The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-03-24
MAKING FELT HATS
The Process From Raw Material
to Finished Product.
MANY BRANDS OF FUR USED.

ingenious Methods by Which the Pelts
Are Cleaned and the Various Grades
of Hair Are Mixed and Worked Into
the Required Shape.
One of the very interesting exhibits
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
we'll 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.
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, a proc
aOc oolIad sscarro+inny which ,riva. tho
fur its feeling properties" making it
knit together when hot water and pres
sure are applied. The skins are then
brushed by machine which removes
all the dust and other foreign sub
stances.
The skin next goes to 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 it 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
as it 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 cleared, carroted and sort
ed. the fur il by no means ready for
use. 1t has 10 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 it is mixed In Ger.
tain proportions 10 produce the desired
texture and color. and from here on
the work is not done mechanically but
by hand being mainly q 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
Vi IHe hit ~ ne lIduc. anu DiOWn
upon 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 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
er the whole surface
The cone holding the film of fur is
inclosed in Il snugly fitting jacket and
lowered into vat Of boiling water
This develops the felting properties OF
the fur, the particles of which mat and
lock together, enabling the thin. deli
cate film of wet fur 10 he lifted from
the cone. The resulting cone of fur is
a very delicate eE3heHo hat. except rs