Did I get a bargain?

[Fedora]

Bargain

I could not believe what I got it for!! Andykev, I am surprised you did not jump on this one. You have the other part of the duo, but needed this one to complete? I wanted this one, the actual tool to do the conforming, to only use to create extra long ovals, since I sell so few in that shape to warrant buying all of the blocks. Fedora

 

[Andykev]

YOU STOLE THAT!!!!!

I have suspended myself from Ebay......

Drat!! I never saw it! I don't have one. You got a STEAL. Don't tell Art.

He however has three or so. I would only use it as a curio. You can use it. BUT you need the CONFORMER for the head, and I have a mint one. That will NOT ever leave me.

I really have toned down the Ebay thing. I have literally shelves of hats and related stuff. Art got a good iron, a curling iron, and a block from me. He's my friend, and he uses it to keep the hat business going. I would not have given up the items if it wasn't for Art's passion for hats.

 

[mthatter]

Great Buy!

erased by mt

 

[jamespowers]

Ten bucks for a formillion?! AndyKev has it right. You stole that one. The problem will be obtaining a Conformateur for that price. They go for at least a thousand easy. [huh] I suppose that isn't all that bad considering there are no new ones being made.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Fedora]

Ten bucks for a formillion?! AndyKev has it right. You stole that one. The problem will be obtaining a Conformateur for that price. They go for at least a thousand easy. I suppose that isn't all that bad considering there are no new ones being made.

Yeah, I could not believe what I got it for. I saw a comformateur, and the formillion, a pair that was sold separately on ebay last week. Seems like one of them was up to 1500 bucks when I looked, but did not follow the auction.

I would encourage you to look for or build long oval blocks also as hats do funny things when you take a regular blocked hat and try to lengthen it with a stretcher or formillion.

Yeah, I know. My real reason for wanting this was not the extra long oval deal. A smokescreen for someone else. A long story. So, as not to appear ignorant, I figured this would make a dandy tool for creating the off centered turn on my Raiders fedoras. I been using a two way stretcher and figured this formillion would be perfect for my intended usuage. I will know soon. I really do not have a need for a conformateur as I only do soft dress hats. Self Conforming, I think is the proper term. I always wondered why some hatters put the contraption on your head, and then sell you a soft hat. The reason for the invention was for conforming a stiff hat, to a customers head shape. You know, put a bump in the hat to correspond to the bump on his head. Much more comfortable. Regards, Fedora

 

[jamespowers]

I always wondered why some hatters put the contraption on your head, and then sell you a soft hat. The reason for the invention was for conforming a stiff hat, to a customers head shape. You know, put a bump in the hat to correspond to the bump on his head. Much more comfortable. Regards, Fedora

Believe me, it makes a difference on a soft hat as well. If you have an extra long oval head or have a flat forehead then it makes the hat fit better hard or soft body. Regular head shapes are easier to make hats for.
You could make a hat for the Elephant Man if you had a Conformateur and formillion big enough.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Fedora]

Believe me, it makes a difference on a soft hat as well. If you have an extra long oval head or have a flat forehead then it makes the hat fit better hard or soft body. Regular head shapes are easier to make hats for.

I understand what you are saying, and you would have been laughed out of an old hat shop. If your head is long oval, get long oval blocked soft hats. Remember, self conforming, meant, no comformer needed. My opinion on the matter is it is a marketing technique, used my modern hatters.......on all hats. Lets them charge you more. That is all. Believe what you want. I think it is funny. A self confoming hat conforms to your head. It is common sense. Put just a sweatband on your head. Do you need a conformer? Of course not. (I am assuming you are talking about soft hats here and not one that the top is soft, but the brim is stiff)
With that said, it you like your self comforming hats-comformed, by all means have them conformed. My point was, that was not the intention of the invention. Ooh, I am turning poetic.

I also got a kick out of the budget way to conform an stiff hat back in the day. They just heated the hat and put it on your head!! Your head was turned into the conformateur. LOL. But, it worked, I guess.
Fedora

 

[jamespowers]

Have it your way but if you have never used one you will never know.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Fedora]

Have it your way but if you have never used one you will never know.

Facts are facts, my friend. That is all I was giving, the historical perspective. But, if you like soft hats comformed, have them comformed. I was just telling you the purpose of the comformateur. None of this comes from my own experience, or course, just repeating multiple sources on the matter, from books. I still say, it is nothing more than a marketing gimmick for soft hats. But, show me a historical source that says otherwise and I will change my opinion. And as I said, if you like self conforming hats conformed, it is your preference. In my line of business, the Raiders fedora, it is not only unnecesary, it would ruin the look of the hat. You need distortion, that comes from putting a long oval head in a regular oval, self conforming body. Or, you can create this look in the shop. Now, if I were to buy a stiff hat, bowler or even western, it would have to be conformed, or I would not buy it. Oh, just remembered something I read last night from Scientific Hatmaking, written by a master hatter in 1919. He said.........99 per cent of your stiff hats will not need to be conformed, but the one per cent that you do, will build your business. It seems that it was not always used, even when they had the conformateur in house. Fedora

 

[Andykev]

It allows a custom fit.

There is a conformature on Ebay right now which is $750...or BUY IT NOW for $1500. I got mine for less. It's mint. It was buy it now also, and I did.

The conformature, as Jamespowers says, it to measure the EXACT shape of the customers head for ANY HAT. Art used his on me, and made me a beaver hat fedora (same felt as you Steve). The best fit and the best feel of all but my vintage (..did I just say those who know forego Optimo?).

Yes even a "soft" fedora will fit better when the true size conformer is put in the hat for final sizing. It really works. That is why some hatters use those plastic ones they ship to customers when doing sales via phone.

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt