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 our Hat Manual (pdf).

The Akubras with an open crown, such as the Adventurer, Campdraft and Sydney, 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.

Please view our video snippet for a demonstration of how to shape your open crown Adventurer to an Indy bash:

Center Dent

The simplest bash is a dent on the top from front to rear. The dent is usually best made the same height in the front as in the rear. A common addition to this bash is a pair of small dents at the sides near the front. The brim may be snapped down in the front, as shown at the right on the Squatter. This is the traditional bash for the classic Fedora shaped Sydney.

Safari Bash

A variant on the center dent style is the traditional safari bash. Two longish dents are made in the sides near the top, and the brim is turned down all round.

The Bushman, shown here with an open crown, is a traditional hat of the Australian Outback, most commonly worn with an open or pinched telescope bash.

Open Telescope

To form an open telescope first push in the top of the crown evenly all round. The front, sides and back should all be the same height (1).

The inside of the pushed in top is then raised into a uniform dome so that it does not touch the head, leaving a valley between the dome and the sides. 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 (2).

Pinched Telescope

To form a pinched telescope first push in the top to form a triangular shape pointed towards the front with the section towards the back rounded to the shape of the crown. The front should be one half inch to one inch higher than the rear (1).

The inside of the pushed in top is then raised into a domed shape so that it does not touch the head, leaving a valley between the dome and the sides. The top of the dome should normally be about level with the top of the sides, a little above the top of the back. The front of the brim is usually snapped down, and often two side dents are put near the front (2).

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.