Photos of hatters tools

[John Galt]

The Ermatinger book is by far the best, I believe.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[John Galt]

Anybody here "lure" their soft hats, and if so, willing to expound and post photos and or a source for a lure pad and grease here?


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[besdor]

Most of those old hat books are long out of print and in public domain.

 

[John Galt]

Most of those old hat books are long out of print and in public domain.

The copyright law is working as intended, bequeathing these works to the people after a period of exclusivity to the authors. And yes, there is always a lot of free information out there for anyone willing to spend the time it takes to find it.

 

[Hatter4]

John, I have some old lure pads I got along time ago, and for grease I use cocoanut oil. I have not use it on soft hats.

 

[John Galt]

I was reading the Ermatinger book and understood that even soft hats were lured before being rubbed with a tolliker to smooth them. Maybe I misunderstood. I will re-read.

Are the pads made of canton felt? Would you post a photo?


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[Hatter4]

John, the pads are made of what appears to be a duck cloth. They are just folded fabrics over one-another -- as the pad gets dirty, the pins are removed and another piece of fabric is put on to and pinned to the top.

 

[Banky]

We lure all our hats.

 

[John Galt]

Thank both of you gentlemen! For hats I'm making from raw hoods, at least, I want to follow traditional procedure in hopes that it yields corresponding results.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[Banky]

It's not really a required step in the process but after talking to a couple different hatters we tried it out and were pleased with the resulting sheen it put on hats so continued the process.

 

[Block Maker]

this thread is very, very interesting!

 

[John Galt]

My latest hat tool, and it's a doozy, I can't wait to get it.

The artist who built this great tool wrote:

-------------8<

About a year ago, I discovered this style of sewing awl. I was intrigued by the concept, but very disappointed by the quality of commercially available awls. Why should such an elegant concept be executed so poorly? So I set out to make my own. I machined it of solid aluminum with steel for the needle bar. I've used it regularly since, sewing anything that my straight-stitch machine couldn't.

I've taken what I've learned in the year of using the first awl and applied it to the design of this one. This one has an integrated thread tensioner to keep the bobbin from unwinding, as well as to make even tensioning of stitches easier. The thread tension is adjustable for different weights of thread. The bobbin holder has been modified for speed and ease of use. It fits nicely in the hand, placing the sewing thread right at the fingertips for control. The thread exits the bobbin holder through a small replaceable steel tube to prevent wear on the aluminum body. The first awl was made to last a century. This awl is made to last three.

It uses common DBx1 (industrial) needles, and the corresponding common industrial .830" diameter bobbins. It comes with one needle of your choice, and one bobbin of Guetermann Tera 30 thread (white). See options to the right.

Great for field repairs, extremely tough materials, and special stitches. Expand your capabilities! It's made of 6061 aluminum, 316 stainless, 12L14 steel, and 360 brass. Some components will rust if left in the elements or abandoned in a humid environment. Oiling/greasing the components sporadically will keep it looking and functioning like new. Perfect addition to your space station or an advanced underwater research craft. It is meant to do lock stitch, but it can also do a single-strand chainstitch for basting.

Dimensions 5" OAL x 1.125" x .875"

----------8<

http://aerialcopper.blogspot.com

No affiliation, just a customer...

 

[Landman]

What oils are used for luring a hat? Is it only done on raw hat bodies or can you treat an older hat? I would imagine the oil would stain the ribbon.

With the correct oil, would something like this work?

http://www.cheaperthandirt.net/prod...ium=organic&gclid=CMWm67XLtLwCFVQV7Aodp1kAzg#

 

[John Galt]

From Ermatinger:

From Instructions In Hat Cleaning, Renovating & Blocking:

 

[Landman]

Thanks John. I can't imagine rubbing crude oil on a hat!

 

[Hatter4]

Landman , I use cocoanut oil to lure the hats,it works good.

 

[Block Maker]

Here is a mini rounding jack I made a few years back as I found the full size a bit to cumbersome on hats with very small brims.

 

[ManofKent]

John - that looks beautifully engineered.

Block Maker - that lloks very handy (and nicely made).

 

[John Galt]

John - that looks beautifully engineered.

Block Maker - that lloks very handy (and nicely made).

It really does. I held off for a long time, but finally pulled the trigger. I hope it is as good as it appears & will report back here.


Block Maker, very well done, and it will work for the vast majority of brim trimming jobs.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

 

[Block Maker]

It really does. I held off for a long time, but finally pulled the trigger. I hope it is as good as it appears & will report back here.


Block Maker, very well done, and it will work for the vast majority of brim trimming jobs.


"Faint hat never won fair lady."

thanks guys, I have a full size I made but its been a long time since I ever needed to trim a brim over 4 inches….and that stitcher is awesome…I made something similar a while back out of wood…….but it needs refinement!