Crystal Wise
The construction of a good cowboy hat isn’t done in the assembly line of a Detroit factory. No ma’am. A good hat, one that’ll last a lifetime, is carefully crafted by the hands of those who work at places like Capital Hatters in Stephenville. While their process is more detailed than below, this’ll give you an idea of what it takes to build a hat. No software programs necessary.
Crystal Wise
1 Measure: The gadget that resembles a torture device from the 1800s is called a conformateur — a French-designed tool that measures the shape and size of your head. It doesn’t round up or down; these are your head’s exact dimensions — warts and all.
Crystal Wise
2 Mold: One will then pick a wooden block that matches the correct dimensions produced by the conformateur. In addition to head sizes, these blocks also serve as molds for crown heights and taper of the crowns. The customer will pick the one they like best.
Crystal Wise
3 Form: The hat maker will then place the felt — usually made from beaver fur, rabbit fur, or some combination — over the wooden mold and place both in a blocking machine. These machines let out a large cloud steam onto the felt that allows it to form around the wooden mold.
Crystal Wise
4 Texture: To achieve the desired texture, Capital Hatters uses sanders and crown irons — and go back and forth between the two. This process is also called pounding.
Crystal Wise
5 Press: The hat will then go into a brim press — what looks like a red kiln. As the name of the machine may suggest, this presses the brim of the hat, flattening and leveling it.
Crystal Wise
6 Cut: The next step is cutting the brim, which is done with a rounding jack. Like a compass one would use in school, this ensures a perfectly circular brim. Any leftover felt is used for hatband.
Crystal Wise
7 Sew: In the finishing room, the hat maker will put on the final touches: sewing in the leather sweat band, put in the liner, and put on the outside band.
