Photos of hatters tools

[DOGMAN]

hatsRme,thanks for the advice.I will be careful to not cook a sweatband.I think I'll let it heat to a warm temp before I put the hat on it.So I can feel how warm it is.

 

[John Galt]

Cool American Hatter's Supply hat ruler, en route from ebay seller:

 

[kingrat]

Cool

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Nice!

 

[besdor]

I tried bidding on that ruler but for some reason it wouldn't take my bid. I'm glad it went to a fellow lounger.....

 

[John Galt]

I tried bidding on that ruler but for some reason it wouldn't take my bid. I'm glad it went to a fellow lounger.....

Sorry to hear that, but I also read about this happening to other loungers recently. I had bid and forgot about it, so was pleasantly surprised to win at a fair price. Missed a nice hatter's slide rule earlier in the week that sold for $32 or something like that.

 

[1mach1]

Sweet ruler JG!

 

[bendingoak]

Cool American Hatter's Supply hat ruler, en route from ebay seller:

when was this ruler made?????

 

[John Galt]

Good question John!

I haven't done much research yet, but the address corresponds to the Pontiac Building, built in 1891. If the "5" in the address is the 5th floor of this old high rise as it appears to be, that would be the earliest possible date. I've come up empty on the phone number thus far, and haven't found operating years for the company yet.

The slide type hatter's rule I have is probably older.

 

[tonyb]

Good question John!

I haven't done much research yet, but the address corresponds to the Pontiac Building, built in 1891. If the "5" in the address is the 5th floor of this old high rise as it appears to be, that would be the earliest possible date. I've come up empty on the phone number thus far, and haven't found operating years for the company yet.

The slide type hatter's rule I have is probably older.

You may wish to investigate the history of postal codes. I'm fairly confident that the "5" in that address (Chicago 5, Illinois) is indeed a postal code, and not a floor number in that building. I'm of sufficient seniority to remember the time before ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) codes, when numbers between the name of the city and the state denoted sub-local zones.

It is of course a safe bet that that rule predates ZIP codes, which date from 1963.

EDIT: This piqued my own curiosity. I found two sources indicating that the postal code of the type on your rule came into usage in 1943! So, if that's indeed accurate, we have that thing narrowed down to a 20-year window.

The following is lifted verbatim from one of those sources. (I suspect that our Lizzie Maine could confirm or contradict this.):

POSTAL ZONES - You may have noticed that many addresses during the period between 1943 and 1963 had a one or two digit number following the city name. These numbers were postal zones. It may surprise you to learn that postal zones were instituted in 1943 during WWII. They were necessary because many postal clerks had gone into the service and the new inexperienced postal clerks were having trouble sorting the mail. The zone system was put in place to make things easier.

ZIP CODES - By 1963, most of first-class mail in the United States was generated by a small number of large-volume mailers, so The Post Office Department devised a plan to speed handling and delivery of letter mail. By this time most businesses had automated mailing systems that could easily handle the 5 digits that would allow mailings to bypass as many as six mail-handling steps. Zip codes went into effect on July 1, 1963. ZIP stood for Zone Improvement Plan.

 

[hatsRme]

hatsRme,thanks for the advice.I will be careful to not cook a sweatband.I think I'll let it heat to a warm temp before I put the hat on it.So I can feel how warm it is.

I wouldn't use the heat at all if there is a leather sweatband in there. Just take comfort in the fact that the heat works!

 

[tonyb]

I wouldn't use the heat at all if there is a leather sweatband in there. Just take comfort in the fact that the heat works!

I'm reluctant to trust any "vintage" heat-generating device. I have a few heavy old electric irons that get regular use, but I make darned sure those things are unplugged as soon as I'm done using them. I even unplug the coffee maker. I've read too many accounts of fires caused by faulty coffee makers.

 

[John Galt]

+1. Actuary reports on fire risk associated with hatting go way back, and are actually a good source of information on the methods used, as many summarize each step of the operation, regardless whether the subject is a small hat shop or a factory.

My favorite electric sad iron is the 1940's Eureka model, which is cordless and has an electric heating plate and a dial. You can't set the iron down on its foot, and the plate insulates against the heat that radiates from the iron for hours.

 

[John Galt]

Thanks for the info Tonyb. I will let you know if I learn any more.

 

[bloc]

Bloc, Have you tried to put it back together yet? let us know how you make out with it.

I'm having it mounted on a piece of oak next week. I'll clean all the bits, put it back together and give it a good work out. Fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted.

 

[bloc]

On the subject of electric hat stretchers, I use the heat on mine rarely, it is fierce and I'm pretty sure that when it gets hot the metal expands to the extent that the measurements are no longer accurate and it over stretches. Has anyone else noticed that?

 

[Hatter4]

John, I have an American Hatters Supplies catalog. It has the same address but a different phone number{WAbash 2-0389} from the late 1940s . I hope this helps. Don't you already have some hatter's rule's?

 

[gtdean48]

I wouldn't use the heat at all if there is a leather sweatband in there. Just take comfort in the fact that the heat works!

:arated:

 

[John Galt]

Thanks Oliver. I found ads for American Hatters Supply Co. Going at least back to 1911, but nothing on the Inc.

I do have an old JB Mast 1800's hatter's slide rule, and a couple of more modern rules branded Stetson & Biltmore, respectively.

 

[alanfgag]

I do have an old JB Mast 1800's hatter's slide rule...

Wow... someone once said making hats isn't rocket science, but I knew they were wrong.