Posted by schwammy from AC95D028.ipt.aol.com on May 19, 2001 at 04:10:44:
In Reply to: Thanks fer the tip.... posted by Austin Powers on May 19, 2001 at 03:50:03:
I think your ribbon is grosgrain, which doesn't seem to come in a 1.5 inch width for some reason. They're all either a little less or a little more. I met a hat maker down here and he actually let me help build my own Raiders fedora. So now I've got some hands-on experience in the construction and shaping of an Indy hat.
Oh, and listen, mine had the same problem with a taper that yours has, so it's back in the shop now for a re-shaping session. (It's actually not the hat's fault; it's the shape of my head.) Anyway, the solution is simply to stretch the crown out a bit, and you can accomplish that by soaking it with water and stretching the hell out of it by hand. My hat is almost as bulletproof as a PB, but I think the color may be a little closer. Only reason, of course, is that I hand picked the felt before we started. I'll post some pictures in a couple days so you can see the results.