Ever since the 1860s, Stetson hats have grown in popularity and have been in the wardrobe of every man and woman. These are credited with manufacturing cowboy hats and have played a pioneering role in the hat industry. In the 1860s, John Stetson founded the company when he started renting out small rooms and purchased every tool required to begin manufacturing hats. Today, Stetson hats have emerged in popularity. You have multiple categories of headgear cropping up from here and making a mark in the industry.
The felting procedure
The making of the legendary headwear, which started at the Stetson hat-making company, is a long one. Stetson utilizes multiple qualities of fur like a hare, rabbit, and Beaver fur for making fur felt material resistant to any weather. These are durable options that you will never find in any other store.
Today multiple machines are utilized for making different qualities of headwear. Stetson utilizes a century-old felting procedure to turn the fur into quality felt to make Stetson hats for women. They also have specially designed machines used today to help you with original and antique headwear. With conventional equipment, the frequent repair is necessary. However, looking at the warehouses, you will see that it is a treasure house of many types of equipment.
Mixing fur
The procedure starts by creating a mixture of fur. The fur is carefully measured for every hat and is then run through the earlier process to initiate the fur felting procedure. After that, they run the fur through the blower to separate the long hair from the short hair. The long hair is disposed of, while the short hair, also known as down, is used to make the fur felt.
Forming the felt
Within the former, the fur is made into a cone-shaped mold, along with a vacuum inside. The hair is loose and fragile at the manufacturing point and is handled with care. The cone shape is very bulky and almost 8 to 10 times the size of the finished product. It shrinks significantly throughout the felting procedure.
A large strip of burlap is wrapped around this cone, and then a secondary protective cone is put on top and placed in 160 degrees Fahrenheit boiling water. Here, the felting procedure starts as the hot moisture tightens and shrinks the fur. It’s very similar to a velcro interlock; the fiber turns into a raw felt and locks together.
You may look at online media to understand hat-making basics. Many websites can help you with the many options of hats. Whether fedora, cowboy, or anything else, you can experiment with all these.
They continue the procedure and keep applying the pressure by utilizing rollers. The headwear is then run through the machine multiple times to avoid a pointed hat. The overall process takes time, but the end product is eye-catching. It causes the headwear to shrink numerous inches as the fit becomes tight.
Shaping and dying
The headwear is then put in pressure dryers to provide the felt coating and color. Multiple categories of colors are available, giving you various types of headwear. They use things that help to stiffen the headwear. Without it, the headwear will become flimsy and soft.
The headwear is pulled and stretched to achieve the hat shape. Once the procedure is over, the hat goes for the brimming and tipping procedure. It begins with the brim and then goes to the crown. The brimmer utilizes brass fingers for this procedure. The headwear is placed on a mold that blocks the machine and submerges the hat in 160-degree water. Finally, the headwear is placed on a rack for drying overnight.
Crown shaping
To shape the crown, a wooden block is pushed into the crown of the headwear, which provides the shape, the taper of the gown, and the head size. The brim is pulled out from the hat body and framed in finishing.
Remember that the finishing procedure is time-consuming when it comes to hat finishing. Later the powder is applied to the hat, and the dent is made on the crown. Remember that a pressure of 80 pounds is utilized for creating the dent. It gives the final look and appeal to the headwear.
Depending on your personal preferences, you can go for any headwear of your choice. From hat trimming to hat finishing, there are a lot of steps in hat making. The more you understand these, the better you will maintain your hat. Remember that that is an investment. So it’s your responsibility to take care of the headwear and ensure proper maintenance.
You can show your natural style and genuine personality without a stiff hat. Hence, well-maintained headgear is a must. Once you take proper care of your hat, it will always be in an excellent condition.
