Shellac

[rlk]

 

[Joshbru3]

AWESOME article, Robert! Thanks so much for posting this. Which year American Hatter was this from?

As I have discussed so many times with numerous members of the fedora lounge, one aspect that makes the vintage hats (pre-1940) so wonderful is the particular way that the shellac sets up when dry and softens when steamed. The felt is always nicer on the older hats than modern ones. I do not think there's too much of a difference between a wild hare/rabbit from the 1920's and a modern wild hare/rabbit, so the difference must be in the shellac. I can imagine that currently, felters are using synthetic shellac. It just goes to show, that in hatmaking, every natural substance seems to be better. The old hats had real leather sweatbands, not some plastic/particle substance. They used natural nylon/cotton mixtures in the vintage ribbon, verses the synthetic junk that major hat factories use today. And most importantly, natural shellac was used to impregnate the felt bodies.

 

[Art Fawcett]

1942-5 ?

 

[rlk]

1942-5 ?

First World War, 1917

 

[Rabbit]

I can imagine that currently, felters are using synthetic shellac.

Is it possible to produce shellac synthetically? I can't find any mention of the existence of synthetic shellac.
Perhaps what's used today is a substance merely similar to shellac, with a less complicate composition?

 

[Joshbru3]

Is it possible to produce shellac synthetically? I can't find any mention of the existence of synthetic shellac.
Perhaps what's used today is a substance merely similar to shellac, with a less complicate composition?

I should have probably put synthetic shellac in quotes. I am not exactly sure if what is used today is "shellac" but I just call the stiffening agent used to stiffen hat bodies, "shellac" as a default. I imagine its some sort of synthetic composition.

 

[rlk]

1912

for comparison: