How to Make an Indiana Jones Hat

The Indiana Jones hat is an iconic image in film history. Herbert Johnson and Swaine Adeney Brigg, the makers of the original hat for the films, adapted it from their hat called the Poet, giving it a rough explorer look. To make your own Indiana Jones hat, set a picture of the film version on your desk as you work to get each detail the way you want it.

Things You'll Need

• Crown hat block (optional)
• Fedora
• Lacquer spray
• Scissors
• Cooking spray
• Spray bottle of expandable foam
• Sandpaper
• Edge sander
• Sponges
• Pre-ordered sable felt
• Thin rope
• Brim hat block
• Liquid glue
• Carpet thread
• Brown or grey ribbon

Instructions

Make a Hat Block

1. Find a straw or felt fedora-shaped hat to use as a hat block. If you already have a hat block for the crown, skip to section two.

2. Spray the inside of the hat with lacquer to harden. Allow it to dry for several minutes.

3. Use scissors to remove all decorations from the hat, such as ribbons and glue.

4. Spray the inside of the hat with cooking spray to slicken.

5. Fill the inside of the hat halfway with expandable foam from your local hardware store. Do not fill it all the way as the foam will expand! Allow the foam to dry in the hat for a full day.

6. After one day of drying, remove the hardened foam and sand it by rubbing it with sandpaper.

7. Use an edge sander to create an indented ridge around the hat, approximately an inch from the bottom.

Making the Fedora

1. Take your pre-ordered felt, which should be loosely shaped like a hat, and wet the inside with a sponge.

2. While the felt is still wet inside, place it over your hat block and pull down on the sides so the felt is tightly on top of the block. Press the felt all over so that it takes the shape of the block.

3. Tie the rope around the felt at the bottom where the ridge rests on your hat block.

4. Shape the felt and press down so there are no bumps in your felt hat. Work from top to bottom so the felt lies smoothly on the block.

5. Allow the felt to dry on the hat block overnight.

6. Cut two other pieces of felt in circular shapes, two inches larger than you intend for the brim of your hat. Glue together.

7. While still slightly damp with glue, cover the brim pieces with a press cloth and iron.

8. Cut a hole in the middle of the felt brim, one inch smaller than the hat crown.

9. While it is damp, place on the brim hat block and shape it to fit snugly on the block, with no bumps. Allow to dry.

Finishing Touches

1. Once dry, stitch the hat crown and brim together on the inner edge of the hat crown, using course, heavy thread. Cut away any excess material.

2. Glue a brown or gray ribbon around the bottom crown of the hat, covering your stitches. Consider a thin ribbon, as the makers of the original Indiana Jones hat shortened the ribbon width from 50 mm to 39 mm to give the illusion of a tall crown.

3. Include an additional short piece of ribbon on the left side of the hat brim, with another, thinner piece of ribbon glued lengthwise, to imitate the bow on the Indiana Jones hat.

4. Pop the sides of the brim and pull down the front brim of the hat for the explorer style.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to make a hat from scratch, purchase a brown fedora from a thrift store and skip to step 3.

References

• Swaine Adeney: Poet Hat: Indiana Jones' Hat
• Threadbanger: How to make Hat Molds with Victor Osborne; Mar. 13, 2009
• Costumes: Project 10; Tara Maginnis, PhD; 1985

Resources

• Hat Mold Tutorial (Video)