I want to be a hatmaker

[FedOregon]

I want him to become a great hatter.... and then move to McMinnville, Oregon, to set up shop! (OK, self-serving, but a guy can hope, right?)

 

[Bob Roberts]

Does Oregon lead the nation in bespoke hatters...?

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

Forgive me first for my bad english for english is not my mother language. Now with that being said. WOW, all of the responses are amazing and none of them discourage me a bit. I would like to share a bit how i got this idea about wanting to be a hat maker. I fell in love my first hat, although it is not a very rare piece or custom made, but i really fell in love with it the moment i bought it, not only does it look good on my head but a lot of people are also interested in wearing it ever since i got it, i don't really care though about other people, because what really matters is i love hats ever since. I have been watching a lot of hat making videos, even though most of them are highlights and never more about the details and each of the videos i've watched have become a great inspiration and motivation that drives this far that i wanted to make hats myself.
I do have some challenges that i have already known such as.I am still living under a parental guidance or whatever it is i don't really know how to explains, what i'm trying to tell is that i don't have that much money myself let alone thousand of dollars, i don't even have a penny.Not to mention i am still in college which of course i have to make plans about learning to make these hats. I have some plans though about making them hats without many professional tools though i will still need some, like maybe i can make a hat block using styrofoam(might need some advice about this though). And i also live in a country where i "think" there are no hat maker, most of them are convection, so it is very difficult for me to study under one who already masters it and also very difficult for me to find those professional tools. None of these discourage me still, i pray to God every time i think about making hats to please give me the strength, so yeah i am going to be a hat maker no matter the challenges.

Sorry for the very long post. Anyways thanks a lot for all the responses all of you have given to me, i will watch this forum weekly if not daily, i will have many questions to ask. Hope you guys stay with me

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

-get old hats and tear them apart to learn about how they were put together
- apprentice under an accomplished hatter for as long as possible
-be prepared to make thousands of mistakes and to suck at pouncing and sewing for a very long time

have fun

i don't think in my country there are any custom made hats. In my country which is indonesia, most of the hats a convections and so far what i know about them is that they steampressed their hats, because they mass product it. But i do have a few of their hats, i might tear them apart after reading this advice. Thanks a lot mister . . moontheloon

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

I can say from everything we have learned about hats and what a person does to make a hat...wow....I do not think just anyone can handle making a hat. Seriously it takes some time and dedication. Oh yes...you will need a bit of extra cash to purchase all the items...hat blocks and tools and flanges and leather sweatbands and sewing machines.....ribbon...string, a rounding jack, sand bags, sand paper, razor blades for your rounding jack. I would guess to do hats properly you could with ease need to spend a few thousand dollars almost instantly and then find out you still need some specialty "goodies" in the way of more hatter's tools. Can you sew by hand? Can you sew using a machine?

It would be great if you do tackle this desire and then progress with it. Just letting you know there is a lot to it that you may not already be thinking about.

Thank you very much for the advice.

I am very much aware of such things or challenges i may say, To be honest i haven't have the slightest idea about how to sew by hand or machine, in indonesia though there are people who are willing to sew for you for a small cost of money i think and i am planning to use such services until i am able to sew them myself. tools such as rounding jack, iron steam are currently the most important as far as i am concerned, because i am thinking about making a hat blocks using styrofoam, what do you think about it?, as for the other tools though i think i can still manage without them unless i am missing something, do tell me.

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

My best advise , jump in and find out if it is a "true love". If it is, then everything will come to you as needed and as you are ready. I worked on hats for 15 yrs before opening myself up to the public and it was the best thing I could have done. I already knew that doing the work gave me inner peace if not much money. Yes, plan on staying broke for a very long time. There is ALWAYS another piece of equipment that will allow you to make better hats and I assume, that's the goal. Persistence is helpful as mistakes are plenty, even after 25 yrs.

Thank you for the advice Mr. Art Fawcett

Well i dare say this is what i really love to do since i have been wondering whether this really is my passion or not, yes i do hope this can make me good money, but not only that i wanted to known as a great hat maker myself

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

Persistence, patience, eye for detail, desire for excellence, sense of style, willingness to do your homework, and a sense of humor are a few of the other tools you will need that money cannot buy. All the rest is just hardware. The world needs more hatmakers and fewer troublemakers. Remember, once you can do it you can do it, and you can always learn to do it better, but all the fun is in the journey. Good luck in your most worthy endeavors.

Thanks for the encouragement sir

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

But for God's sake, do this with old beater hats. Please do not tear up a classic piece for learning purposes.



This is undoubtedly true, but when you're on the steep part of the learning curve, I think the basics are all that's necessary. A good block and a couple of flanges, a needle and thread, and maybe a rounding jack for brim cutting. Everything else can be finessed until you get better at it.

Thanks a lot for the advice sir. yes i know hat blocks are important but i don't have the money to invest in a wood hat block, so i plan to make 1 with styrofoam, what do you think about it? as for rounding jack, i am looking for someone who can make such tools for me because nobody in indonesia sells such tools. Are flanges really that important? can i also make it using styrofoam?

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

J.W. Hats in Salt Lake offers training on hat making. http://www.jwhats.com/training.html Might be worth giving them a call.

Thanks a lot for the reference, i have bookmarked it, will look more into it when i got spare time.

 

[Frunobulax]

Thanks a lot for the advice sir. yes i know hat blocks are important but i don't have the money to invest in a wood hat block, so i plan to make 1 with styrofoam, what do you think about it? as for rounding jack, i am looking for someone who can make such tools for me because nobody in indonesia sells such tools. Are flanges really that important? can i also make it using styrofoam?

Well, you certainly seem to have the desire from your posts. Both blocks and flanges are crucial to achieving the correct form for a man's fedora. No, styrofoam would not be a good idea, as the amounts of both steam and pressure needed to form a fur felt hood over a block for the correct shape would destroy a styrofoam block or flange in seconds. You need something hard and solid, which is why wood is still used to this day. Without a proper flange you won't be able to give the hat's brim the "snap" that it needs. There are different flanges for different brim widths and brim curls, so to achieve a variety of looks you would need several.

Given your location, equipment may be tough to come by. You may have to search around on eBay in Europe or the US to find what you're looking for, and the prices will be higher for shipping, etc. since you are in Indonesia. One of our members, humanshoes, makes rounding jacks to order. There use to be a gentleman on Etsy (a place to sell handmade and vintage items) that made other supplies to order.

Good luck. You're among friends and supporters here. With persistence and hard work, you can pursue this (sorta like everything else in life...).

 

[belfastboy]

I want him to become a great hatter.... and then move to McMinnville, Oregon, to set up shop! (OK, self-serving, but a guy can hope, right?)

You live in my favourite town! My fave restaurant is Pura Vida! I won't get there this year but next year on our retirement we plan on an extended visit.

 

[FedOregon]

You live in my favourite town! My fave restaurant is Pura Vida! I won't get there this year but next year on our retirement we plan on an extended visit.

If you're ever down this way, send me a message and we'll hit Pura Vida. Since we've moved to McMinnville, I don't even want to visit Portland anymore. Smallish town, traffic's not too bad, good wine scene if you like that, nice shops... and John Penman is just over the hill in Hillsboro!

All the best to the new Hatter-to-be.

 

[belfastboy]

If you're ever down this way, send me a message and we'll hit Pura Vida. Since we've moved to McMinnville, I don't even want to visit Portland anymore. Smallish town, traffic's not too bad, good wine scene if you like that, nice shops... and John Penman is just over the hill in Hillsboro!

All the best to the new Hatter-to-be.

We stayed in the RV park by the Flight Museum, one of the best parks we have ever stayed in. Our intention is to come down and book it for a month so we can fully explore the area, including Penman Hats!

 

[FedOregon]

That sounds awesome. My wife actually made me drive through there last week. We're a few years off but she wants to get an RV and travel all over.

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

Well, you certainly seem to have the desire from your posts. Both blocks and flanges are crucial to achieving the correct form for a man's fedora. No, styrofoam would not be a good idea, as the amounts of both steam and pressure needed to form a fur felt hood over a block for the correct shape would destroy a styrofoam block or flange in seconds. You need something hard and solid, which is why wood is still used to this day. Without a proper flange you won't be able to give the hat's brim the "snap" that it needs. There are different flanges for different brim widths and brim curls, so to achieve a variety of looks you would need several.

Given your location, equipment may be tough to come by. You may have to search around on eBay in Europe or the US to find what you're looking for, and the prices will be higher for shipping, etc. since you are in Indonesia. One of our members, humanshoes, makes rounding jacks to order. There use to be a gentleman on Etsy (a place to sell handmade and vintage items) that made other supplies to order.

Good luck. You're among friends and supporters here. With persistence and hard work, you can pursue this (sorta like everything else in life...).

Wow, okay that is very important informations there. Thank you very much

Though i have to tell you before, since i am in a country that is very hard actually so hard that i haven't found it and i doubt that there are any fur felt vendors. So i am working with wools currently, the one i have is 35%wool and 65%viscose, What do you think about these? will styrofroam blocks still work? or will it require the same treatment as the fur felt ones?

Okay i can assume i will buy wood block or at least ask a woodworker that i know to make me one, but about flanges though, can i just use tables? because i think i wanted to make a flat brimmed hats first. Any opinions about it?

 

[Frunobulax]

Wow, okay that is very important informations there. Thank you very much

Though i have to tell you before, since i am in a country that is very hard actually so hard that i haven't found it and i doubt that there are any fur felt vendors. So i am working with wools currently, the one i have is 35%wool and 65%viscose, What do you think about these? will styrofroam blocks still work? or will it require the same treatment as the fur felt ones?

Okay i can assume i will buy wood block or at least ask a woodworker that i know to make me one, but about flanges though, can i just use tables? because i think i wanted to make a flat brimmed hats first. Any opinions about it?

I hope you realize first that I'm not a hatter, and all of my knowledge has been gleaned from reading these forums and refurbishing old hats. So take what I have to say with caution.

I've never worked with wool. I would assume you still need stem and heat, which would make styrofoam still a bad option. Most fur felt hoods that I know of are made in Europe (FEPSA, TONAK) or the US (Winchester).

 

[Frunobulax]

Oh, and download this and read it. Twice.

https://archive.org/details/scientifichatfin00erma

 

[addison]

This thought has crossed my mind too.
There's something comforting about the idea of it.

 

[Kevin Tjoe]

Oh, and download this and read it. Twice.

https://archive.org/details/scientifichatfin00erma

Thanks a lot sir, will download it and read it with my spare time

 

[bendingoak]

Anyone comes in my area please drop me line and I'll block out some time for you. Block intended.

As for advise for anyone wanting to get into the biz. Be prepared to spend a lot of time, money and most importantly. No matter what you learn from someone, champagne it, test it, experiment so you can have a intimate understanding of what you are doing.