Hat Trivia-Chemicals Used

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[fedoralover]

Interesting stuff John. Do you do luring on any of your custom hats? I know some of these techniques are kinda trade secrets for some hatters, so if you are reluctant to give out any specifics I understand.

regards fedoralover

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[tonyb]

Gotta love "THE BLEACH OF NO REGRETS" slogan. I'll suggest to my buddy who makes his own beer that he adopt a similar "buzz" phrase.
I've enjoyed these historic posts of yours, John. I'm confident that most enthusiasts could spend hours poring over all that stuff.

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[Andykev]

Oxalic acid is wood bleach.

Oxalic Acid

Just hearing the word "acid" sounds ominous. But oxalic acid is easy to use and the safest for the home. In fact it is found in many vegetables including spinach, and rhubarb.
Perhaps its best known use is that as a wood bleaching agent.
Exterior wood tends to turn a dark gray after being exposed and Oxalic acid solutions are used to lighten and brighten dingy gray wood.
In the refinishing of wood furniture, oxalic acid can be used after stripping to lighten and soft darker stained areas befor refinishing.
a few other uses for oxalic acid are:

* Precipitating agent in Rare-earth mineral processing;
* Bleaching agent in the textile activities, wood pulp bleaching;
* Rust remover for Metal treatment;
* Used in commercial rust removers to remove rust stains from tubs and sinks.
* Grinding agent, such as marble polishing
* Waste water tratment, removing calcium in water.
* Use in cleaning and sterilizing homebrewing equipment.
* Useful as a reducing agent for photography and ink removal
* Used as purifying agent in pharmaceutical industry
* Rrock collectors,clean mineral specimens
* Remove food and rust stains from kitchen countertops, plumbing fixtures and fabric

Wood Decks:
After scrubbing with Oxygen bleach and TSP ( trisodium phosphate ) use Oxalic acid to lighten the wood prior to sealing or staining.

Use to Prepare Furniture for Refinishing:

Cleaning Stains and Deposits on Household Surfaces:
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Mild solutions will remove rust and ink from fabric
Hard water stains are easily removed from exterior surfaces like driveways, garage floors,stucco and painted surfaces.
Great for cleaning hard water stains from plumbing fixtures, ceramic tile and shower enclosures.
Makes Lawn and patio furniture look like new.

Warning: Oxalic Acid is still and acid and should be treated with respect, do not be lulled into complacency.
In its purified form, oxalic acid is a highly corrosive and toxic substance.
Latex gloves should be worn at all times when using it and it should always be mixed and used in a well-ventilated area.
The gasses given off are dangerous and have been suspected by some in causing health problems.
Always protect your skin,wear a dust mask when mixing ANY powder, eye protection is a must and whenever I am fooling around with chemicals I always have a supply of fresh water available for flushing off spills. If swallowed, give plenty of milk or water, preferably water. Do not induce vomiting. Contact a poison control hotline. If inhaled take a break and get some fresh air. If the nausea or headache persists, contact the poison control hotline. Used Oxalic Acid should be considered hazardous waste and should be disposed of properly.

 

[Andykev]

Sugar of Lead

Nasty stuff.

sugar of lead
n : a poisonous white solid (Pb[CH3CO]2) used in dyeing cotton
and in making enamels and varnishes [syn: lead acetate]

Don't try this at home, folks.

 

[Andykev]

Zinc Oxide

Read the labels on many of the ointments, sunscreen products, and other topical ointments at your local Walgreen or other drug store.

Your hat won't get a sunburn using this product.

zinc oxide


ZINC OXIDE [zinc oxide] chemical compound, ZnO, that is nearly insoluble in water but soluble in acids or alkalies. It occurs as white hexagonal crystals or a white powder commonly known as zinc white. Zinc white is used as a pigment in paints; less opaque than lithopone, it remains white when exposed to hydrogen sulfide or ultraviolet light. It is also used as a filler for rubber goods and in coatings for paper. Chinese white is a special grade of zinc white used in artists' pigments. Because it absorbs ultraviolet light, zinc oxide can be used in ointments, creams, and lotions to protect against sunburn. Crystalline zinc oxide exhibits the piezoelectric effect, is luminescent, and is light sensitive. Zinc oxide occurs in nature as the mineral zincite. Zinc peroxide, ZnO 2 · 1/2 H 2 O, is a white to yellow powder used in antiseptic ointments.

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[Andykev]

Gum Tragacanth

Gum tragacanth has many industrial uses, including cloth finishing, calico printing and waterproofing of fabrics. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years, dating back several centuries before the Christian era. In folk medicine it has been used for a laxative, persistent cough, diarrhea, and as an aphrodesiac. Modern pharmaceutical uses include an adhesive agent for pills and tablets, and for emulsifying oil droplets in lotions, creams and pastes. Its superior water absorbing qualities make it an excellent thickening agent. Gum tragacanth is used in many everyday commercial products, from cosmetics and toothpaste to jellies and salad dressings. At one time it was the primary thickening agent in Corn Huskers Lotion®. It is also used in syrups, mayonnaise, sauces, liqueurs, candy, ice cream and popsicles. Unfortunately, due to the troubled diplomatic relationship between the United States and Iran, other natural gums (such as guar gum and locust bean gum) have largely replaced the use of gum tragacanth in the United States.

 

[John in Covina]

Sugar of Lead Wikpedia

Sugar of Lead (Lead Acetate) is chemical compound, white crystalline substance with a sweetish taste. Like other lead compounds, it is very poisonous. Lead acetate is soluble in water and glycerin. With water it forms the trihydrate, Pb(CH3COO)2·3H2O, a colorless or white efflorescent monoclinic crystalline substance that is commonly known as sugar of lead, plumbous acetate, or Goulard’s powder. Lead acetate is used as a mordant in textile printing and dyeing, as a drier in paints and varnishes, and in preparing other lead compounds. It is made by treating litharge (lead monoxide, PbO) with acetic acid.

When is was really little I remember that my dad had this stuff and used it for some purpose, maybe connected with him being a machinist. I could be wrong maybe the paint connection.

 

[Andykev]

Gel-sizing

Sizing is the stuff they used to toss into the laundry (starch) to stiffen things up. Think of that spray can of Niagra on the ironing board, aka SIZING.

It is commonly used in the arts for posters and mounting of prints, as well as the garment industry.



WHAT IS GEL SIZING?

A proprietary poster conservation method (patent pending). When a poster has gone through the Gel Sizing process, it has been flattened, cleaned and de-acidified. The paper is impregnated with a purified form of sea gelatin which greatly strengthens the paper and physically eliminates fold lines. It is NOT mounted to anything once completed, and the finished poster will remain dimensionally stable even after exposure to changes in atmospheric conditions.

 

[photobyalan]

I'll bet some of this stuff would have taken the paste out of Photobyalan's panama.

I'll bet some of that stuff would have taken the teeth out of Photobyalan's head!

I'm hoping that Radium Straw Hat Lustre is just a cute trade name and didn't actually include radium. Of course, that would certainly explain the lustre.

 

[feltfan]

I'll bet some of that stuff would have taken the teeth out of Photobyalan's head!

I'm hoping that Radium Straw Hat Lustre is just a cute trade name and didn't actually include radium. Of course, that would certainly explain the lustre.

That lustre might fade in 1200 years... be prepared.

I had a friend bring a geiger counter from her lab to
test some of the "radioactive" vintage stuff I have
around the house. Some things marked "radium",
such as my Radium Ore Revigator, did have a lot
of radium in them (though you have to be within a
couple of inches to get any reading):

http://www.mtn.org/quack/devices/revig.htm

The guy you really want to feel sorry for was the one
who bought radium condoms (see a picture at:
http://www.mercola.com/2004/aug/28/radium.htm )

Happily, my vintage "raydium silver" forks and knives did
not contain any radioactivity. I did not think to test
vintage Panama hats at that time.

Remember that many radium products didn't contain a
lot of radium. Your vintage watch face is not a risk to
you, though it was to the women who painted it.

Oh, and what pegged the geiger counter? The red/orange
pottery glaze once so popular, made with uranium oxide.

 

[Prairie Shade]

Now you know whats in your vintage hats!!! Gum of what - - - Sounds like I could use a quart at least!!

 

[bloc]

Has anyone ever used gum tragacanth to stiffen a hat? I use chemical felt stiffener at the moment but read about GT in Scientific Hat Finishing and Restoring. I was amazed to find it's still available. As it's plant based it would be a good alternative to what I use now.

 

[TheDane]

Usually you don't have to stiffen new hat bodies. They can be bought with the proper amount of stiffener for the hat style you make. Old hats that are cleaned often get their stiffener "washed" out, and then it can be necessary to stiffen the hats. If you make your own bodies, it's quite another matter - but you probably don't

Plant based matter is no less "chemical", and some of the most poisonous substances known to man are actually plant based. Which harmful substances are present in the stiffener you use at the moment?

 

[jhe888]

Gum tragacanth can be gotten from leatherworking supply stores, like Tandy. They use it to coat and then burnish the edges of leather pieces.

I have no idea if it could be used to stiffen felt.

 

[TheDane]

Yes, it's been used for a multitude of things. As stiffener for fabrics, to give leather gloss, to "glue" medical substances in pills and oinments together, as thickener in chewing gum and cake-ising ... and a lot more

 

[bloc]

Usually you don't have to stiffen new hat bodies. They can be bought with the proper amount of stiffener for the hat style you make. Old hats that are cleaned often get their stiffener "washed" out, and then it can be necessary to stiffen the hats. If you make your own bodies, it's quite another matter - but you probably don't

Plant based matter is no less "chemical", and some of the most poisonous substances known to man are actually plant based. Which harmful substances are present in the stiffener you use at the moment?

Oh no, I don't make my own felt bodies, a step too far I think. Hats over here in the UK, ladies hats for sure but also top hats and bowlers are very stiff. We are taught to always put stiffener on felt hat bodies, leave to dry thoroughly then steam and block. I have been amazed during my (extensive) reading here at the Fedora Lounge that felt is not stiffened prior to blocking and I'm looking forward to trying out all the ironing and pouncing that goes on instead and comparing the results. I am sure the hats will have so much more character and panache.

I'll check what's in the felt stiffener I use when I'm in the shop tomorrow. It's pretty toxic, I often get a headache when using it. I know it's highly flammable and generally nasty.