Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/681

* HAT. 633 HAT. hair, though the latter material has beoii for many years extremely scarce, and generally any parings or cuttings from furriers arc also used. Furs intended for felting are deprived of their long, coarse hairs, after which tlioy are treated with a solution of nitrate of mercury, an opera- tion called carroting or secretage, wliereby the felting properties of the fur are greatly increased. The fur is then cut from the skin. Perhaps the modern method of making a felt hat may be best understood by describing the method of the an- cient hatter and then the various modifications in M this process which have been cfl'ected by ma- chinery. Fifty years ago the hatter beat his fur with a bow into a triangular piece of felt which, when laid together by two straight edges, as- sumed the shape of a cone. (See Felt.) The felt was next shrunk between cloths which were kept hot and wet by frequent dipping in a kettle of boiling size, care being taken to preserve the triangular shape of the felt. Having been shrunk to about one-third its original size, or to proper dimensions for a hat, the conical bag was drawn over a block and tied tightly at the point where the crown spreads out into a brim. The brim portion was next pulled and stretched into shape with a special instrument. While still on the block, the hat was dyed, and again washed, stif- fened, and dried. If a long nap was desired, the surface of the felt was carded ; while to obtain a smooth finish it was rubbed with pumice-stone. It was then ready to be "trimmed,' that is, to have the band, binding, lining, and sweat-band put on. Beginning with the cutting of the fur, these processes are now performed by automatic machinerj'. The description of the general method employed is condensed from that fur- nished by the Twelfth United States Census (section on wool manufactures), that being the most recent information available. The separa- tion of the fur from the skin is effected by cut- ting the skin into shreds by means of rapidly re- volving shear-blades, fixed just below a table, but so adjusted that, as the skin jiasscs under a roller or guide fixed above th^, shear-blade, it drops beneath the machine, while the fur, without the apparent displacement of a fibre, passes on the other side of the roller, whence it is removed and packed away until required. Different kinds or qualities of fur are next mixed to produce the quality of hat desired — an opera- tion which is accomplished by means of a machine called a 'devil,' in which the fibres are pulled apart and thoroushly mingled. The fur is next taken to a blowing-machine, where it is kept constantly agitated in a light cur- rent of air. The matted pieces, and those to which skin adheres, together with the hair and dirt thrown out from the fine fur, drop through a set of sieves which separate the valuable pieces of fur for further treatment. The blowing proc- ess continues imtil the fur is perfectly free from extraneous matter, when it leaves the machine in a lap. fine and soft, but so light and filmy that it hardly bears the touch. As tlie fur comes from the blower, it is weighed out into boxes, each of which contains fur enough for one hat. Each box of fur is now passed on to a 'former,' a machine which consists of a revolving cone made of brass or copper, of suitable size for the hat- body. The cone is pierced with innumerable small holes, throHgh which a current of air is drawn by means of an exhaust fan. There is also an arrangement by which minute jets of hot water are thrown upon the newly formed hat-bod}' to give it sullicient consistency to per- mit its removal from the cone. The fur is fed through a tube to a revolving cylinder, which thoroughly opens and distributes the fur into the machine and spreads it evenly over the surfaco of the cone, which during this operation is in- closed in a tight box. When the fur is properly distributed the box is opened, and the jets of water are thrown upon the fur, and the embryo hat, over which a cloth is spread for its protec- tion, is removed by hand. The whole operation takes but two or three minutes. The fur is then rolled and pressed, first by hand and then by machinery, to felt it and reduce it to its proper proportions. In the meantime it is sized to add to its strength and durability. An application of shellac dissolved in alcohol is used, a much stronger solution being required for a 'derby' than for a soft hat. Thus far the hat has re- tained its conical form, but the next step is to give it the hat shape. It is placed upon a mold, consisting of a block and a matrix, which shajies both the crown and brim. The next step is dye- ing, after which the hair receives further shaping upon another block. This final block is adjusta- ble, so that all the dimensions of a hat — size of band, height and diameter of crown, and width of brim — are accurately gauged by levers, so that of a given shape, every size can be made on the same block. Pouncing, which is a process of sandpapering to remove inequalities, follows, and is accomplished by placing the hat on a rapidly revolving block, and rubbing the surface with fine emery paper. The trimmings — that is, the sweat-band, the lining, and the ribbon binding — "are now attached, and the hat given another shap- ing upon the block. Wool hats are made by a ditTerent initial proc- ess. The wool, as it comes from the card in a continuous lap, is wound upon a machine con- sisting of two cones placed base to base and re- volving upon an axis placed parallel to the end of the card. The double cone is so rotated that the continuous lap of wool is woimd in a zigzag man- ner, crossing and recrossing from end to end. When a sufficient quantity of wool has been re- ceived, the machine is stopped, the double cone of wool is divided in the centre, the two resulting hat-bodies removed for felting, and the process repeated. The processes of felting, dyeing, stif- fening, blocking, finishing, and trimming follow. The silk hat, now universally known as an article of dress, is of com])aratively modern use. It was known in Florence over a cen- tury ago: but its manufacture was not intro- duced into France till about 18'25, and its de- velopment lias taken place entirely since that time. A silk hat consists of a light stiff body, covered with silk plush of a brilliant glossy te.x- ture, the manufacture of which is the most im- portant element in the industry. Originally the bodies were made of felt and various other ma- terials, but now calico, muslin, or other cotton material is almost exclusively used. The muslin is first stiffened with a varnish of shellac, and then cut into pieces sufficient for crown, side, and brim. The side-piece is woiuid round a wooden hat-block, and its edges are joined by hot ironing, and the crown-piece is p>it on and similarly at- taclicd to the side. The brim, consisting of three tliicknesses of muslin cemented together, is now