How Beaver Felt Hats are Made. From Flowage to Fashion Series

00:05:47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD9_sKYCu1g

Resumen

TLDRThe video delves into the art of felting beaver fur for hat making, showcasing the meticulous process involved in transforming beaver pelts into high-quality felt, suitable for hats. It explains the unique properties of beaver underfur, the chemical treatment process known as carroting, and the challenges faced historically by hat makers due to mercury exposure. The intricate steps include cleaning, separating underfur, and transforming it into felt through machines and manual techniques. The scarcity of companies producing this type of fabric in North America is also highlighted, focusing on how companies like Hatco create iconic hats known for their quality.

Para llevar

  • 🦫 Beaver underfur is essential for high-quality felt.
  • 🧪 Carroting elevates hairs and aids in binding.
  • ⚙️ The cutting process separates underfur from guard hairs.
  • 🏭 Only one beaver felt cutting plant remains in the US.
  • 🎩 Few companies now produce high-quality beaver hats.
  • 😷 'Mad as a hatter' comes from historical mercury exposure.
  • 💧 Hot water plays a key role in the felting process.
  • 🚀 The cone formation is crucial for hat making.
  • ⚖️ The X rating indicates the amount of beaver fur in hats.
  • 🖌️ Final shaping includes sanding and stiffening the brims.

Cronología

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:47

    The video discusses the processing of beaver pelts into felt for hat making, highlighting its historical significance as one of the oldest cloth-making methods. The primary facility for this in the U.S. is the American Fur Felt Company in New Jersey, where beaver underfur is transformed into high-quality felt due to its unique hair structure. The initial steps involve cleaning the pelts and a chemical treatment called carroting, which enhances the hair's binding properties. Historically, mercury was used in this process, leading to health issues among hatters, giving rise to the phrase 'mad as a hatter.' Following the carroting, pelts are cut into strips, and the fur is separated from the hide. The cleaned underfur is then sent to hatmakers, with only two main companies left in North America producing beaver felt hats.

Mapa mental

Vídeo de preguntas y respuestas

  • What is the origin of the term 'mad as a hatter'?

    It originates from the historical exposure of hat makers to mercury fumes used in the felting process, causing health issues.

  • How many companies are left in North America that produce high quality beaver felt?

    There are only two companies left in North America that make hat bodies using high quality beaver felt.

  • What are the main steps in making a hat from fur?

    First, the fur is made into a loose cone, then this cone is shrunk and shaped into the finished hat.

  • What is carroting in the felting process?

    Carroting is a chemical treatment that elevates the hairs on each barb shaft to help them bind tighter.

  • What does the X rating on hats signify?

    The X rating signifies the amount of beaver fur in the hat; more X's indicate higher quality.

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  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
  • 00:00:05
    as beaver trappers we have all heard the
  • 00:00:07
    term used for lower grade beaver hatters
  • 00:00:10
    and earlier in the dvd we heard from
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    phil patterson on exactly what is
  • 00:00:15
    required in the beaver pelt to make it
  • 00:00:17
    suitable for use in making hats or
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    felting felting is a fascinating process
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    maybe the oldest form of cloth way
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    before woven cloth and by far the
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    strongest of the natural fibers
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    the process has changed little since
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    medieval times machinery might have
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    changed but the process is much the same
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    let's take a look
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    furfelt used to be a very basic and
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    widely used fabric but now only has
  • 00:00:41
    limited applications as a matter of fact
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    there is only one cutting plant for
  • 00:00:45
    processing beaver into felt left in the
  • 00:00:47
    us that's the american fur felt company
  • 00:00:50
    located in new jersey they cut tens of
  • 00:00:53
    thousands of beaver belts each year for
  • 00:00:55
    two major hat makers beaver underfur
  • 00:00:57
    makes the best quality felt because each
  • 00:00:59
    individual hair has a series of barbs
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    along the hair shaft that grabs the bars
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    on the surrounding hairs and creates an
  • 00:01:06
    interlocking system
  • 00:01:08
    when these belts first arrive from the
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    auction house they are drum to clean
  • 00:01:11
    them of any grease and dirt that might
  • 00:01:13
    interfere with the next step which is
  • 00:01:15
    called carroting in this step the pelts
  • 00:01:17
    are treated chemically to elevate the
  • 00:01:19
    hairs on each barb shaft this will help
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    the hairs bind even tighter later in the
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    process it also turns the pelts a deep
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    orange color hence the name carroting
  • 00:01:29
    early in the history of felting a
  • 00:01:30
    chemical mixture containing mercury was
  • 00:01:32
    used in the carroting process the men
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    working with this the hatters were
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    exposed to the fumes for years which
  • 00:01:39
    eventually caused uncontrollable tremors
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    and a form of dementia giving rise to
  • 00:01:43
    the term mad as a hatter
  • 00:01:47
    the pelts are then cut into strips this
  • 00:01:49
    is done so they can be fed through the
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    cutting machines in the cutting process
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    the fur is shaved off the pelt
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    [Music]
  • 00:02:02
    the fur is then run through a series of
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    large blowers that separate the underfur
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    from the guard hairs it also separates
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    out any remnants of hide that may have
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    been left from the cutting process
  • 00:02:13
    [Music]
  • 00:02:15
    once the underfur is cleaned and
  • 00:02:17
    separated it is rolled out of the
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    blowers and packed for shipment to the
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    hat makers
  • 00:02:26
    currently there are only two companies
  • 00:02:28
    left in north america that make hat
  • 00:02:29
    bodies using high quality beaver felt
  • 00:02:32
    the most widely known hadco which makes
  • 00:02:34
    the iconic stetson cowboy hat and also
  • 00:02:37
    the resistol line of hats
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    the bagged fur as delivered to the hat
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    manufacturer must undergo several mixing
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    and refining processes before it is
  • 00:02:47
    ready to be formed into hat bodies after
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    mixing the fur has assumed a muddled
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    grayish color and the original furs
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    entering the mixture can't even be seen
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    mixed fur is then blown a process which
  • 00:03:00
    removes clotted fur air and dirt fur
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    coming out of the delivery end of the
  • 00:03:05
    process resembles an endless sheet of
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    gray absorbent cotton soft light and
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    down
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    there are two main steps in making fur
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    into a hat first the fur is made into a
  • 00:03:16
    large loose cone and then this cone is
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    shrunk and shaped into the finished hat
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    forming the cone is really the key to
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    felt hat making it is done in a forming
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    machine
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    picture an upright cylindrical
  • 00:03:28
    compartment and inside this compartment
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    on the floor a copper cone about three
  • 00:03:33
    feet high points upwards
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    this cone revolves slowly it is
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    perforated and an exhaust fan beneath it
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    sucks the air and the loose fur in the
  • 00:03:41
    chamber down to the cone
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    the fibers are inter-angled every which
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    way but only loosely the operator
  • 00:03:48
    carefully wraps damp burlap cloth around
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    the cone and then immerses it for a
  • 00:03:52
    short time in a vat of hot water that's
  • 00:03:55
    when the felting starts the hot water
  • 00:03:57
    shrinks the fibers just a little but yet
  • 00:03:59
    enough to knit them into a flimsy layer
  • 00:04:01
    of felt
  • 00:04:02
    the lara felt a strip from the cone it
  • 00:04:05
    is several times the height of the
  • 00:04:06
    finished hat and so delicate that it
  • 00:04:08
    must be handled with the utmost care now
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    the shrinking has begun in earnest until
  • 00:04:13
    the body is felted down successfully
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    from its original huge dimensions to its
  • 00:04:17
    final size the body is folded dipped in
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    hot water and rolled with pressure
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    this is repeated a number of times under
  • 00:04:25
    the action of the hot water and the
  • 00:04:27
    manipulation the fibers shrink they're
  • 00:04:30
    projecting barbs locking together
  • 00:04:32
    tighter and tighter until when the cone
  • 00:04:34
    is no bigger than the finished hat it is
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    so tightly felted that a strong man
  • 00:04:38
    cannot pull it apart machines which do
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    the shrinking are rollers like big wash
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    ringers these bodies are wrapped in
  • 00:04:45
    cloth and passed through the rollers
  • 00:04:47
    over which the hot water is poured thus
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    hand rolling is mechanically simulated
  • 00:04:52
    once the felting is complete and the hat
  • 00:04:54
    reaches the desired size a rough shape
  • 00:04:56
    is obtained by stretching
  • 00:04:58
    crown stretching is done on a machine
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    that has a frame over which the cone is
  • 00:05:02
    placed and above this metal fingers
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    the fingers massage the tip of the cone
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    pressing the felt between the rib of the
  • 00:05:09
    frame
  • 00:05:10
    thereby stretching it
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    the brim stretcher grips the brim with
  • 00:05:14
    metal fingers and works on the same
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    principle
  • 00:05:17
    then the hats are sanding to smooth the
  • 00:05:19
    felt
  • 00:05:21
    the hats are blocked on machines
  • 00:05:22
    depending on the desired style and the
  • 00:05:25
    finished shape is obtained by blocking
  • 00:05:27
    the crown in the final step the brim is
  • 00:05:29
    impregnated with a stiffening shellac
  • 00:05:32
    and headbands are sewn in
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    all hats are rated on a scale of x's the
  • 00:05:37
    higher the number of x's the more beaver
  • 00:05:39
    fur in the hat the very best hats are 4x
  • 00:05:42
    and made of 100 beaver fur
Etiquetas
  • beaver fur
  • felting process
  • hat making
  • carroting
  • mercury exposure
  • quality felt
  • Stetson hats
  • American Fur Felt Company
  • hat bodies
  • hat rating