Read it and weep

[tonyb]

If you've ever gone in search of old hat blocks and flanges, reading this story from the Time magazine archives is enough to make you cry. In 1969, people burned 'em because they were just taking up space!

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941741,00.html

 

[besdor]

Tonyb, this is not the first time that I have heard stories like this. Many factories here in the US and in Europe threw away thousands of blocks when they moved or went out of business.
In 1986 when Borsalino moved from their original factory to their new one , they made a decision to throw away hundreds of flanges because they thought that they wouldnt need them . I remeber one of my first trips there seeing crates of blocks and flanges that were left outside in the snow and rain. They were all ruined . There were blocks for hats up to a size 9 that the company thought they would not need anymore as well as sets of homburg flanges that were considered out of style.
Right know I am trying to "convince" a certain hat company to give me all of their old flanges that they dont use anymore. I'm praying that they wont end up in the garbage!

Steven
www.bencraft.com

 

[Dinerman]

I saw in an antique store in PA a large metal and leather trunk with a dozen hat blocks and a set of wooden hat display stands. The whole set was about two hundred bucks. I see blocks and flanges scattered around in antique stores,but they're usually either very expensive or very beat up.

 

[tonyb]

I still maintain a fantasy that one day during my travels around the region I'll come across a dusty old hatter's shop with all the equipment intact and which the landlord just wants hauled off so he can lease the space to Starbucks.
I know, I know, I'm at least 20 years late for that.

 

[Art Fawcett]

It's never too late Tony, keep looking. I was just part of the liquidation of a hat shop in Virginia that was a wealth of equipment that now has gone to small hatters all over the country. I myself got 88 two piece shaped Panama blocks plus all of the vintage ribbon so, it still happens!!!

 

[tonyb]

Right know I am trying to "convince" a certain hat company to give me all of their old flanges that they dont use anymore. I'm praying that they wont end up in the garbage!

Steven
www.bencraft.com

You have me wondering how many old blocks and flanges and other equipment got tossed out by the big manufacturers over the years. Literally tons and tons, I'd bet. It would be a heckuva lot easier to resurrect those great old hat styles if they hadn't done that, eh? (I mean really, does anyone honestly feel that the styles Stetson -- to cite the most obvious example -- makes today are anywhere near as good-lookin' as the stuff they produced 50 and 60 and 70 years ago?)

 

[besdor]

Tonyb , it's not so much the style of today that arent appealing , its the quality . They could duplicate a Whippet or Stratoliner . But the problem is the quality . I was just at the factory . No one even knew what a Cavanagh edge was until I explained it to them.





Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[tonyb]

That speaks volumes, Steven. While no one has made a Cavanagh/Guild/Mode edge in quite some time, you'd think that people in the business would have enough knowledge of their industry's history to know what you were talking about. Maybe they just don't care enough to have learned this stuff.
No doubt the quality isn't near what it used to be. As to styles: Could they reproduce, say, the Whippet with their existing equipment? Or would they have to acquire some new stuff to replace what (probably) got tossed out decades ago?

 

[DOUGLAS]

Quote:
Originally posted by Besdor
No one even knew what a Cavanagh edge was until I explained it to them.

You gotta be kidding me. Thats just wrong!

 

[besdor]

I'm not joking. When we explained to the president of the company what a cav edge was, his eyes lit up . Then we talked it over with the manager of the body plant in Longview TX (Stetson makes their own bodies there) . He had heard of the process but realized that it would be a difficult task to reproduce the Cav . So, I doubt it will ever be done .




Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[DOUGLAS]

That is truely sad Steven.