How Stetsons and Akubras Are Made

J.T.Marcus · Oct 21, 2009

I just ran across this video from HATCO. (Stetson, Resistol, et al.)

http://www.stetsonhat.com/video.php

And this outline of steps from Akubra.

http://www.akubra.com.au/creation.html

Mickey D · Jan 4, 2010

Bump for other new members. Very interesting.

cybergentleman · Jan 4, 2010

not to rain on anyone's parade

Seeing all that fur in piles reminded me of a video that came out a while ago regarding the fur industry.

Not trying to be political here, but there was some discussion here in the lounge over the Chinese fur industry. I don't want to ruin anyone's day- but if this is the source of our hats...I feel guilty as hell.

Does anyone know where Stetson, Akubra and others get their fur from? ...I do not mean the felt, but the raw supplies.

same video:

http://www.enfotainer.com/2008/08/animal-cruelty-shocking-video-of-a-chinese-fur-farm/

the youtube link on the site works too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_8Ko-9uKRs&feature=player_embedded#at=376

Can anyone resolve this?

steveforse · Jan 6, 2010

That's the most morbid thread-jack I've ever seen.

ScottF · Jan 6, 2010

steveforse said:
That's the most morbid thread-jack I've ever seen.

Rather than ignoring the post because it's unpleasant or controversial...

I doubt the above video (Chinese fur) is the norm - it obviously wasn't done secretively, and while some of these processes might be performed, without getting into detail, some of them certainly were performed for shock value only - people are no more (or less) sadistic in China than anywhere else. Also, I didn't see any rabbits or beaver in the video, though I admittedly couldn't stomach watching more than about 3 minutes of it.

But getting back to the poster's question - how IS fur gathered for US-made hats? ...and where does it come from? If it comes from China, like most other products that come from that area of the world, there's certainly no guarantee that it's rabbit, hare or beaver, which is why I seriously doubt ANY of it comes from China.

Given that this is a thread about how hats are made, I think it's not off-topic to ask where the fur comes from.

gtdean48 · Jan 6, 2010

They say Man is the cruelest beast to ever roam the Earth. Value systems are different around the world based on many factors. Some treat lower life forms in horrific ways & think nothing about it. I've seen some very badly treated horses in my life & do what I can to prevent others from being treated that way. I, too, think the slaughter industry for horses has a place. You've raised awareness & made people, at least me, think.

ScottF · Jan 6, 2010

gtdean48 said:
They say Man is the cruelest beast to ever roam the Earth. Value systems are different around the world based on many factors. Some treat lower life forms in horrific ways & think nothing about it. I've seen some very badly treated horses in my life & do what I can to prevent others from being treated that way. I, too, think the slaughter industry for horses has a place. You've raised awareness & made people, at least me, think.

Douglas Hofstadter wrote a book about a year ago titled "I am a Strange Loop". It goes into the nature of the soul, the mind and relates these concepts to ALL life-forms. Hofstadter is certainly one of the most intelligent humans on the planet (wrote Pulitzer Prize winner "Godel Escher Bach"), and very readable, so if you're inclined to delve more into this subject, give it a try.

gtdean48 · Jan 6, 2010

ScottF said:
Douglas Hofstadter wrote a book about a year ago titled "I am a Strange Loop". It goes into the nature of the soul, the mind and relates these concepts to ALL life-forms. Hofstadter is certainly one of the most intelligent humans on the planet (wrote Pulitzer Prize winner "Godel Escher Bach"), and very readable, so if you're inclined to delve more into this subject, give it a try.

Thanks Scott, will look him up when in a contemplative reading mood...
Being a Math-Computer Science major, he sounds like a good read for me.

avedwards · Jan 6, 2010

I was under the impression that Akubra gets its fur from Australian rabbits. Or was that in the past and have they now converted to Chinese rabbits?

ScottF · Jan 6, 2010

avedwards said:
I was under the impression that Akubra gets its fur from Australian rabbits. Or was that in the past and have they now converted to Chinese rabbits?

That Chinese fur post has nothing to do with hats, but we are curious where hat fur comes from.

cybergentleman · Jan 6, 2010

curiousity

it is true, I didn't see any rabbits or beavers in that video. But the reason I posted it was because I am very curious as to where the fur comes from for hats. I can't find any info on it anywhere on the web. you can find anything these days, and usually wikipedia has it somewhere at the very least too.

anyway. previously, i never really watched the entire footage...but i did watch it in full before posting it- it is so horrid I felt awful...disbelief really.

I used to think that the rabbits used for pet food may be the same rabbits used for the fur felt; but, I have never seen beaver cat food.

Perhaps the hatters out there know where their suppliers get their raw materials.

Lefty · Jan 6, 2010

Things are always more simple in my mind.

cybergentleman · Jan 7, 2010

ummmm

I dont know whether to laugh or cry...i did chuckle- does this make me a bad person?

where did you find that cartoon?

ScottF · Jan 7, 2010

cybergentleman said:
...

anyway. previously, i never really watched the entire footage...but i did watch it in full before posting it- it is so horrid I felt awful...disbelief really.

I used to think that the rabbits used for pet food may be the same rabbits used for the fur felt; but, I have never seen beaver cat food.

Perhaps the hatters out there know where their suppliers get their raw materials.

I don't know how you did it. I have a 10-yr old Rhodesian Ridgeback that is the sweetest, gentlest creature you'll ever meet, so you can imagine the part where I shut off the video.

Regarding Lefty's cartoon - I think it's gross how they cut the tails off the live beavers before feeding them into the hat machine.

rlk · Jan 7, 2010

similar cartoon Mossant ad 1927

rlk · Jan 7, 2010

Cortadoria Portuguese Felt and Hat Body Manufacturer

Excellent Website:
http://www.cortadoria.pt/
click on "COMPANY" for felt making slide show.
and "PRODUCT" for different types of felt

Lefty · Jan 7, 2010

cybergentleman said:
where did you find that cartoon?

Nice, rlk. Mine's Italian. It's a quick photo of an illustration in my favorite, pipe tobacco smelling, Italian made, book sold to me by a Australian who made hats in England for Dunn in his early life.

Lefty said:
I recently received a copy of Omaggio Al Cappello: A tribute to the Hat, 1857-1957 that I purchased from an ebay seller in Australia. This is by far and away the most bizarre, yet beautiful book on hats that I expect to ever see.

The beauty:
It's a large book and is filled with beautiful illustrations, plates, and photographs. The very last page is a large fold out (it's 6 pages, so it folds out to poster size) photograph of everyone who was working at the Borsalino factory in 1950. The caption notes that the photographer had to climb the factory's smokestack to take the photo.

The bizarre:
The translation is just crazy. Apparently, the making of an English version of the book wasn't very important, as the translation seems to have been done by someone at the factory who knew a little more English than anyone else. I don't have the book next to me so that I can quote the captions, but they're not inaccurate, they're just strange - things like "man wears a hat, beast does not, but man is still a beast." Crazy. Many of the workers at the factory are also featured in the book. A large photograph showing the worker at his/her craft is on the page facing what I'll term a micro-statement that often reads something like: "I began work at the factory in 1927 as a finisher. My father was a finisher. I was here when the bombs came. People ran everywhere."

Though the book isn't very informative, it's a great piece of history and art. Plus, is was either kept in a tobacco shop or owned by a pipe smoker and smells wonderfully vintage.

gtdean48 · Jan 7, 2010

I've skinned a good many rabbits & squirrels. You can't tell me it is quicker to not put them down quickly first!

Tiller · Jan 7, 2010

I've skinned a good many rabbits & squirrels. You can't tell me it is quicker to not put them down quickly first!

My father is a big trapper (as were both of my Grandfathers), and I'm a big hunter and fisherman. I have absolutely no problem with fur, or killing animals. I've killed (harvested if you want to be PC) and dressed ("cut up/skinned" if you don't want to be pc lol) deer, rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, coyotes, most game-birds from this area, and even a bob cat. I've helped my father skin, stretch, and tan, everything from beaver, minks, fishers, to coyotes, foxes, and rabbits.

I agree whole heartily with you. I highly doubt what is shown in that video is the norm, simply because it's not an easy way to get the job done. There are better, easier, and less costly methods to kill and skin an animal.

cybergentleman · Jan 7, 2010

who woulda thunk it

Hate to say it, but based on that slide show linked earlier, RLK's posted sketches are actually pretty accurate.

i wonder if they will ever create synthetic materials that are as good as the natural product...this includes groing steak in a petri dish (an idea I cooked up while working with stem cells back in the day..pun intended)

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