Pinched Telescope Bash

The Akubras with an open crown allow you to put your own personal bash or crease in the crown. Please follow the steps shown below to add a pinched telescope bash to your open crown hat.

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.

Step 1.  Start with the open crown hat, such as the Campdraft.

Step 2.  Push in the top to form a teardrop shape pointed towards the front with the section towards the back in a semicircle.

Step 3.  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.

Step 4.  The pinch is added to the front by putting two small dents right and left of center.

Step 5. Snap down the front brim, if desired.