HAT MAKING. 
tice, may not have tried what are the in- 
conveniences this addition is calculated to 
remove. 
The acid, no doubt, gives a roughness to 
the surface of the hair, which facilitates the 
mechanical action of feltings Nitrous acid 
is used in a process called Garrotting ; in 
this operation the material is put into a 
mixture of the nitrous and sulphuric acids 
in water, and kept in the digesting heat of 
a stove all night. The hair acquires a 
ruddy or yellow colour, and loses part of 
its strength. It must be remembered that 
our hat still possesses the form of a cone, 
and that the whole of the several actions it 
has undergone have only converted it into 
a soft flexible felt, capable of being extend- 
ed, though with some difficulty, in every 
direction. The next thing to be done is to 
give it the form required by the wearer. 
For this purpose, the workman turns up 
the edge or rim to the depth of about an 
inch and a half, and then returns the point 
back again through the centre or axis of the 
cap, so far as not to take out this fold, but 
to produce another inner fold of the same 
depth. The point being returned back 
again in the same manner produces a third 
fold ; and thus the workman proceeds until 
the whole has acquired the appearance of a 
flat circular piece, consisting of a number 
of concentric undulations or folds, with the 
point in the centre. This is laid upon the 
plank, where the workman, keeping the 
piece wet with the liquor, pulls out the 
point with his fingers, and presses it down 
with his hand, at the same time turning it 
round on its centre in contact with the 
plank, till he has, by this means, rubbed out 
a flat portion equal to the intended crown 
of the hat. In the next place he takes a 
block, to the crown of which he applies the 
flat central portion of the felt, and by 
forcing a string down the sides of the block, 
he causes the next part to assume the 
figure of the crown, which he continues to 
wet and work until it has properly disposed 
itself round the block. The rim now ap- 
pears like a flounced or puckered appen- 
dage round the edge of the crown, but the 
block being set upright on the plank, the 
requisite figure is soon given by working, 
rubbing, and extending this part. IFater 
only is used in this operation of fashioning 
or. blocking, at the conclusion of which it 
is pressed out by the blunt edge of a copper 
implement for that purpose. 
Previous to the dying, the nap of the hat 
is raised or loosened cut with a wire brush, 
or carding instrument ; the fibres being too 
rotten after the dying to bear this opera- 
tion. The dying materials are logwood, 
and a mixture of the sulphates of iron and 
copper, known in the market by the names 
of green copperas and blue vitriol. 
The dyed hats are, in the next place, 
taken to the stiffening-shop. One Work- 
man, assisted by a boy, does this part of 
the business. He has two vessels, or boilers, 
the one containing the grounds of strong 
beer, which costs seven shillings per barrel, 
and is used in this and other stages of the 
manufactory as the cheapest mucilage which 
can be procured ; and the other vessel con- 
taining melted glue, a little thinner than it 
is used by carpenters. The beer grounds 
are applied in the inside of the crown to 
prevent the glue from coming through to 
the face, and also to give the requisite firm- 
ness at a less expense than could be pro- 
duced by glue alone. If the glue were to 
pass through the hat in different places, it 
might be more difficult to produce an even 
gloss upon the face in the subsequent finish- 
ing. The glue stiffening is applied after 
tjie beer-grounds are dried, and then only 
upon the lower face of the flap, and the 
inside of the crown. For this purpose the 
hat is put into another hat, called a stiffen- 
ing hat, the crown of which is notched, or 
slit open, in various directions. These are 
then placed in a hole in a deal board, which 
supports the flap, and the glue is applied 
with a brush. 
The dry hat, after this operation, is very 
rigid, and its figure irregular. The last 
dressing is given by the application of mois- 
ture and heat, and the use of the brush and 
a hot iron, somewhat in the shape of that 
used by tailors,, but shorter and broader on 
the face. The hat being softened by ex- 
posure to steam, is drawn upon a block, to 
which it is securely applied by the former 
method of forcing a string down from the 
crown to the commencement of the rim. 
The judgment of the workman is employed 
in moistening, brushing, and ironing the 
hat, in order to give and preserve the pro- 
per figure. 
When the rim of the hat is not intended 
to be of an equal width throughout, it is 
cut by means of a wooden or metallic pat- 
tern. The contrivance is very simple and 
ingenious. A number of notches are made 
in one edge of a flat piece of wood for the 
purpose of inserting the point of a knife, 
and from one side or edge of this piece of 
wood there proceeds a straight handle, 
