Hat making?? Learning Millinery..

[Darrell2688]

My work area is small, and I need to start using blocking springs. At least the blocking springs will take care of one of the problems and I need to apply a good coat of Varathane to protect the wood after I get the wood straightened out again. The wood warped a little from using a steam iron. So I have a little work to do before I tackle another hat.

 

[Mm25]

thought some people might find this interesting.

 

[ChicagoWayVito]

thought some people might find this interesting.

Nathaniel Funmaker has been making hats a long time. If I remember correctly his prices are on the higher end, I would like to handle one in person.

I noticed that he sets the brim break prior to blocking it although it was finger blocked prior. Likely the finger blocking kept him from losing any crown height or brim width. JW also set the brim break prior to blocking but didn't have the finger blocker to use. I wonder if this is mostly common with Western hat makers or those that typically had access to a finger blocker. It is a very cool tool and I suspect would make it easier to get the correct crown height and brim width as the felt is stretched for you basically. Very cool.

 

[TWKundrat]

That was a good video. I remember seeing that on tv a couple years ago. I also really liked the Art Fawcett video that was posted a couple pages back. These have been very helpful to see how the fellas who know what they're doing do their work. I finally got a little bit of time to work on my hat again. Just did a little pouncing and now I need to whip up a quick rounding jack.

 

[TWKundrat]

Just finished the rounding jack and I'm trying to work up the nerve to actually cut the brim. For the most part I ripped off someone's design for a simple one. It was probably off of this site but I can't remember now. Fairly crude but it should do what it's supposed to.

 

[TWKundrat]

Well I worked up the nerve to cut it. I even got brave enough to light it on fire. Didn't get a good fire picture but I'm pretty happy with how it's coming along.

 

[Darrell2688]

Looking good, keep working on it. How wide is the brim after cutting and what was the mixture that you used to spray your hat with? That is something that I have never tried, mainly because I would probably overdo it and my hat would change colors real quick. Is the block and stand something that you made?

 

[TWKundrat]

Thanks Darrell. The brim is 3-1/2" and I just used isopropyl alcohol for burning. I've read that you should use 99% but 70% was all that I had. I actually had to use quite a bit more alcohol than I thought to get an even burn. It did even out some of the blotchiness that I had probably from over pouncing a bit. I did make the block myself and the stand is just a 1" dowel clamped in my vise and I have a 1" hole drilled in the bottom of my block.

 

[Darrell2688]

Well, from the looks of things I may just have to take a chance with rubbing alcohol and fire, try not to over spray, I will do it close to the sink just in case. Looks like your good with your hands, making your own blocks. Nice job on the Brim Jack. Did you make hand tools for working on the brim break? I am thinking about taking a try at making a Tolliker, should prove to be interesting.

 

[TWKundrat]

Well, from the looks of things I may just have to take a chance with rubbing alcohol and fire, try not to over spray, I will do it close to the sink just in case. Looks like your good with your hands, making your own blocks. Nice job on the Brim Jack. Did you make hand tools for working on the brim break? I am thinking about taking a try at making a Tolliker, should prove to be interesting.

Yeah you definitely have to be careful with alcohol overspray. I held the hat and sprayed it in a different direction from the stand I set it on to light it. Haven't made a tolliker yet. I just did the best I could with my iron. The brim break isn't quite as tight as I'd like it to be but it'll do.

 

[Darrell2688]

Well, if you happen to have a piece of wood laying around the shop you might steam the crown break area and lay the piece of board flat and push the straight edge up against the base of the crown and push it around the hat. That is what I did recently, it wasn't as nice as the brim break in the YouTube video, but it was an improvement.

 

[TWKundrat]

Well, if you happen to have a piece of wood laying around the shop you might steam the crown break area and lay the piece of board flat and push the straight edge up against the base of the crown and push it around the hat. That is what I did recently, it wasn't as nice as the brim break in the YouTube video, but it was an improvement.

Thanks for the tip. I already started sewing in the sweatband but I'll try that on the next one if I haven't made a tolliker yet. On a side note, sewing is a major pain if you don't know what you're doing!

 

[Darrell2688]

Well, if you were able to get the sweatband to form a little bell shape in the reed area, the sweat will just sit down inside the hat, then what I do is take a small needle and white thread and stitch through the reed tape stitching holes about 1/4" apart all the way around the sweat just to hold it in place, then turn the leather up out of the hat then stitch the reed tape to the inside of the hat. After sewing the reed tape in place remove the white thread.

 

[Darrell2688]

If you stitch the reed tape close to the crown break, about 3/16" from the brim break, be sure to give the reed tape a little tug down as you stitch.

 

[TWKundrat]

If you stitch the reed tape close to the crown break, about 3/16" from the brim break, be sure to give the reed tape a little tug down as you stitch.

Sounds good. Does anyone know of any good videos that show the process? I know I saw a decent one at some point but I can't find it now. Also, how much longer does the reed want to be than the sweatband? I got it sewn up already but it was a real pain doing it.

 

[belfastboy]

Sounds good. Does anyone know of any good videos that show the process? I know I saw a decent one at some point but I can't find it now. Also, how much longer does the reed want to be than the sweatband? I got it sewn up already but it was a real pain doing it.

I th8ink if you google "fedora lounge, drumming sweat bands" a thread will be located. It is a good thread. No video but good description. I cut each end of the sweat at an angle

a few degrees so the edge of the sweat is perhaps a centimetre less in circumference than the reeded end. That gets me enough differential. The reed itself I cut to about a fat 1/4" on each end. Once inserted into the ferrule I have about 1/2" of reed to stuff into the reed tape channel. I then use a vinyl painter's tape to tape the reeded end and another small piece on the seam to hold it while I begin to machine sew the ends together.

 

[TWKundrat]

I th8ink if you google "fedora lounge, drumming sweat bands" a thread will be located. It is a good thread. No video but good description. I cut each end of the sweat at an angle View attachment 389074 View attachment 389074 a few degrees so the edge of the sweat is perhaps a centimetre less in circumference than the reeded end. That gets me enough differential. The reed itself I cut to about a fat 1/4" on each end. Once inserted into the ferrule I have about 1/2" of reed to stuff into the reed tape channel. I then use a vinyl painter's tape to tape the reeded end and another small piece on the seam to hold it while I begin to machine sew the ends together.

Thanks, that is helpful. I'll have to try to find that other thread too. I definitely need to pick up a zig-zag capable sewing machine if I'm going to be doing much of this. Do you sew through the vinyl tape?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

When cutting a brim with a rounding jack is there an acceptable cutting tolerance? Does the felted fur creep or stretch during cutting? Machinists work within tolerances of a few thousandths of an inch. In steel fabrication it's 1/8 inch (.125), sometimes 1/16 plus or minus. The brim cutting tolerance must be tighter than 1/8", otherwise why have brims sized at 2-7/8 -- 3 -- 3-1/8? Gray area?

 

[belfastboy]

When cutting a brim with a rounding jack is there an acceptable cutting tolerance? Does the felted fur creep or stretch during cutting? Machinists work within tolerances of a few thousandths of an inch. In steel fabrication it's 1/8 inch (.125), sometimes 1/16 plus or minus. The brim cutting tolerance must be tighter than 1/8", otherwise why have brims sized at 2-7/8 -- 3 -- 3-1/8? Gray area?

The smart ass in me answers the tolerance depends on my patience quotient for that day. Each time I start to trim a brim I hold my breath and say a prayer. I have a red dot on my rounding jack and focus on keeping the pressure constant/even throughout the cut. If the felt is very soft I will recruit my wife to lend a third & fourth hand to hold the felt flat and stable.

The brim has to be dry and the wrinkles/puckers smoothed out. I start at 3 0'clock and I walk around the table rather than turning the hat. Still, once in a while as I pass 6 O'clock if I don't get the pressure even the jack will wander out and I will miss the origin cut and be wide by about a 1/16". It is a minor thing to repair, I have a curved piece of wood and an Xacto knife to join the cuts.
It is tougher if I am refurbing a not with a bound brim and I block up or down on a different shaped block. Especially going from a Reg Oval to a Long Oval it is a bitch to get the brim even all the way around especially getting the front/back same as side to side. There i will settle for a 1/16 variance and declare it close enough or my unintentional dimensional brim.

 

[belfastboy]

Thanks, that is helpful. I'll have to try to find that other thread too. I definitely need to pick up a zig-zag capable sewing machine if I'm going to be doing much of this. Do you sew through the vinyl tape?

No, I start the sew, get close to tape and then remove it. If I sew through it, it is impossible to remove it all as the thread grabs enough of it to show. I use this vinyl tape as it is strong enough but leaves no residue. I tried the paper painter's tape..it is too weak. I also tried light duct tape and it leaves glue residue. So in my Goldilocks world the vinyl is just right!