German & Austrian Hutmachers

[marting81]

Martin, Is the top of the crown made of felt? Not sure about this one. It's later but maybe modified.

I think upper side is wild leather sew on felt.

 

[mayserwegener]

Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. Four Photographs from a German Hair Cutting Shop

This excerpt is from "25 Berlin - Gubener Hutfabrik (Hat Factory), Actiengesellschaft (Public or Private Company) vorm. A. Cohn, Guben, 1913". It covers Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. There are four rare photographs from a German Hair Cutting shop. The third photo "German PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP" is especially rare. It shows the application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing. You might need to click on the photos to make them larger.

The production of hair hats is carried out in a completely separate establishment from the wool hat production. If we also pay a brief visit to this department, we first enter the raw materials store, where many types of hair are stacked up, mostly neatly packed in paper packages. The packets are labeled on the outer wrapping with the name of the quality they contain. We find different types of hare hair, rabbit hair, beaver and nutria.

The most important haircutting factories are located in Germany, France, England and Belgium. Here, skins from all over the world come together, are prepared, trimmed and sorted. In its original state, as it is cut from the hide, the hair is not suitable for the manufacture of hats because it lacks felting and fulling properties. Rather, it must first undergo the manipulation of mordanting before it acquires this property, but then to a greater extent than wool.

For this purpose, the hair on the skins is carefully brushed up to the root with a solution of mercury and nitric acid using hand brushes or machines with cylindrical brushes. The skins are then dried in heating chambers specially constructed for this purpose, then remoistened and carefully smoothed to smooth out any folds in the skin. - The skins prepared in this way then pass through a machine in which the fur is cut into narrow strips between cylinders equipped with sharp knives, without tearing the loosely connected hair fur. The pieces of fur fall down and the blanket of hair, cut to the root, emerges at the end of the machine and lies on a thin metal plate. From here it is removed by trained workers and cut into individual parts of the fur, because the back has the finest hair, while the sides and belly have smaller hairs, which vary considerably in price. For example, the back of the hare fetches five times the price of the hair from the belly. With the enormous boom in hair that has occurred in the last year, which has caused unprecedented prices, the backs are getting bigger and bigger and the smaller parts are getting smaller and smaller. This huge price increase is partly due to the fashion for velour-like hats for men and women, but also to the widespread use of animal skins as trimming material for clothing in recent years.

Below are 4 photographs from a German Hair Cutting shop.

THE SKINS ARE CUT OPEN AND CLEANED

STORAGE OF SKINS PREPARED FOR STAINING

LOOK INTO THE PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP (Application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing)

THE HAIR IS CUT FROM THE SKINS

 

[M Hatman]

Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. Four Photographs from a German Hair Cutting Shop

This excerpt is from "25 Berlin - Gubener Hutfabrik (Hat Factory), Actiengesellschaft (Public or Private Company) vorm. A. Cohn, Guben, 1913". It covers Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. There are four rare photographs from a German Hair Cutting shop. The third photo "German PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP" is especially rare. It shows the application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing. You might need to click on the photos to make them larger.

The production of hair hats is carried out in a completely separate establishment from the wool hat production. If we also pay a brief visit to this department, we first enter the raw materials store, where many types of hair are stacked up, mostly neatly packed in paper packages. The packets are labeled on the outer wrapping with the name of the quality they contain. We find different types of hare hair, rabbit hair, beaver and nutria.

The most important haircutting factories are located in Germany, France, England and Belgium. Here, skins from all over the world come together, are prepared, trimmed and sorted. In its original state, as it is cut from the hide, the hair is not suitable for the manufacture of hats because it lacks felting and fulling properties. Rather, it must first undergo the manipulation of mordanting before it acquires this property, but then to a greater extent than wool.

For this purpose, the hair on the skins is carefully brushed up to the root with a solution of mercury and nitric acid using hand brushes or machines with cylindrical brushes. The skins are then dried in heating chambers specially constructed for this purpose, then remoistened and carefully smoothed to smooth out any folds in the skin. - The skins prepared in this way then pass through a machine in which the fur is cut into narrow strips between cylinders equipped with sharp knives, without tearing the loosely connected hair fur. The pieces of fur fall down and the blanket of hair, cut to the root, emerges at the end of the machine and lies on a thin metal plate. From here it is removed by trained workers and cut into individual parts of the fur, because the back has the finest hair, while the sides and belly have smaller hairs, which vary considerably in price. For example, the back of the hare fetches five times the price of the hair from the belly. With the enormous boom in hair that has occurred in the last year, which has caused unprecedented prices, the backs are getting bigger and bigger and the smaller parts are getting smaller and smaller. This huge price increase is partly due to the fashion for velour-like hats for men and women, but also to the widespread use of animal skins as trimming material for clothing in recent years.

Below are 4 photographs from a German Hair Cutting shop.

THE SKINS ARE CUT OPEN AND CLEANED

STORAGE OF SKINS PREPARED FOR STAINING

LOOK INTO THE PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP (Application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing)

THE HAIR IS CUT FROM THE SKINS

Great stuff as usual Steve!!!!

 

[mayserwegener]

Great stuff as usual Steve!!!!

Mark, Thank you! This is the first photo I have encountered that documents the application of nitrate of mercury by hand brushing.

 

[mayserwegener]

Josef Gratzer Hutmachermeister Miesbach, No Paper Label, measures 55cm possibly 1930s. I found the following regarding Josef Gratzer: "1949 their new hat factory. In the same year, Ulrich Rager and Josef Gratzer founded the Oberbayerische Hutfabrik GmbH", so this Velour is probably prior to that because Gratzer was already listed as a hat maker. Miesbach was a German center for Velour and Kohlndorfer was the major producer. It's possibly that Kohlndorfer was the Velour source for this hat. The black Velour has a very soft hand and has high gloss. The nap is fairly long but not quite Soleil. The greenish gold Liner also has very high gloss but is very delicate so it has some small wear tears. I took a chance on this Velour but turned out to be too small. Regardless it's a very interesting find and I learned somethings about Miesbach Hat / Velour production that I need to post.

Open Crown

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Latest arrival among Central European hats made with velour felt.

It is a Huckel 1799 "Durit" made for the French market.

In recent times I have had various velour hats in my hands and this is an example of lightness compared to others that have arrived in my collection.

The felt is dense and the pile is of medium length. It is malleable and takes shape without steam.

The storage conditions are excellent, without any defects. The "old" one has been preserved very well

The size is a "rarity" because it is difficult to find a 5 3/4 which is a narrow 59 centimeters

The measurements of the Huckel 1799 - Durit are as follows: the raw brims are 6 centimeters, the ribbon always matching the felt is 5.5 centimeters high, and the open crown is 15 centimeters.

I hope to continue finding hats of this quality... they make me happy.

 

[mayserwegener]

Latest arrival among Central European hats made with velour felt.

It is a Huckel 1799 "Durit" made for the French market.

In recent times I have had various velour hats in my hands and this is an example of lightness compared to others that have arrived in my collection.

The felt is dense and the pile is of medium length. It is malleable and takes shape without steam.

The storage conditions are excellent, without any defects. The "old" one has been preserved very well

The size is a "rarity" because it is difficult to find a 5 3/4 which is a narrow 59 centimeters

The measurements of the Huckel 1799 - Durit are as follows: the raw brims are 6 centimeters, the ribbon always matching the felt is 5.5 centimeters high, and the open crown is 15 centimeters.

I hope to continue finding hats of this quality... they make me happy.

Daniele, This is a really fantastic find! The Velour has such high gloss and is in great condition. This is the first 1/4 sizing I have seen for a JHS Soft Felt Hat. All the others have been Stiff Felt Hats and Top Hats. The paper label has J V which is Jota Velour which so far has always been the case with French market JHS "Durit" models. It has a "JHS Soft Felts Post WWI Type 8" paper label.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVqNMVw

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Daniele, This is a really fantastic find! The Velour has such high gloss and is in great condition. This is the first 1/4 sizing I have seen for a JHS Soft Felt Hat. All the others have been Stiff Felt Hats and Top Hats. The paper label has J V which is Jota Velour which so far has always been the case with French market JHS "Durit" models. It has a "JHS Soft Felts Post WWI Type 8" paper label.

Thanks Steve for your specification about felts, size and age of the Huckel Durit

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks Steve for your specification about felts, size and age of the Huckel Durit

Daniele, Thank you!

 

[mayserwegener]

Stetson - Mayser Excellent "Skyway", 57cm possibly late 1950s. There is only one other Stetson - Mayser "Skyway", found by Stefan back in 2021. The black Felt has a very nice finish and is pliable so easily dry creases. The form is "Camber" like so I think it looks better "Brim Up". Mayser acquired the Stetson license for Germany in 1954.

Open Crown

Stetson Hat Tags from Pelzhaus Josef Seiffert 1863 Solingen ,Germany, possibly later 1950s - 1960s. Found these back in 2022.

 

[marting81]

170 Jahre Gubener Hüte - 170 years hats from Guben

 

[mayserwegener]

Martin, That is a great find!

 

[mayserwegener]

Koch - Velour "Secunda", 58cm possibly later 1950s. Otto Koch Miesbacher Velourhutfabrik lasted to the mid 1960s. This is a very nice Close Cropped Velour that is excellent overall condition.

Open Crown

Natural Light

 

[marting81]

C.G. Wilke - Helios vs. C.G. Wilke - Helios
First one: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/german-austrian-hutmachers.32103/post-3024010

 

[mayserwegener]

C.G. Wilke - Helios vs. C.G. Wilke - Helios
First one: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/german-austrian-hutmachers.32103/post-3024010
View attachment 598324 View attachment 598325 View attachment 598326 View attachment 598327 View attachment 598328 View attachment 598329 View attachment 598330 View attachment 598331 View attachment 598332 View attachment 598333

Martin, Super find! It's in great condition too. Interesting that the two liners have a similar diagonal stripes but this latest "Helios" stripe matches the outer liner color. I checked and these are the only two C. G. Wilke Stiff Felts with diagonal liner stripes. Would it be possible to post photos of the front and bow side of this latest "Helios"?

 

[marting81]

 

[steur]

Koch - Velour "Secunda", 58cm possibly later 1950s. Otto Koch Miesbacher Velourhutfabrik lasted to the mid 1960s. This is a very nice Close Cropped Velour that is excellent overall condition.

Open Crown

Natural Light

Wonderful find, Steve. Very nice looking hat of a rare brand. And in excellent condition too.

 

[steur]

C.G. Wilke - Helios vs. C.G. Wilke - Helios
First one: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/german-austrian-hutmachers.32103/post-3024010
View attachment 598324 View attachment 598325 View attachment 598326 View attachment 598327 View attachment 598328 View attachment 598329 View attachment 598330 View attachment 598331 View attachment 598332 View attachment 598333

Excellent finds, Martin. These liners are outstanding.

 

[mayserwegener]

Wonderful find, Steve. Very nice looking hat of a rare brand. And in excellent condition too.

Stefan, Thank you!

 

[mayserwegener]

View attachment 598339 View attachment 598340 View attachment 598341

Martin, Thank you for posting the additional photos. I am going post all the photos on my website.