The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-07-23
HOW ELTs HATS ARE MADE,


T The nd ct Men, men md Boys
Are II Enn ca ~ the ma IN. 3
One Of the eauing industries III this
country IS the manufa cturse 81 hats.
At the present time fur felt hats are
made MAJ IN eleven states namely: Con-
nle'cticut. Indian "a, Illinois, Maryland,
Maine NAL l' Massachusetts,, Missouri New
3 ersey, New 4 d: ork, Pennsy lvania and
Rhode Island. There are IN all more
s lls'f 2oO d manufa cturing plants produc-
ing hats for mems, boys women,s and
|canlllldrenss wear composed Of the fur Of
the rabbit, beaver, nutria and other
animals nil The industry employees up
ward war OF Il. 1000 men, women and boys,
and the approximate value Of the out
put is said to be $40, 100000 annually.
Speaking Of mems hats and their manu-
tacture, q representative Of one Of the
largest firms in this city said :: Felt
hats lat include tie popular derby and the
various styles Of soft hats, all Of which
are are made from animal furs, the natural
coats OF the coney, hare, nusria, musk
rat and beaver. To manipulate the
Skins OF these animals so as tofproperly
prepare the fur for telling purposes is
an expert chemical operation, in fact,
a trade in itself, entirely distinct from
that Of hatmaking, and is carried on by
matters fur cutters in London, the
worlds great center for that work. The
art OF the hatmaker includes knoWl-
edge Of the particular fur or combina-
ton Of furs for making a given quality
of hats. The proportioning Of the diff
ferent furs requires the utmost exact
ness. The quality of product having
been decided upon, tie fur is then
cleaned and separated from stray hairs
and all UNRELIABLE substances. This in
itial process is accomplished by win
rdy machine called the devil The
next process, forming consists OF dis
tr1buting by means of air currents a
light coating of fur upon the outer sur
face of revolving perpendicular cone,
perforated with small holes. When fur
covers the cone sufficient for one hat
it is wrapped in wet cloths and given
brief hot bath, then stripped from the
cone, and, after the stopping process
of adding little fur to weak spots. is
wrapped with other cloths inside a
wooden cloth to harden it for handling.
BY a process called 'sizing,' which con-
sists of repeated dimensions in hot wa
ter, together with rolling and unrolling,
folding and unfolding, the cone-shaped
mass is reduced to one-third its origin
al size. 1t is wonderful how each fiber
will twist and intertwine, basket fash
ion, with the other, until the product
is closely woven mass. The body IS
then Shaved to remove stray hairs in
the fur, and then it is stiffened with
coating of shellac, thoroughly dried,
and then subjected to- steam, which
softens the shellac and draws it into the
fabric. When dried it is Immersed in
a hot alkaline solution to free the sur
face from shellac and then in cold
water to remove the alkali. Block
ing succeeds stiffening. The fabric is
:dipped in boiling water and placed on
ia block patterned for the final shape
of the hat: After the dyeing process
: :aEg EE&{ Z : .,t"
lcomes that of finishing, which consists
|of steaming blocking to shape the
crown, drying, coating with a sttffening
solution; drying again, ironing out
wrinkles, after which it is bounced with
emery paper and singed to. remove the
long nap, and oil applied to smooth
the surface. The curling department
cuts the brim to the desired width, rolls
up tie sides, and pitches the front and
rear as the style demands. With the
process Of trimming, consisting of sew
ing on the binding and band and ce-
;menting the lining, the derby is fin
tished. If soft hat is desired the stiff
fleming process is omitted. New York
|. Commercial. 49,