Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-05-30
SILK HATS ON THE STAGE.
The Old Ones Have a long Career in
Amusement Halls.

From the Providence journal
Actors use up the cid silk hats, said
The halter, 'Actors?" asked the lis
tener.
Actors, said the halter, pausing in
| the act OF lifting chunk Of iron out
OF the stove and dropping it in the
| howwow fatiron he carried. Actors
II mean variety actors, of course.
They need them Ia their business.
Haven't you ever wondered when
| you've seen the comedians kicking
each others tiles all over the stage,
up the street here? Well, such places
as mine supply them.
1T takes a good many years 10
wear out silk hat. With proper
care they'll last 10 be a hundred years
Old. OF course, before that time The
silk viii turn red on top. where it IS
exposed to the sun, but that redness
can be overcome for a time. You
can make over a silk hat as long As
the frame holds together. | had one
here a while ago that | could see haf
been done over several times before.
But when | opened it l found written
underneath the lining: This is the
sixth time this hat has been made
over l wrote underneath it: This
is the seventh and signed it.
I've got one here now that is at
least forty years Old. 1t was made
by some firm with a store on West
minister street, so long ago that
have never heard the name before,
and I've been around here some years,
too. 1t is a beaver hat of the fashion
before silk hats came in. This hat
was made on a felt body-the Xix
hat of today is made on a gossamer
body, shellacked. 1t is a lighter hat,
but l do not know that it Will wear
so long.
There are twentynine pieces in
silk hat. They are the brim, which
is in four pieces; the silk lining, in
two; the foundation, in two; the Cos
samer tips between-theTe are two Of
these also; the two coverings for the
side crown, the two for the tips, the
three pieces of plush, the three rub
bers, the underbrim, one piece; the
two pieces of the band and binding,
the leather, one piece; the bow braid,
one piece; the label, one piece: the
eyelets, two Of them; the sticker, or
piece of court plaster, joining the
swaziland together in the lack
Cotton cloth is the foundation OF
the silk hat. 1t is stiffened with shell
lac cut with ammonia and hot water
The cloth is cut in strips, cut on the
bias, and then stretched on the block
in four thicknesses, one thickness be-
ing stretched and permitted to dry be-
fore another is put on, The lining is
put in first, the cloth being stretched
over that, and then, after it has been
permitted to dry, it is ironed on the
block, powdered gun damar being
busted on to precent the iron sticking
to the cloth soaked in shellac.
The block is in FIVE pieces, the
center, the two sides and the two ENDS
which are removed in this order when
the cloth body has dried in shape
The leading makers get out their hat
Of the season, ana bacta 44.....
initiate TINS block, until any halter
On the block they adopt for The style
may get from New York or Boston
block maker the seasons latest block
at a reasonable price.
The block is then removed from
the shellac cloth shell, and a doffer
is inserted, to stretch the hat to the
required size, the block being a tritie
small This doffer is simply a felt
shape, which fits closely to the block,
and thus puts thickness of felt be
tween the hat and the block. The hat
is ironed as soon as the doffer is Ill
serted, this melting the shellac and
permitting the cloth shell to adapt it.
self to the changed conditions. After
the ironing it is covered with coat
of shellac varnish, for which the hat
Ter now has to pay S. a quart. When
1t L dry again, the silk plush is put on
with a hot iron-steamed on, in fact.
This plush comes in dolls like any
other and is sold by the yard. 1t IS
cut j.. strips seven inches wide for
the crown and two and one-half inches
for the brim. The top piece having
been cut out it is sewed to the CROW.
! piece, and is then put on the clD'
shell. Once on, the plush nap 5
turned back at the joint, cut off and
stuck on, and then brushed back,
which makes joining so neat that
it is almost impossible to detect.
The hat is put on a potance block
and potanced, which means simply
that it is hung on a round block Of
cioth-covered wood which rests on an
elbow iron at the hatter's bench and