I love the Fed IV!!

Goose. · Apr 1, 2009

Thank you Belegnole and Torpedo

Since it arrived later in the day, I haven't worn it around the 'hood yet.
Gotta tell ya though, as much as everyone raves about the Moonstone, I think my Dark Brown suits me better.

Guess one just never forgets his first Fed.

Wolfwood · Apr 1, 2009

Goose. said:
Gotta tell ya though, as much as everyone raves about the Moonstone, I think my Dark Brown suits me better.

Got to agree with you there - I find that brown, as a colour, really is more "me" than any of the other options...

scottyrocks · Apr 1, 2009

Yep, same here. I own a number of different color hats, and the ones that look most 'right' on me are my browns.

Lou · Apr 1, 2009

Matt, that hat looks like it was custom made for you. Now I want one too.

OddSteve · Apr 1, 2009

My Moonstone Fed IV Deluxe arrived today! I'm happy like a kid at Christmas. I made a first attempt at a teardrop bash and it looks quite convincing.
Will post pics soon.

Carlisle Blues · Apr 1, 2009

Goose. said:
Thank you Belegnole and Torpedo

Since it arrived later in the day, I haven't worn it around the 'hood yet.
Gotta tell ya though, as much as everyone raves about the Moonstone, I think my Dark Brown suits me better.

Guess one just never forgets his first Fed.

At first I felt the same way. Give it a chance. You'll get to the point where you want to wear both at the same time. I am finding I am wearing my Moonstone more. Just goes better with what I am wearing.

Mr. Paladin · Apr 1, 2009

I agree CB. The moonstone seems versatile for my wardrobe as well. I am however, giving serious consideration to a FED IV in black. I am coming to favor that color more as time goes by and I think the FED style would be very good with black. I haven't seen many of them in black posted, except for Indycop's FED III.

Goose. · Apr 2, 2009

Hey, cool on three Dark Brown Federation avatars in a row Wolfwood and ScottyRocks

OddSteve...looking forward to your pics.

This Federation Moonie was THE hat I have been waiting for ever since I joined in the reindeer games here.

Was full of anticipation for this hat. When I see pics of it here, I get all goofy like that kid Ralphie in the movie "Christmas Carol" that wanted that BB gun.

Just don't think it does well with me. And man, I think it has it's own personality and saw me typing about how I like the Dark Brown better. It just wasn't as easy to bash as that brown was.

Anyway, I finally got the tugnboat gig in it like my brown and wore it around today. Three people told me they like the Moonstone on me better than the Dark Brown. And my wife says it matches my grey hair. :eusa_doh:

So, Carlises Blues and Mr. Paladin...thanks for the encouragement...maybe you are right. I will give it some more time. It will make a great "suit" hat though.

But, I'm just not there yet. I think it's the lighter color. Makes my head look bigger than it already is.
Like white pants just make one's butt look bigger...this Moonstone just makes my head look fatter.

Johnny. · Apr 2, 2009

Ahh, Goose, I know what you're going through. When I was first wearing my dark brown Fed IV I thought it looked ridiculous on me; thought the crown was too high.

However, now I'm liking it more and more with every passing day. It just seems to get better looking.

Sweet job on the Moonstone, by the way! I'm sure you'll get to love it

CRH · Apr 2, 2009

Johnny. said:
...

However, now I'm liking it more and more with every passing day. It just seems to get better looking.

...

The more we wear it the better looking we get! :eusa_clap

Maguire · Apr 2, 2009

I've never bashed a hat and have no idea how to, although i saw that video and experimented for a few minutes an hour ago on my beat up old derby (without much success) trying to turn it into some sort of fedora.

The price of the Fed IV is 70 some odd US dollars (i'm not sure what the difference is here from the deluxe if anyone wishes to enlighten me) seems almost too hard to believe, considering the rave reviews its getting here, but from the looks of it, this hat in charcoal is exactly what i'm looking for. I don't have a hat block and flange, and am absolutely clueless when anyone speaks of "steaming" or whatever. Is it easy enough for a total newb to attempt, or should i just stick to prebashed hats?

Mike in Seattle · Apr 2, 2009

Maguire said:
I've never bashed a hat and have no idea how to, although i saw that video and experimented for a few minutes an hour ago on my beat up old derby (without much success) trying to turn it into some sort of fedora.

The price of the Fed IV is 70 some odd US dollars (i'm not sure what the difference is here from the deluxe if anyone wishes to enlighten me) seems almost too hard to believe, considering the rave reviews its getting here, but from the looks of it, this hat in charcoal is exactly what i'm looking for. I don't have a hat block and flange, and am absolutely clueless when anyone speaks of "steaming" or whatever. Is it easy enough for a total newb to attempt, or should i just stick to prebashed hats?

If you steam the hat, it gets a little easier to mold into shape, and it holds the shape - sort of like steaming wrinkles out of a shirt. Intimidating at first, but a snap once you've tried it. And believe me, I am NO expert on it by any means. You just hold the hat into the stream of steam out of a tea kettle, or an espresso maker (there's a post on that somewhere here on the Lounge) and I even found holding a hat in front of the dishwasher and opening the door captured a big waft of steam in the felt. Espresso maker? Hey, I live in Seattle - you have to show your barista skills by law before they'll rent you an apartment or sell you a house - it's article one of the state constitution.

They wouldn't let me cross the Columbia River until I showed them I had a Krups and bag of Starbucks or Vivace in the trunk.

It's just one of those things you have to plunge into and learn by trial and error. All of a sudden, the pieces fall into place and it works out great. It takes a few times, but eventually you get it. Molding the hat while it's damp and letting it dry is pretty much the same process only it takes much longer. With steam, you have the results almost instantaneously and no damp hat for a day or two.

Johnny. · Apr 2, 2009

Maguire said:
I've never bashed a hat and have no idea how to, although i saw that video and experimented for a few minutes an hour ago on my beat up old derby (without much success) trying to turn it into some sort of fedora.

The price of the Fed IV is 70 some odd US dollars (i'm not sure what the difference is here from the deluxe if anyone wishes to enlighten me) seems almost too hard to believe, considering the rave reviews its getting here, but from the looks of it, this hat in charcoal is exactly what i'm looking for. I don't have a hat block and flange, and am absolutely clueless when anyone speaks of "steaming" or whatever. Is it easy enough for a total newb to attempt, or should i just stick to prebashed hats?

Mate, I was in exactly the same spot you were before my fed came. "What if I stuff it up? What that hell is steaming and how do I do it? WHAT IS ALL THIS????"

Well, then I got the Federation IV. Didn't even use steam until I'd bashed it to my liking. Believe me, it's waaaay easier than what it seems. Also, the hat is relatively soft at first - so you can pop it back up to open crown and start again if you're not happy wtih it. I haven't really even properly steamed mine; I find that I'm constantly tweaking or modifying the bash. Still need to get the front of the brim a LITTLE bit more down.

But anyway, my main point is that as soon as you get it, you kind of know what to do already. Do you guys get what I'm saying when I say that or am I just weird?

Gilgamark · Apr 2, 2009

I agree. My Fed IV was the first hat that I've bashed. The felt is very easy to work with, like putty.

MattJH · Apr 2, 2009

Lou said:
Matt, that hat looks like it was custom made for you. Now I want one too.

If this is in response to me, thank you very much!

To give you an idea of how much I like the Federation IV, I currently own two Standards (Dark Brown, Carbon Grey). I'm in a tight monetary situation right now due to many reasons (I live alone in the city, the obvious economy, debt I've been working to eliminate from what I was an irresponsible teen, etc.) and still, I have plans on ordering a Tawny Fawn and a Moonstone, both Standard as well. I can justify it because I get so much more from them than the monetary amount I pay. If the timing was right, I'd easily pay $150 for each hat. But $70? It's a no-brainer.

tm3 · Apr 2, 2009

Maguire said:
Is it easy enough for a total newb to attempt, or should i just stick to prebashed hats?

it is very easy. i didn't wet mine -- i just formed it with my fingers, looked at some photos here, adjusted a little and i was done. wore it about a month before being caught in a drizzle, and while it was wet made the pinch a little narrower and the dent a little deeper. i found it easier to work with when wet, but for me wetting was not really necessary.

Goose. · Apr 2, 2009

Matt...I believe that Lou was yakking about your lid. If so or not, your's and Gilgamark's are two more perfect examples of the moonie defintiely not looking goonie

Johnny, sorry I kind of jacked your thread about my Federation IV Deluxe (FIVD) Moonstone. I didn't want to start another thread as I'm guessing there are some non-Akubra fans that would roll their eyes and think "oh gosh. Not ANOTHER Federation thread?!?!?".

Maguire, get an open crown and bash away!!! Do it!!! It's fun, and for me, kind of relaxing and fun to tinker with the different ways to get your lid to look. The Federation IV Deluxe was so much easier for me to bash than I expected. I have had two Sydney/Fedora hats that I constantly changed within minutes. All spoke of how soft the Imperial fur on that hat was and different than the Heritage of the FIVD. So, I was wondering about the Federation until I received it.

You mentioned that you were having problems bashing a derby. But not certain the type of material that hat is made from or by who. The FIVD was not a problem at all. The Dark Brown in my avatar was done in less than a half an hour. My Moonstone was a bit tougher only in that it had a slight mushroom taper in the front and the top of the pinch area (crown point) didn't want to stay down to tugboat.

I didn't steam either the brown or grey FIVD hats I have. Dry bashed only. BUT, what I did do, after I got them where I wanted them, was lightly spray them with cold distilled water then let them air dry on my head. To me, this helps them "set" the bash that I formed to the head on my shoulders that God formed. I have only steamed when my old Sydney was crushed and had distinct bends...but you don't want the hat to get to damp with the hot steam...it may shrink up. There are a lot of threads on steaming. I don't have a kettle, so I used a pot with foil over it. The foil had a pencil sized hole in the top to help direct the steam into one area.

CRH and Johnny, thanks for your replies regarding my thoughts on "me" in a Monnie. I will be wearing it around. Maybe it is indeed just so new to me in that I've always worn darker hats (except my Panamas). But, like when the Army issued me boxers instead of jockeys, felt odd. But here I am, thirty years later and haven't worn jockeys since

scottyrocks · Apr 2, 2009

Mike in Seattle said:
It's just one of those things you have to plunge into and learn by trial and error. All of a sudden, the pieces fall into place and it works out great. It takes a few times, but eventually you get it. Molding the hat while it's damp and letting it dry is pretty much the same process only it takes much longer. With steam, you have the results almost instantaneously and no damp hat for a day or two.

I wet bash hats at night and can wear them the next morning. Coat, not soak, and wet bashing is very easy. And they dry while I'm asleep.

Goose. · Apr 2, 2009

Here's the dry work on the FIVD Moonstone I just received.
Started to work the rear curl today, so it's looking goofy right now...wanted to get the pic up now though.

Back to the curl work...catch you cool cats later in the sandbox.

Torpedo · Apr 2, 2009

Hi,

Just a quick note of encouragement to those who feel unsure about taking an open crown hat. It is NOT that difficult. Just go at it. The hat will stand your initial tinkering, so no problem with not "getting it right" at once. Just try again and again until you are satisfied.

Regards!

I love the Fed IV!!

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