Blocking and Renovating

[thefedorastore]

Where's a good resource to learn blocking and restoring old hats? My next endeavor. I assume I need a steamer and various blocks. Anyone have any experience with the thermoformed plastic "Hat Shapers". Since I am finally a full time vendor of hats, I want to be able to start restoring old estate sale hats, etc. of prominent name and qualities.
Duane

 

[tonyb]

Well dang, Duane, you're a man after my heart. As far as I can tell, a newcomer to the hat renovation trade will have to learn by trial and error, seeing how the neighborhood hat cleaner went the way of the passenger pigeon a few decades ago, leaving nearby apprenticeship opportunities essentially nonexistent.
I can tell you, from my own limited experience, that cleaning is straightforward enough-- just brush off all the dirt you can, soak that old lid in naptha for a few hours (and lightly scrub it with brushes and/or sponges while it's still wet), and let it air dry. There are other easy tricks, such as pouncing with fine-grit sandpaper, to bring back a hat you might have thought beyond salvation.
Thanks to the tips I've picked up here over the past few months, I now know enough to spruce up my own lids, but not enough to risk anyone else's. A couple of our resident hatters have both gone on record saying that they learned the trade through a self-education process, and they'll also tell you that there is no great mystery to it. It's mostly a matter of acquiring the equipment (blocks and flanges, sewing machines, etc.) and common sense.

 

[Pilgrim]

Duane, one thing to do is some keyword searches through this forum. There's a lot of info floating around in various threads that will be of great interest to you.

In fact, if someone with more time than good sense wanted to do such a search, a DIY section of those comments might productively be added to the FAQ.