8) :clap: :clap: :clap: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

This is what can happen if you do experiments!

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