Photos of hatters tools

[humanshoes]

Thanks John and Bond. Bond, this looks like the perfect little iron for the job. I have a nice Sharper Image steam iron, but it's too cumbersome. For now just using steam and my homemade tolliker.

 

[John Galt]

Might be useful!


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[John Galt]

This guy sold on eBay a week or two ago. Not mine. I can't recall what they're called, but they are for refinishing I believe. Ole? I know you commented on one of these once...

"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[TheDane]

It's a brass band block, used for keeping the hat in place during flanging of the brim. The "arc" in the one side of the brass band is used to cover the reed to protect it from the heat of the sandbag. I saw it some days ago, but fell in love with a brown Borsalino - and I have a Wilke Hommie coming too. It's hard to keep the trigger finger calm, but I have to prioritize with the US trip just a month away. Ain't good at it, but I'm sincerely trying

 

[John Galt]

Thanks Ole! Here's the article in the old book you mentioned a while back about how to make a dimensional brim. This device would also work with a standard rounding jack to make an Indy type dimensional brim.

 

[TheDane]

Exactly the one, John! Grow an extra arm, and do the cutting very slowly. There are quite some pieces to keep in place

 

[Hatter4]

John: Here are two photos of my finishing bench - it does come in handy all the time. I use it a lot especially for ironing the brim.

 

[Joshbru3]

John: Here are two photos of my finishing bench - it does come in handy all the time. I use it a lot especially for ironing the brim. View attachment 9042 View attachment 9043

Where does someone buy a finishing bench, or is it home made? If its homemade, could you give the specs on it? I would love to make one.

 

[TheDane]

Get an end of a laminated board from a company, making/installing kitchen tables and ask them to cut the hole with a bandsaw. The hole has appr. same profile/arch as the side of a crown - and the depth 1/2 to 2/3 of the width (side to side) of a crown. The exact shape not that critical.

 

[ManofKent]

Hatter4 - that looks a very useful bit of equipment

 

[Hatter4]

my finishing bench is from the 1930s or 40s from the hatters supply house.

 

[TheDane]

I did an funny little observation today. On the back of our hat rulers, there's a size table. In this table, my ruler claims, that size 7 1/4 equals a head circumference of 22 5/4"!

What ...?!??!!! I thought, that was 23 1/4"

You Americans' rulers say, that 7 1/4 equals 23". Richard's say, that 7 1/4 equals 22 3/4", which btw. seems most correct. Quite obvious mine has a typo. The 5/4 should have been 3/4. Actually, they made the same error at hat size 7 3/4. On my ruler that is size 7 5/4

Stamps with typos and other print-errors are more valuable. Does that go for hat rulers too?

 

[John Galt]

my finishing bench is from the 1930s or 40s from the hatters supply house.

Can't say for sure, but I believe the ad I clipped was also HSH, so it's the same bench. I'll try to double check. Does it have legs, or just hang off the edge of the bench for ironing?

[Edit] Yes, I snipped it from HSH Instructions In Hat Cleaning, Renovating & Blocking, 1920.

 

[Hatter4]

John.read back i posted photos of my finishing bench..on pt59

 

[John Galt]

John.read back i posted photos of my finishing bench..on pt59

Thanks. I saw them, and just edited my post. Check the photo I added from the OTHER old book ;-)

 

[John Galt]

I think I will make one from this old oak table I've been cutting up.

 

[John Galt]

Here's a goodie I've been using a lot for deconstruction. I think Olé mentioned something like this a while back. I saw it at a sewing shop & bought it on impulse.

 

[John Galt]

I may be stretching "tools" a bit again, but this is interesting. The original reed in the old Stetson Nutria Quality hat I recently rebuilt was made of a starched (?) fibrous material a lot like rope. Another old Stetson Nutria Quality I rebuilt a while back had a reed that I am certain was made of wood resin or pitch wood.

"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[Hatter4]

john ,I have that book. also the original hard cover of Scientific hat finishing and renovating. It was a excessed from the brooklyn public library, I got it about 25 years ago.

 

[John Galt]

That's cool! I love looking at these old books again & again. I have a couple of others too, all in electronic format. I'm thinking of putting all the ones I have on a CD for loungers at a reasonable price after confirming they are all out of copyright.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."