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pmjk

New in Town
Messages
38
Location
Canadian in Vietnam
Calling on all Knowledgeable Loungers,

The age old problem and hat shrinkage has had me thinking quite a bit lately. After reading what I could find on here and on the net I have learned a lot , however some more questions have been raised.

As far as I have surmised and seen on videos, felt hoods are felted on giant cones with a sort of vacuum system drawing all the fibers together and making a cone shape.

I would appreciate anyone with the knowledge to help me understand. If shrinkage is the natural process of fur felt reacting to water and returning to it's original cone shape, then it prompts a question.

Is it not possible, that instead of using a giant cone for the felting process that perhaps a more cylindrical shape with a rounded top could be used?

Would this not eliminate the hat wanting to revert back to a cone or at the very least allow it to shrink in a more even fashion?

These questions may sound idiotic but it is something I have been wondering about.

Thank you for your time,

Peter
 

viclip

Practically Family
Messages
571
Location
Canada
Calling on all Knowledgeable Loungers,

The age old problem and hat shrinkage has had me thinking quite a bit lately. After reading what I could find on here and on the net I have learned a lot , however some more questions have been raised.

As far as I have surmised and seen on videos, felt hoods are felted on giant cones with a sort of vacuum system drawing all the fibers together and making a cone shape.

I would appreciate anyone with the knowledge to help me understand. If shrinkage is the natural process of fur felt reacting to water and returning to it's original cone shape, then it prompts a question.

Is it not possible, that instead of using a giant cone for the felting process that perhaps a more cylindrical shape with a rounded top could be used?

Would this not eliminate the hat wanting to revert back to a cone or at the very least allow it to shrink in a more even fashion?

These questions may sound idiotic but it is something I have been wondering about.

Thank you for your time,

Peter

Thinking out loud, there could be a practical consideration at the shop floor level. It would seem to be easier & faster to remove a felt body from off of a conical shape vs. a cylindrical item.
 

moontheloon

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,590
Location
NJ
ok the old stinky hat question

just received a couple felts from the 1950s and whatever household they came from was obviously a heavy smoking household because they stink horribly

how do I get the smoke smell off these hats ?
 

Bob Roberts

I'll Lock Up
Messages
11,201
Location
milford ct
There are several methods but basically:
Put them in a bag with newspapers sheets and some coffee, keep them closed for some days.

Joao. Dumb question. Do they have beavers in Portugal? Really. I was wondering where FEPSA gets the pelts for their beaver hat bodys. I said it was a dumb question.
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,775
Location
Portugal
Joao. Dumb question. Do they have beavers in Portugal? Really. I was wondering where FEPSA gets the pelts for their beaver hat bodys. I said it was a dumb question.

There are no beavers in Portugal. At least they are not natural from here. Don't know if there is a "beaver farm", never heard of one but I might search.
Don't know were FEPSA gets their fur.
 

DJH

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,352
Location
Ft Worth, TX
Interestingly, it was mentioned in this thread, that the beaver pelts used at Winchester actually travel to Portugal for "processing" before being made into hat bodies in Tennessee.

I assume it is FEPSA that is involved in this process.
 

Joao Encarnado

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,775
Location
Portugal
Without company names it's hard to find.
It seems that someone tried to introduce beavers in the Ebro river in Spain but the animals vanished.
Some may say that beavers in Portugal were extinct long ago.
Can't find a "beaver farm". Only found that a European Beaver lives in the North.
 

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