New to Hat Making - My First Fedora!

[HardHeartHats]

I add my voice to the others . . . A terrific first effort.\
I hope we will see more in the future!
Wish I had a friend like you

Thank you! What can I say? I love men in hats so much that I decided there needed to be more hats in the world! ;-)

 

[bloc]

Loved your first fedora, amazing work for the first piece. I am a milliner from Wales, UK. I currently make ladies hats but I am very keen to do more men's hats and I am enjoying the Fedora Lounge immensely. The techniques you all describe are quite different in many ways to those I use. I don't know if that's the UK/USA difference or the male/female hat difference. Your pictures were really informative. And a little puzzling. Why (and how) do you set fire to the hat?

 

[carranty]

I didn't see this post the first time around, that is a fantastic looking hat, period - never mind for a first attempt!

 

[Jetset]

Yay for a hat ambassador!
Your hats are great

 

[TheDane]

The techniques you all describe are quite different in many ways to those I use. I don't know if that's the UK/USA difference or the male/female hat difference. [...] And a little puzzling. Why (and how) do you set fire to the hat?

Different hatters use different methods to get to the same end result. The stretching and pinning down the brim is quite rare, but I know of at least one other hatter using that method.

The singeing (setting fire to the hat) is usually done by spraying the hat with a little alcohol and striking a match - Note: Keep the alcohol spraybottle at a safe distance when singeing the hat! The fire is put out after a couple of seconds. You can flog it with a piece of cloth - blow it out, if you have compressed air in your shop - or suffocate the flames by covering the hat completely with a piece of cloth.

You singe the hat to get rid of all hairs that may have been drawn out of the felt while blocking and pouncing. The felt as such shouldn't be scorched - just the stray hairs

 

[bloc]

Different hatters use different methods to get to the same end result. The stretching and pinning down the brim is quite rare, but I know of at least one other hatter using that method.

The singeing (setting fire to the hat) is usually done by spraying the hat with a little alcohol and striking a match - Note: Keep the alcohol spraybottle at a safe distance when singeing the hat! The fire is put out after a couple of seconds. You can flog it with a piece of cloth - blow it out, if you have compressed air in your shop - or suffocate the flames by covering the hat completely with a piece of cloth.

You singe the hat to get rid of all hairs that may have been drawn out of the felt while blocking and pouncing. The felt as such shouldn't be scorched - just the stray hairs

Thanks for that, TheDane, sounds a little risky, I won't try that just yet. Good to hear that there is more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to hats...

Are there many hatters in Denmark? We were in Copenhagen this time last year, it is a wonderful city. Didn't spot any hat shops. Thanks again for all the info.