Photos of hatters tools

[Eddy2dice]

HI, Found this in my local antique shop, a beat up vintage aluminium block that is electric with small steam outlet holes.
It’s made by Frank Spieler in Frankfurt and appears to be supplied by Reslaw in London.
I’ve never seen one, does anyone have any info on these and an approximate date please? It’s a cool piece, quite pricey but still considering buying it

 

[ItsJacob]

Mine wouldn't feed straw hats as it came from the factory. If you slide off the front sewing arm cover you'll see the screw that holds the feed dog (see picture). Simply loosen that screw, move the feed dog up about 1/16", tighten screw, replace cover, and Bob's your uncle.
View attachment 179740

You're the best! Thanks so much for the tips. Ill be sure to get in touch if i have any further hangups haha. Take care!

 

[humanshoes]

You're the best! Thanks so much for the tips. Ill be sure to get in touch if i have any further hangups haha. Take care!

No problem ItsJacob. Before I bought mine I talked to some folks who were letting there's sit idle because of unsuccessful and frustrating attempts at success. I spent hours figuring it out so I wouldn't end up with just a pricey hunk of iron gathering dust in the shop. Be sure to show us your work. Happy hatting!

 

[ItsJacob]

No problem ItsJacob. Before I bought mine I talked to some folks who were letting there's sit idle because of unsuccessful and frustrating attempts at success. I spent hours figuring it out so I wouldn't end up with just a pricey hunk of iron gathering dust in the shop. Be sure to show us your work. Happy hatting!

Hey again! Bit of an issue has arisen. The looper mechanism inside the arm cover keeps getting tangled! I have the motor on the lowest setting but I'm guessing it may be a tension issue? Any tips?

 

[humanshoes]

Hey again! Bit of an issue has arisen. The looper mechanism inside the arm cover keeps getting tangled! I have the motor on the lowest setting but I'm guessing it may be a tension issue? Any tips?

Not sure about that one. Make sure, of course, that you have the proper needle (DCx1) and that's it's seated all the way up into the machine. Make sure the long groove in the needle is facing left. Try upholstery thread, if you haven't already. Good luck.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

This brim curling tool intrigued me. It’s priced right and the amount of curl is infinitely adjustable. If I wait a couple of months the pound might be on par with the dollar.

https://www.hatblocks.co.uk/product/curling-iron/

A big thanks to @milandro for bringing this to our attention.




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[jlee562]

This brim curling tool intrigued me. It’s priced right and the amount of curl is infinitely adjustable. If I wait a couple of months the pound might be on par with the dollar.

https://www.hatblocks.co.uk/product/curling-iron/

A big thanks to @milandro for bringing this to our attention.




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I've linked that one before. It seems slightly less foolproof to make manual adjustments rather than having a dedicated tool for each size curl, but if course the trade-off is versatility and price.

Decou also offers this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/725240...ipping-ships-now?ref=shop_home_active_2&frs=1

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I've linked that one before. It seems slightly less foolproof to make manual adjustments than having a dedicated tool for each size curl, but if course the trade-off is versatility and price.

Decou also offers this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/725240...ipping-ships-now?ref=shop_home_active_2&frs=1

Thanks, Jared. I thought I saw it here before, but I’m now in the market and I couldn’t find it.

I agree that the tool requires more user skill to keep the curl even and consistent. I think it would take some practice to get it right. The price and versatility are quite attractive.


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[humanshoes]

Thanks, Jared. I thought I saw it here before, but I’m now in the market and I couldn’t find it.

I agree that the tool requires more user skill to keep the curl even and consistent. I think it would take some practice to get it right. The price and versatility are quite attractive.


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Speaking of attractive, if money is no object then there isn't a prettier, cooler looking set of curling shackles out there than these from HatBlocksPoland.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HatBlocksPoland

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Speaking of attractive, if money is no object then there isn't a prettier, cooler looking set of curling shackles out there than these from HatBlocksPoland.

View attachment 184205
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HatBlocksPoland

Nice, but they don’t exactly give them away! Too rich for amateur hobbyist.


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[humanshoes]

Nice, but they don’t exactly give them away! Too rich for amateur hobbyist.


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Too rich for me, too. Excellent eye candy though.

 

[DaveSobel]

Speaking of attractive, if money is no object then there isn't a prettier, cooler looking set of curling shackles out there than these from HatBlocksPoland.

View attachment 184205
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HatBlocksPoland

Woah, that’s expensive! Even more than an original. I recently finally got my hand on an original, and have been thinking of casting reproductions at some point to sell for about half of that price

 

[humanshoes]

Woah, that’s expensive! Even more than an original. I recently finally got my hand on an original, and have been thinking of casting reproductions at some point to sell for about half of that price

I have a full set that I purchased many years ago from JW Hats in Utah. $300 for 3 irons and built to last a lifetime. I also have an antique iron that took me many years to find. It's just that those brass ones are so damn pretty.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I have a full set that I purchased many years ago from JW Hats in Utah. $300 for 3 irons and built to last a lifetime. I also have an antique iron that took me many years to find. It's just that those brass ones are so damn pretty.

Finely made tools are always eye candy. Something about them...even if I’ll never use them I like holding them looking at them.

I went ahead and ordered the UK curler. I figured for the price it was worth the risk. The YouTube video made it look pretty simple. It’s overpriced for what it is, but what are you going to do? I’ll never consider blocks from them and their expensive rounding jack looks no better then the exceptional unit I picked up from a craftsman and gentleman.


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[Hat and Rehat]

Did anyone here get that rounding jack from the Bay last week?
I bought a fantastic photo print of a hatter from the seller a week earlier, and planned to bid hard on the jack, but forgot the deadline. My Cheapskate $85 max bid got dusted. I think it went for $138, which I would have gladly paid.
It wasn't very sophisticated, but beautiful for its simplicity
The seller sent me pictures on graph paper, so I will be able to reverse engineer it. I wish I could hold it in my hands though.

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[deadlyhandsome]

Did anyone here get that rounding jack from the Bay last week?
I bought a fantastic photo print of a hatter from the seller a week earlier, and planned to bid hard on the jack, but forgot the deadline. My Cheapskate $85 max bid got dusted. I think it went for $138, which I would have gladly paid.
It wasn't very sophisticated, but beautiful for its simplicity
The seller sent me pictures on graph paper, so I will be able to reverse engineer it. I wish I could hold it in my hands though.

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Have you seen the beauties that our own Rick AKA @humanshoes makes? I’ve had mine almost two years and I love it!


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[humanshoes]

Finely made tools are always eye candy. Something about them...even if I’ll never use them I like holding them looking at them.

I went ahead and ordered the UK curler. I figured for the price it was worth the risk. The YouTube video made it look pretty simple. It’s overpriced for what it is, but what are you going to do? I’ll never consider blocks from them and their expensive rounding jack looks no better then the exceptional unit I picked up from a craftsman and gentleman.


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I'll be looking forward to seeing how you do with that Brent. It seems pretty straightforward and easy enough to use.

 

[DaveSobel]

I have a full set that I purchased many years ago from JW Hats in Utah. $300 for 3 irons and built to last a lifetime. I also have an antique iron that took me many years to find. It's just that those brass ones are so damn pretty.

I’m quite envious of your purchase from JW. I agree that those brass ones are beautiful, but overpriced in my opinion. Looks like they are using the “We’ll only sell a few so we’ll mark them way up to make a good profit “ model of pricing as opposed to basing it on actual manufacturing cost plus markup.

 

[DaveSobel]

Finely made tools are always eye candy. Something about them...even if I’ll never use them I like holding them looking at them.

I went ahead and ordered the UK curler. I figured for the price it was worth the risk. The YouTube video made it look pretty simple. It’s overpriced for what it is, but what are you going to do? I’ll never consider blocks from them and their expensive rounding jack looks no better then the exceptional unit I picked up from a craftsman and gentleman.


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I’m also interested in how well that work for you. I saw their sales pitch video about a year and a half ago when I was getting started with hat making and was intrigued. I didn’t get one because it looked a bit tricky having to use both hands for the tool.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I was looking at a vintage version a year or two ago, but now there are many new Chinese copies for sale on eBay. Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they worth the $35?

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