Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-05-31
MAKING FELT HATS
The Process From Raw Material
to Finished Product.
MANY BRANDS OF FUR USED.

Ingenious Methods BY Which the Potts
Arr Cleaned and ths Various Grades
Of Hair Are Miysd and Worked Into
the Required shape.
One OF the very interesting exhibits
Ia the division Of textiles of the Ma
tional museum Mt 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, a.
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
known American hat manufacturers.
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 ''carroting." 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
all the dust and other foreign sub
stances.
The skin next goes to a cutting ma
chine. where revolving shears strip
away the fur, cutting 1t so close that
1t appears to have been shaved Oh.
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 II 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
as 1t passes them just the parts desir-
ed for various grades OF hats. The
sorting is according to color and quail
ity, each sorter selecting a 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 a mil
lion 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
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 BE-
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 1t
looks like a sieve. The cone Is about
three feet In height and as wide at the
base. An exhaust fan operates inside
and below the cone 20 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 Ii
fnclosed In snugly fitting jacket and
lowered into a vat Of boiling water.
This develops the feitiug properties OF
the fur. the particles Of which mat and
lock together. enabling the thin. deli
cate Aim Of wet fur to be lifted from
the cone. The resulting cone OF fur II
q very debate embryo hat, except as
to size: in that respect II might be the
hat for giant
A bundle OF about twelve of these
large forms Ii rolled In q wet condi-
ton until the nbers knit together
slightly, giving the hats hardness and
strength Then they are put into a
sizzling kettle. where they are shrunk
In hot 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 1t takes
the form Of a regular hat with crown
and brfm.
II the hat Ii to be soft one 1t has
only 30 be placed on a block and I'm
ished with fine sandpaper. which gives