Bashing Your Open Crown Akubra

We are pleased to offer a number of Akubra hats with open crowns, for those of you who still want an  individualized bash. Instructions for bashing your hat are given below and in more detail in our Hat Manual (pdf).  We also offer custom bashing services should you prefer to have us add a bash to your open crown hat.

The Akubras with an open crown, such as the Adventurer, Campdraft and Aussie Slouch Hat, allow you to put your own personal bash or crease in the crown.

A hat maker would use steam to make the shape permanent. The steam softens the stiffeners in the fur felt. The hat will retain the new shape when the steam dries.  Care must be taken — too much steam will shrink the felt and can ruin the leather sweatband.

If you are comfortable using steam, we recommend a tea kettle.  Bring water to a boil, then simmer so as to maintain a narrow stream of steam through the tea kettle spout.  Hold the area of the hat to be shaped over the steam for a few seconds at a time before shaping. Never apply steam to the leather sweatband or hat band.

The better way for those who are not hat makers and not comfortable using steam  is to use the cowboy method. Put in a preliminary shape, then when the hat is damp from the rain (or a shower!) adjust it to the desired final shape and let it dry. This not only avoids shrinkage problems, but also lets you try out the preliminary shape and change it if needed.

The most requested bash for our Akubra hats is the Indy Bash, a modified fedora bash, with detailed, step by step instructions given here. We recommend  viewing our video snippet for a demonstration of how to shape your open crown Adventurer to an Indy bash to give you a feel for how all the bashes are formed:

Fedora Bash

The Fedora bash is the classic style for city hats, popularized in the
1888 play Fedora by V. Sardou, and worn by such well known real and fictional characters as
Humphry Bogart’s character in Casa Blanca and The Maltese Falcon, Al Capone and Dick Tracy.  This style starts with the simplest of bashes, the center dent.

Start with the open crown hat such as the Adventurer or Campdraft.  Create the crown’s center dent front to back, keeping the front slightly higher than the back. Form into a long diamond shape. Add two side dents towards the front, leaving about an inch between the dents at the center front. Snap down the front brim, if desired.

 

Pinched Telescope Bash

The Pinched Telescope Bash is popular for both city and country hats.

Start with the open crown Campdraft (or any open crown hat).  Push in the top to form a teardrop shape pointed towards the front with the section towards the back in a semicircle.  From the inside of the pushed-in crown, raise the center of the crown into a dome so that it does not touch the head, leaving a valley/crease between the dome and the outside edges of the crown. The top of the dome should normally be about level with the top of the sides, a little above the top of the back.

 

 

Military Bash

The Aussie Slouch by Akubra is the standard issue hat of the Australian army. It is usually bashed with a center crease.

Start with the open crown Aussie Slouch. Create the crown’s center dent front to back, keeping the center dent uniform. Square off the center dent at the front and back, creating a rectangular trough. Add long side dents near the top on each side. The brim may be worn flat for maximum protection from the rain or sun, or snapped up on the side.

 

 

 

Cattleman’s Crease

The Cattleman’s Crease is popular in the American West. The bash is reminiscent of hats worn by Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman. The steps to create a Cattleman’s Crease are identical to the Military Bash but starting with an open crown hat such as the Campdraft.

 

 

 

 

Open Telescope Bash

The Campdraft by Akubra, one of the traditional hats of the Australian Outback is most commonly worn with an open telescope bash.

Start with the open crown Campdraft (or any open crown hat). Push in the top of the crown evenly all around to the height you prefer. The front, sides and back of the crown should all be the same height. From the inside of the pushed-in crown, raise the center of the crown into a uniform dome so that it does not touch the head, leaving a valley/ crease between the dome and the outside edges of the crown. It is usually preferred to have the top of the dome about the same level as the top of the sides. The front of the brim is usually snapped down with this style of bash.

 

Which crease to use?

The choice is yours — try several different bashes and select the look you like best. The Campdraft, is well suited to both the open telescope and pinched telescope bashes. For the Slouch, we prefer the traditional Australian Army choice of a center crease. Our choice for the Adventurer is the Indy Bash, a modified fedora bash.

For more information …

Please follow the links below for more information about Akubra hats and related items.

Akubra Hats
Indy Bash for Open Crown Hats
Hat Sizing
Hat Care
Hat FAQs
Hat Manual (pdf)