German & Austrian Hutmachers

[Chepstow]

Great find Steve! Thank you for sharing!


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[mayserwegener]

Thanks! The OCR tool I used did a good job with old fractur characters.

 

[Dreispitz]

Sad News

Just realised the old Zechbauer hat shop in Munich has closed. "New" hats might have been in even less demand over the last years.

 

[mayserwegener]

Sorry to hear that. I checked and they closed in 2012. Replaced by Prada!

http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.aus-nach-178-jahren-in-der-city-hutmacher-raus-prada-rein.fb64d67c-fdd4-46d0-98c9-e271bea56b62.html

By the way I found out that Anton Pichler of Graz, Austria (at the start of his career) went to Munich to work under Joh. Zehme.

 

[mayserwegener]

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/7-bruder-bohm-hutfabrik/#entry1072

 

[mayserwegener]

Austrian Hat Industry Guide (1926)

The complete guide is available here.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/184-austrian-hat-industry-guide-1926/

I have been looking for a guide like this for a long time. This is basically a Who's Who of Austrian hat making circa 1926. There is also information of the association including the apprentice system, certification process, insurance and so on. Also a good number of company advertisements. I am in still in the process of translating specific parts.

 

[mayserwegener]

Report on the World Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876

Given by the

Austrian Commision

for the

World Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876

Hats of Fur Felt and Silk

By Carl Hückel
Partner of the Johann Hückel´s Söhne in Neutitshein

Carl thought the exhibition wasn't very well represented. For example no French or German companies and missing American companies. Complete report available here with rough translation.

http://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/6-johann-hueckel%C2%B4s-soehne-hueckel-hutfabrik-weilheim/page-9#entry1077

Interesting comments regarding American felting processes vs. European. This a summary.

"The American felt (body) is stiffened already in half fulled condition with "water varnish" (Wasserlack). And after the felt is finished and shaped, the hat is dyed and then "polished", to make the surface smoother again after being roughed because of the intensive dyeing. The "water vanish" stiffing makes the hat more resistant to humidity than hats here (Austria) where we use "rubber" glaze.
But the felt suffers a lot because of the dying method. So the felt here (Europe) is more durable and solid.
Maybe it's possible in the future to combine the two advantages of the two methods with milder colors to make a perfect product."

It appears the method being used in America was similar to what was being used in England. Here is some related information (mostly towards the end) from The Chemistry of Hat Manufacturing, by Watson Smith 1906.

"Stiffening and Proofing Process.—Before proceeding to[Pg 64] discuss the stiffening and proofing of hat forms or "bodies," it will be well to point out that it was in thoroughly grasping the importance of a rational and scientific method of carrying out this process that Continental hat manufacturers had been able to steal a march upon their English rivals in competition as to a special kind of hat which sold well on the Continent. There are, or ought to be, three aims in the process of proofing and stiffening, all the three being of equal importance. These are: first, to waterproof the hat-forms; second, to stiffen them at the same time and by the same process; and the third, the one the importance of which I think English hat manufacturers have frequently overlooked, at least in the past, is to so proof and stiffen the hat-forms as to leave them in a suitable condition for the subsequent dyeing process. In proofing the felt, the fibres become varnished over with a kind of glaze which is insoluble in water, and this varnish or proof is but imperfectly removed from the ends of the fibres on the upper surface of the felt. The consequence is a too slight penetration of the dyestuff into the inner pores of the fibres; indeed, in the logwood black dyeing of such proofed felt a great deal of the colour becomes precipitated on the outside of the fibres—a kind of process of "smudging-on" of a black pigment taking place. The subsequent "greening" of the black hats after a short period of wear is simply due to the ease with which such badly fixed dye rubs off, washes off, or wears off, the brownish or yellowish substratum which gradually comes to light, causing a greenish shade to at length appear. If we examine under the microscope a pure unproofed fur fibre, its characteristic structure is quite visible. Examination of an unproofed fibre dyed with logwood black shows again the same characteristic structure with the dye inside the fibre, colouring it a beautiful bluish-grey tint, the inner cellular markings being black. A proofed fur fibre, on the other hand, when examined under the microscope, is seen to be covered with a[Pg 65] kind of translucent glaze, which completely envelops it, and prevents the beautiful markings showing the scaly structure of the fibre from being seen. Finally, if we examine microscopically a proofed fibre which has been dyed, or which we have attempted to dye, with logwood black, we find that the fibre presents an appearance similar to that of rope which has been drawn through some black pigment or black mud, and then dried. It is quite plain that no lustrous appearance or good "finish" can be expected from such material. Now how did the Continental hat manufacturers achieve their success, both as regards dyeing either with logwood black or with coal-tar colours, and also getting a high degree of "finish"? They attained their object by rubbing the proofing varnish on the inside of the hat bodies, in some cases first protecting the outside with a gum-varnish soluble in water but resisting the lac-varnish rubbed inside. Thus the proofing could never reach the outside. On throwing the hat bodies, thus proofed by a logical and scientific process, into the dye-bath, the gums on the outer surface are dissolved and removed, and the dye strikes into a pure, clean fibre, capable of a high degree of finish. This process, however, whilst very good for the softer hats used on the Continent, is not so satisfactory for the harder, stiffer headgear demanded in Great Britain."

 

[Lord Stirling]

Wow I dig this one too!

 

[mayserwegener]

C. G. Wilke "Platina"

A really fantastic tiny gem of a hat. The felt is the lightest and softest I have ever encountered. Probably the early 1930s maybe a bit earlier. I doubt it was worn much at all. I also think it might have been modified maybe by the shop that sold it.

 

[alanfgag]

Is the sweatband stitching where you see the modification? It is extraordinary... wouldn't it be swell if we had such craft talent available to us today? I really think you should pass this one along to a smaller head.

 

[mikespens]

Lightest and softest you've encountered? Wow, that's saying something with all the hats you've handled Steve. Congrats!

 

[mayserwegener]

Alan, Thanks! Yes the sweatband. I haven't seen an old Wilke factory hat with a hand stitched sweatband. It also looks like the sweatband might have had a reed. Also the paper label behind the sweatband was modified. This hat is really tiny. About 53cm! I just had to see it so I put in a bid and won (it cost more to ship it).

 

[mayserwegener]

Lightest and softest you've encountered? Wow, that's saying something with all the hats you've handled Steve. Congrats!

Thanks! It's very soft. The sweatband probably weighs about the same as the felt body. I will have to give it a weigh.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Very, very interesting Steve.
Another fantastic hat from German land.

 

[Rogera]

Wow Steve, Beautiful find!

 

[Lotsahats]

My major regret here is that there is no way to experience this hat adequately through the screen. I'm afraid there's no choice but for you to bring the hat around to all of us. In all seriousness, what a beauty!

A

 

[mayserwegener]

Daniele, Roger, Aaron, Thanks!

I gave it a weigh and it's 3.2 oz / 90g but I am sure the sweatband is a good part of that.

 

[Strapped-4-Cache]

I'd been asked to post pics of this hat in this thread. It arrived today and I could hardly wait to get home in order to get some pictures.

My laptop is down at the moment, so all photo editing had to be done on my phone. Apologies if they're unusually large.

Head shots. It fits!

Pics of the hat box. Markings in the hat don't match the box.

Top of the liner.

Stamp on the sweat.

Markings behind the sweat.

The only flaw I've noticed so far. Stitching on the sweat has started to come loose.

 

[mayserwegener]

Thanks for posting the photos! It's a great Zylinderhut! As I mentioned I am fairly certain R. Hecht is a store because the Passage is a shopping gallery (fantastic place) in the center of Leipzig. The carton lid does mention Silk hats and Fabrik but I think it's generic. On the side only Lager (store) is mentioned for Eduard Grunzel. I do not have any information on either place. I can't make out the writing on the inner sweatband. My guess is it is related to the past owner(s).

 

[1mach1]

Very nice find, Strapped! Looks great on you, too!