Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-04-27
MAKING FELT HATS
The Process From Raw Material
to Finished Product.
MANY BRANDS OF FUR USED.

ingenious Methods by Which the Pelts
Arc Cleaned and the Various Grades
Of Hair Are Mixed and Worked Into
tho Required Shape.
One Of the very interesting exhibits
In the division of textiles of the Ma
tional museum at Washington shows
clearly just how such hats are made
from the fur to the finished product
and includes many of the latest and
most popular styles ready to wear, as
well as special shapes manufactured
for particular foreign markets. The
exhibit is accompanied with photo
graphs illustrating scenes in the fac
tory of one of the largest and best
These enable the observer to connect
the materials. apparatus and finished
products shown into tangible story.
In the manufacture of one Of the
most popular brands of American hats
the fur Of North American beaver.
South American nutria, Saxony hare
and English and Scotch coney are used.
When the pelts of these animals are
received at the factory they are first
washed with whale oil soap, after
which the long, coarse hairs are re-
moved, since they would tend to make
the felt too rough. The skins are then
treated with nitrate of mercury, proc
ess called "carrotng" which gives the
FUR its feeling properties" making 1t
knit together when hot water and pres
sure are applied. The skins are then
brushed by a machine which removes
a1l the dust and other foreign sub.
stances.
The skin next goes to a cutting ma
chine, where revolving shears strip
away the fur. cutting it SO close that
It appears to have been shaved off.
From this machine the fur is carried
away on an endless belt or apron, on
which 1t lies complete, just as it was
In the pelt, and it is hard to realize
that the skin below has actually been
removed. This is to facilitate the work
OF the sorters who select from the belt
n 1t passes them just the parts desir
cd for various grades of hats. The
sorting is according to color and quail
lily, each sorter selecting q different
part, such as the side or back, suitable
for a particular grade of hat
Although cleaned, carroted and sort.
ed, the fur is by no means ready for
use. 1t has to be seasoned, just like
lumber, and is stored until ready for
use. Some manufacturers have mil.
Hon or two dollars worth of fur sea
soning In storage. When the fur is
properly seasoned 1t is mixed in Ger.
tain proportions to produce the desired
texture and color, and from here on
the work is not done mechanically but
by hand, being mainly a question of
art and skill. After various portions
Of different kinds of fur have been Sc
lected the actual mixing Is done by
machine which blows them about In
various compartments until the blend
ing is perfectly even.
A certain amount of fur is then
weighed out, according to the weight
OF the hat to be made. and blown
upon a copper cone perforated with
many thousand tiny holes, so that II
looks like sieve. The cone is about
three feet In height and as wide at the
base. An exhaust fan operates inside
and below the cone SO that the air and
fur are drawn from the outside. The
air passes through the openings, but
the fine particles Of fur stick and GOV.
or the whole surface.
The cone holding the film of fur Is
Enclosed In snugly fitting jacket and
lowered into a vat of boiling water,
This develops the telling properties of
the fur, the particles of which mat and
lock together, enabling the thin, deli.
cate film Of wet fur to be lifted from
the cone. The resulting cone of fur is
very delicate embryo hat, except as
to size; in that respect It might be the
hat for giant.
A bundle of about twelve of these
large forms is rolled in a wet condi.
ton until the fibers knit together
giving the hats hardness and
strength. Then they are put into a
sizzling kettle, where they are shrunk
IN not water, beaten and manipulated
until they are between ten and four.
teen inches in diameter Each hat is
then stretched, pulled and blocked
with the aid of hot water until IL takes
the form of regular hat with crown
and brim.
II the hat is to be soft one 1t has
only to be placed on a block and fin.
tshed with fine sandpaper, which gives
II velvety appearance The outside
band and binding and the sweat band
are then added. after which the brim
IL curled.
Stiff hats, or derbies, are saturated
with solution of shellac before they
are blocked. They are then put into
IN oven until they become pliable.
when they are blocked with a ire.
mendous pressure on mold which
shapes and curls them at one opera.
ton. Following which they are lined
and trimmed.