# Blocking and bashing a hat

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blocking-and-bashing-a-hat/519406>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 30, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blocking-and-bashing-a-hat/519406 "2009-11-30T00:35:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blocking-and-bashing-a-hat/519406/1 "2009-11-30T00:35:05Z")

</div>

A fedora will taper over time. How does one make a block to restore it to its original shape?

How does one ‘bash’ it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blocking-and-bashing-a-hat/519406/2 "2009-11-30T00:53:14Z")

</div>

Bashing’s a lot easier than blocking - it means you just shape the hat by hand in any of several ways that suits you. But if it needs blocking, it needs it first. It’s a tough thing to have done, these days, and can even be fairly tricky to make your own block.

Tapering can be slowed (not stopped, of course) by keeping hats in a cool place instead of the typical steam-heated closet shelf.

I would definitely look in on the Hats area at [The Fedora Lounge](https://http.thefedoralounge.com) for some pointers.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blocking-and-bashing-a-hat/519406/3 "2009-11-30T00:57:23Z")

</div>

I work a few blocks from Byrnie Utz, so general blocking shouldn’t be too hard. But I’m getting a custom fedora that has very little taper compared to the typical shape of today’s fedoras. (It’s more of a pre-WWI style.) I don’t know if they could handle something like that; and if not, then I’ll need a custom block.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blocking-and-bashing-a-hat/519406/4 "2009-11-30T01:46:36Z")

</div>

I have three fedoras and a Panama hat, and the Panama needs blocking. The fedoras don’t really need any special attention but I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I thought blocking was becoming a lost art. And I never heard of bashing.

Fixed link

> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#):
>
> [The Fedora Lounge](http://thefedoralounge.com)