Photos of hatters tools

[John Galt]

Great Snag!

Thanks. These are fairly hard to find at any price, so I am pleased.

 

[Hatter4]

Thanks. These are fairly hard to find at any price, so I am pleased.

I have never seen a 4-way stretcher before and I have a lot of stretchers in my collection -- great find!

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

A steal, indeed!!

 

[TheDane]

Great price, John ... and it seems to be in great condition. Congrats!

 

[John Galt]

I lost the auction on the spinner I was bidding on, but did get its dimensions. Here's the one I'm making - bound for A&A when done.

Think I'll switch to poplar. Oak is hard to work with. Bought a great old bandsaw, but have to special order the band.

 

[John Galt]

I have never seen a 4-way stretcher before and I have a lot of stretchers in my collection -- great find!

Great price, John ... and it seems to be in great condition. Congrats!

Thanks guys. Hatter4, they pop up on eBay infrequently, and usually go for more than other vintage stretchers, which as you know can still be pricey. I've also got a partial one I purchased previously - it's missing the sides. I may try to cut new parts & glue it back together sometime.

 

[John Galt]

Jskeen, nice tools! I may try a block myself in a while, but think I'll do a set of band blocks first.

 

[John Galt]

Some close ups of a formillion on eBay. Auction photos.

I cropped some of these.

 

[John Galt]

Another lost auction, poorly described flange stand & crown block.

 

[John Galt]

My flange stand, in progress.

 

[John Galt]

After reviewing this thread again and visiting melbournehatblocks.com's "accessories" page, I have identified this tool (previously posted photo) as a "collar" that can be used as both a band block and a spacer to increase the crown height for a crown block. (I know the hatters among us already knew this and are smirking, but then, you didn't enlighten the rest of us did you?).

This seems to a very useful tool, and now I know why my vintage crown blocks have two holes on each side of the larger spinner hole. I may have to make a few of these in varying widths (and/or stackable).

Many thanks to Melbourne Hat Blocks!

 

[TheDane]

This seems to a very useful tool, and now I know why my vintage crown blocks have two holes on each side of the larger spinner hole.

Well, at least you know one of the many reasons. There were many tools that used the two holes in the bottom (when they were present) of some of the blocks back in the day. But you'll also find lots of vintage blocks without the two holes - just as you find blocks with different centre hole diameter and locking systems for crown irons and other rotating machines.

It all depended on the manufacturer, and the lathes and other turning tools/machines his blocks should be used with. The two holes on some blocks were mainly there to lock the block onto rotating devices, but the two holes were only one of several competing systems. Other suppliers used a kind of metal keyhole bracket around the centre hole instead. You'll be able to use that raiser with some blocks - but not with all the ones without the two holes

Here you can see two of the vintage bracket systems that Jim from JWHats makes/sells - and here you can see one of them mounted on blocks without the two holes. The two pegs on the raiser/collar in the picture above will not help you with these blocks - or with the vintage ones Jim copied.

You should choose which type of block-turning device you want to use and then buy the right blocks for it. If not, you'll have to have different tools/machines for different types of block-locking system. Standards are our friends!

 

[TheDane]

PS: You can use a collar to raise a block and make a higher crown, but it's more or less a "panic-solution". Cracks and grain in blocks are some of the hatters worst enemies, as they tend to show up as ridges and grooves in the felt when pouncing and ironing. That's why blocks and flanges are made from poplar - known to have very little grain (or rather, grain with a very broad and even structure). The inevitable groove between collar and block is even worse than cracks and grain, so a collar is really a very last resort

 

[mayserwegener]

This company (Bahner Maschinenhandels GmbH) was started in Novy Jicin, Czecho-Slovakia in 1924. This is an excerpt from letter I received from them a while ago.

"You should know that my grandfather Friedrich Bahner founded a hat machine production
in Novy Jicin 1924. 1949 he and my father came to Weikersheim (Germany) and continued the production.
We know quite profoundly the Hückel resp. Tonak hat factory and visit them every year.
Best regards"

This is hat manufacturing equipment (felt to finished hat) but anyone interested in hat making should take a look at the equipment (new and refurbished). There is no other company left like this one.

http://www.hatmachines.com/agbs.asp?lg=gb

 

[TheDane]

Steve: Please don't do this to me! I have been trying to forget that company for a long time. My bank-advicer and shrink both agree it's not at all good for my condition

John: Another thing you should consider is: Why use the collar? Let's say you're going to make a Playboy-clone - just a little bit higher. Then you could choose a #108 block, which comes pretty close - and place it on the collar.

That will not result in a higher Playboy - but a completely different hat. Remember, that the shoulders and their placement on the crown is one of the most defining properties of a hat's silhouette. Think of a 4 year old kid. If you extend his shin with some feet ("feet" as in measurement), he won't look as the same person, just 24 year old. Instead you must allocate the extra hight all over the body - and the same goes with a hat.

Still, you can use a collar, but it may not give the results you expect - and it'll probably give you problems about ridges and grooves in the felt

 

[John Galt]

This company (Bahner Maschinenhandels GmbH) was started in Novy Jicin, Czecho-Slovakia in 1924. This is an excerpt from letter I received from them a while ago.

"You should know that my grandfather Friedrich Bahner founded a hat machine production
in Novy Jicin 1924. 1949 he and my father came to Weikersheim (Germany) and continued the production.
We know quite profoundly the Hückel resp. Tonak hat factory and visit them every year.
Best regards"

This is hat manufacturing equipment (felt to finished hat) but anyone interested in hat making should take a look at the equipment (new and refurbished). There is no other company left like this one.

http://www.hatmachines.com/agbs.asp?lg=gb

Wow! Thanks for this post.

 

[John Galt]

Another thing you should consider is: Why use the collar? Let's say you're going to make a Playboy-clone - just a little bit higher. Then you could choose a #108 block, which comes pretty close - and place it on the collar.

That will not result in a higher Playboy - but a completely different hat. Remember, that the shoulders and their placement on the crown is one of the most defining properties of a hat's silhouette. Think of a 4 year old kid. If you extend his shin with some feet ("feet" as in measurement), he won't look as the same person, just 24 year old. Instead you must allocate the extra hight all over the body - and the same goes with a hat.

Still, you can use a collar, but it may not give the results you expect - and it'll probably give you problems about ridges and grooves in the felt

Good point, and well taken.

 

[Hatter4]

My wife found for me on esty.com, a Cummins initial machine. it was frozen and did not work,but friend took it apart and cleaned it , it works great now

 

[John Galt]

My wife found for me on esty.com, a Cummins initial machine. it was frozen and did not work,but friend took it apart and cleaned it , it works great now

Congrats! Saw one on eBay yesterday as a $100 BIN, but didn't have the cash and it went fast.

 

[Hatter4]

Congrats! Saw one on eBay yesterday as a $100 BIN, but didn't have the cash and it went fast.

john she got it for $30.00 plus $10.00 shipping and my friend got it to work, I lucked out