i don't think in my country there are any custom made hats. In my country which is indonesia, most of the hats a convections and so far what i know about them is that they steampressed their hats, because they mass product it. But i do have a few of their hats, i might tear them apart after reading this advice. Thanks a lot mister . . moontheloon-get old hats and tear them apart to learn about how they were put together
- apprentice under an accomplished hatter for as long as possible
-be prepared to make thousands of mistakes and to suck at pouncing and sewing for a very long time
have fun
I can say from everything we have learned about hats and what a person does to make a hat...wow....I do not think just anyone can handle making a hat. Seriously it takes some time and dedication. Oh yes...you will need a bit of extra cash to purchase all the items...hat blocks and tools and flanges and leather sweatbands and sewing machines.....ribbon...string, a rounding jack, sand bags, sand paper, razor blades for your rounding jack. I would guess to do hats properly you could with ease need to spend a few thousand dollars almost instantly and then find out you still need some specialty "goodies" in the way of more hatter's tools. Can you sew by hand? Can you sew using a machine?
It would be great if you do tackle this desire and then progress with it. Just letting you know there is a lot to it that you may not already be thinking about.
My best advise , jump in and find out if it is a "true love". If it is, then everything will come to you as needed and as you are ready. I worked on hats for 15 yrs before opening myself up to the public and it was the best thing I could have done. I already knew that doing the work gave me inner peace if not much money. Yes, plan on staying broke for a very long time. There is ALWAYS another piece of equipment that will allow you to make better hats and I assume, that's the goal. Persistence is helpful as mistakes are plenty, even after 25 yrs.
Persistence, patience, eye for detail, desire for excellence, sense of style, willingness to do your homework, and a sense of humor are a few of the other tools you will need that money cannot buy. All the rest is just hardware. The world needs more hatmakers and fewer troublemakers. Remember, once you can do it you can do it, and you can always learn to do it better, but all the fun is in the journey. Good luck in your most worthy endeavors.
But for God's sake, do this with old beater hats. Please do not tear up a classic piece for learning purposes.
This is undoubtedly true, but when you're on the steep part of the learning curve, I think the basics are all that's necessary. A good block and a couple of flanges, a needle and thread, and maybe a rounding jack for brim cutting. Everything else can be finessed until you get better at it.
J.W. Hats in Salt Lake offers training on hat making. http://www.jwhats.com/training.html Might be worth giving them a call.
Thanks a lot for the advice sir. yes i know hat blocks are important but i don't have the money to invest in a wood hat block, so i plan to make 1 with styrofoam, what do you think about it? as for rounding jack, i am looking for someone who can make such tools for me because nobody in indonesia sells such tools. Are flanges really that important? can i also make it using styrofoam?
You live in my favourite town! My fave restaurant is Pura Vida! I won't get there this year but next year on our retirement we plan on an extended visit.I want him to become a great hatter.... and then move to McMinnville, Oregon, to set up shop! (OK, self-serving, but a guy can hope, right?)
If you're ever down this way, send me a message and we'll hit Pura Vida. Since we've moved to McMinnville, I don't even want to visit Portland anymore. Smallish town, traffic's not too bad, good wine scene if you like that, nice shops... and John Penman is just over the hill in Hillsboro!You live in my favourite town! My fave restaurant is Pura Vida! I won't get there this year but next year on our retirement we plan on an extended visit.
We stayed in the RV park by the Flight Museum, one of the best parks we have ever stayed in. Our intention is to come down and book it for a month so we can fully explore the area, including Penman Hats!If you're ever down this way, send me a message and we'll hit Pura Vida. Since we've moved to McMinnville, I don't even want to visit Portland anymore. Smallish town, traffic's not too bad, good wine scene if you like that, nice shops... and John Penman is just over the hill in Hillsboro!
All the best to the new Hatter-to-be.
Well, you certainly seem to have the desire from your posts. Both blocks and flanges are crucial to achieving the correct form for a man's fedora. No, styrofoam would not be a good idea, as the amounts of both steam and pressure needed to form a fur felt hood over a block for the correct shape would destroy a styrofoam block or flange in seconds. You need something hard and solid, which is why wood is still used to this day. Without a proper flange you won't be able to give the hat's brim the "snap" that it needs. There are different flanges for different brim widths and brim curls, so to achieve a variety of looks you would need several.
Given your location, equipment may be tough to come by. You may have to search around on eBay in Europe or the US to find what you're looking for, and the prices will be higher for shipping, etc. since you are in Indonesia. One of our members, humanshoes, makes rounding jacks to order. There use to be a gentleman on Etsy (a place to sell handmade and vintage items) that made other supplies to order.
Good luck. You're among friends and supporters here. With persistence and hard work, you can pursue this (sorta like everything else in life...).
Wow, okay that is very important informations there. Thank you very much
Though i have to tell you before, since i am in a country that is very hard actually so hard that i haven't found it and i doubt that there are any fur felt vendors. So i am working with wools currently, the one i have is 35%wool and 65%viscose, What do you think about these? will styrofroam blocks still work? or will it require the same treatment as the fur felt ones?
Okay i can assume i will buy wood block or at least ask a woodworker that i know to make me one, but about flanges though, can i just use tables? because i think i wanted to make a flat brimmed hats first. Any opinions about it?
Thanks a lot sir, will download it and read it with my spare time