After all the expensive process of mold-making, two men are required to operate the machine on which the frames are pressed. It may readily be seen that an enormous number of frames must be sold before the original cost is covered. In other words, the thousands of frames that must be sold from one die tend to make the shape a common one. Producers of exclusive millinery prefer to make hand-molded frames or to change the shape of the French frame in order to differentiate it. There are a number of advantages in using a pressed frame.
Much expensive labor is saved.
It takes almost as much time to prepare a hand-blocked frame as it takes to make the hat. The cost factor to the hat manufacturer is much less for a machine frame. The machine frame will stand more unskilled handling than a hand-molded frame. The pressed frame has a smoother and more finished appearance than a handmade frame. To the uninitiated home milliner the hand-modeled frame often seems unfinished and imperfect.