Who can tell me about velour?

[jhe888]

I have Googled for information about velour felt, with very little success.

Who can tell me about it, or provide a link to something? I believe it is fur felt, but know little more than that. Is it a different fur, a different way of making the felt, a different finish to the same basic felt, or a combination of those?

Is it made any more?

Once it is a hat, does it need different treatment or behave differently than "regular" felt?

And, of course, who can post some photos?

I hope this will generate more than just a quick answer, so I started a thread instead of adding this to "Ask a question."

Thanks.

 

[ManofKent]

There's a bit of info in the Wabbit v Beaver thread, but hopefully someone will chip in with more info.

 

[alanfgag]

Steve is our most voracious velour velociraptor. Visit the German and Austrian hat thread to see his voluptuous collection and sample his deep knowledge of velour hats. (Yes they are fur felt - mostly hare, I believe).

 

[gtdean48]

Check out hats being shown at Paris Fashion Week.
The fedoras seem to be velour & mainly over-sized for the models....see if that trend takes off...

 

[fedoracentric]

The difference between velour and other fur felt hats is just the finishing technique, isn't it?

 

[TheDane]

The difference between velour and other fur felt hats is just the finishing technique, isn't it?

No, a velour hat is something quite different from a finely pounced hat. So is the felt.

As I understand it, one of the hardest things, when making long hair finishes, is to make sure that the felt stops felting at the exact right stage. Because of this a carefully chosen mix of slow and fast felting furs is a must. It can be any of the well-felting animals like beaver, nutria, muskrat, mink, ermine - and then some rabbit and/or hare. The actual mixing is more or less a science.

Over decades different mechanical and chemical treatments (special to long hairs) have been in use before, during and after carroting and felting. At some late point the felt is scratched with steel-brush - rollers with sharkskin attached - or other means. That is done to draw out hairs and create a long nap.

Prior to blocking the nap of the felt is shorn to specified length. At this stage it would be catastrophic, if the felt kept on felting - as this would contract the scratched up hair. To achieve this it takes a very special knowledge an experience with both felter, back-shop workers and finisher.

The hat is not pounced the usual way, but is lured, brushed and polished - which also takes special knowledge, tools and machines.

 

[mayserwegener]

Ole, Very good explanation! Also the old Velour techniques required brushing, clipping and polishing prior to dying. The dying, brushing and polishing processes were than repeated over and over again until the desired finish was accomplished. This was very labor intensive and could take weeks to complete. You can see in this JHS photo from 1902 the Velour hoods were finished prior to dying.

 

[fedoracentric]

Thanks, gentlemen. Great info.

 

[mayserwegener]

By the way I am talking about old (1940s and back) Velour finishes. Not what you see today.

(from Die Hutmacherkunst: ein Handbuch für den Klein- und Grossbetrieb By Carl Bortfeldt 1902)

Top Quality Velour

Pure (100%) hare saddle of mature furs, own cut, 3 parts

Pure (100%) hare saddle of mature furs, purchased cut, 2 parts

Pure (100%) Russian hare saddle, own cut, 3 Parts

Raw cut Hare, best, 2 Parts

Raw Muskrat back hair, 1 Part

Raw Muskrat belly hair, 1 Part

Finishing Castor (Beaver) and Velour Hats

The bristle brush is useful to use just about as follows: The bristle brush handle in the shape of a
parallelogram of about 16 to 17 cm long and 6 cm height. The edges of the handle must be
somewhat rounded, so that it is comfortable to hold with the thumb up. The bristles have to be
located very stiff in clusters of about 8 mm distance from each other and clasped and have
approximately 20 mm in length.

The effect of the brush has not only the purpose to fetch the hair out , he is also at the same time
get the Einwalkung of the hat, a fact that places high demands on the skill of the worker concerned.
We now observe such a skilled worker:

The felt is flat on the board walk with the tip turned to the boiler, the felt is doused with hot water and then brush out in an arc so that they always pulling, thrusting never touches the felt. The slope of the brush surface must always be as indicated on Figure 40 below presents the felt, L is the brush, which moves in the direction of the arrow, dar. level by this tendency of the brush is the shifting get the Einwalkung pressure of the felt.

The hair becomes thicker and gets a high gloss, which is not or only slightly attenuated by the
dyeing and also in use. If the hat is run up to 3 fingers onto the measure (that means, has shrink only
3 fingers wide) as intended for Castor felts are rolled out, smoothed, dried and again schariert to be
then brushed up onto the measure. At this stage, in a usual way, it is always allowed to knead and
roll the hat. For Velour specific hats the hair are mostly cut, they think, that the bristle brush has a better contact to the short hair and the hair comes out better!

Figure 41 shows such a shearing machine Tondeuse of Coquefils. The obvious here cone of to be
sheared stumps spanned exact, erected the hair using a comb or brush and now the effects of shear
(a cloth scissors very similar) exposed; while passing by turning the handle the scissors even in very
rapid rotation added, very slowly, the cone to rotate about its axis. After a few turns of the stumps
located on the cone is roughened again and continued the scissors in the same way. After a short
time the surface of the Stumpens will have a velvety surface area! In the rule the hats come back to the kettle and they will be brushed again and again. The shear can be made after brushing once or twice!

Dressing of Castor (Beaver) and Velourhüte Bürstelhüte

Although these products are truly beautiful presently not favored by the fashion, the author believes,
he must handle the producing process about Kastorhüte (Beaver Hat). All Kastorhüte should, after careful rinsing with clear and hot water back onto the form and dry! After drying the hats will be washed again with a bristle brush and destillated water ( a shiny ). After drying the hats they were watered with a sponge,and ironed with a hot Iron. After that first ironing it is better to do the same process once again!

For the shorn Velour hats is it the same process. Only the direction how to brushed the hair is
changed from the right to left. Also the ironing, now from left to right! The following process, the hair to straighten up goes with this mixture:

1 part rainwater
1 part ammonia
1 part spirits / alcohol

the hats are still on a form which are moistened with a soft sponge, then the smoothed hair will be
with a soft brush brushed in the other direction that is perpendicular to the flat lying hair from the edge first then upward and then returned back.

The above-described work is carried out ever so carefully but still results in Faserchen (little fibers) on the surface of the hair which need to be removed. This is done by pulling the whole hat quickly through a straw flame (the singeing). The hats are then beaten with a whip and are now ready.

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The above is a rough translation but I think gives a general idea of how old Velour and Beaver (see Top Hats) finishes were accomplished.

 

[alanfgag]

I'm heading home to try this. :eeek:

 

[mayserwegener]

Looking forward to your results!

I posted this a few months ago. It also gives a good idea of the old Velour process.

This patent relates to the shortening of the Velour process which was very labor intensive and time consuming (see 5, 10, 15). I have no idea if these exact processes were implemented. I know the scratching / brushing processes described (see 5, 10, 15) are no longer used today. Also the felt hoods are no longer finished prior to dyeing. Luckenwalde was a major hat producing area of Germany during this time period.

 

[TheDane]

I'm sure, Haack & Subal saved the mercury for trying to make gold

 

[jhe888]

Fascinating. Thanks guys. Of course, if anyone else has anything to add, I am all ears.