The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-05-05
LIFE OF A SILK HAT
WITH CARE ONE MAY BE MADE &c
LAST A HUNDRED YEARS.

And II Can He Made Over and Over
Again ~ Long as the Frame Holds
Together How Its Twenty-nfne
Pieces Are Nodded Into One.
ACTORS use up the old silk hats"
said the halter. Actors" asked the
listener.
Actors" said the halter, pausing in
the act Of lifting a chunk of iron out
of the stove and dropping it in the hol-
low fatiron he carried. Actors
mean variety actors, Of course. They
need them In their business. Haven't
you ever wondered where all the old
silk hats come from when you've seen
the comedians kicking each others tiles
all over the stage? Well. such places
as mine supply them.
ut takes a good many years to wear
out silk hat. With proper care they'll
last to be hundred years old. OF
course before that time the silk will
turn red on top, where it is exposed to
the sun. but that redness can be over
come for time. You can make over
a silk hat so long as the frame holds
together.
There are Twenty-Five pieces in
silk hat. They are the brim, which is
in four pieces; the silk lining, In two;
the foundation, in two; the gossamer
tips between-there are two of these
also; the two coverings for the side
crown, the two for the tips, the three
pieces Of plush, the three rubbers, 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 sweatband together
in the back.
"Cotton cloth is the foundation of the
silk hat. 1t is stiffened with shellac
cut with ammonia and hot water. The
cloth is cut up 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 1s
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 gum demar being
busted on to prevent the iron from
sticking to the cloth soaked in shellac.
1.-THE block is in five pieces, the CEN
ter, 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 hats on
the block they adopt for the style Of
the season, and block makers then im1
tate this block until any halter may
buy from a New York or Boston block
maker the seasons latest block at a
reasonable price.
shellac cloth shell, and a doffer is in
serted to stretch the hat to the required
size, the block being trife small.
This doffer is simply a felt shape,
which fits closely to the block, and
thus puts a thickness of felt between
the hat and the block. The hat is IRON
ed as soon as the doffer is inserted,
this melting the shellac and permitting
the cloth shell to adapt itself to the
changed conditions. After the ironing
it is covered with a coat of shellac
varnish, for which the halter now has
to pay S. a quart. When it is dry
again the silk plush is put on with a
hot iron, steamed on, in fact.
''This plush comes in rolls like any
other and is sold by the yard It is
cut in 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 crown piece
on the plush nap is turned back at the
joint, cut off and stuck on and then
brushed back, which makes q joining
so neat that it is almost impossible to
detect
1.-The hat is put on potance block
and potanced, which means simply that
it is hung on round block of cloth
covered wood which rests on an ell
bow iron at the hatter's bench and is
finished over again, after having al
ready been finished with hot iron and
plenty Of elbow grease. The edge of
the brim is curled, the hat is trimmed,
bound, the leather swaziland is in
serted, and then it is ironed again I'M
til it shines like glass. After that it is
ready to wear.
1T may be made over whenever the
change in the modes is great enough
to make this seem desirable, and when
it gets too dirty it may be washed by
the halter and thus thoroughly cleans
ed. When he makes it over he strips
the plush from the frame and starts at
the beginning again, just as for a new
hat, with this exception, that he has
the groundwork and has simply to
shape it again. If any piece of the
silk looks worn he will replace it so
deftly that one may not be detected
from the other, and thus the silk hat
may be said never to wear OUT
Providence Journal.
Honey a. q Food.
Honey is one Of the most nutritious