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, Bushman 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 but steam may also shrink the felt. The better way for those who are not hat makers is to put in a preliminary shape, then when the hat is damp from the rain 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 Bushman, 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.