The nap is raised and a uniform direction given to its fibres by means of warm irons and hair brushes. The last processes are lining and binding, when the hat is ready to be worn. In the low-priced hats of the present day, commoner wool and fur, and smaller quantities of each, are used.
Lathe. Finishing.
Silk hats consist of a cover or exterior part made of silk plush, which is laid upon a foundation of chip, stiffened linen, or some other light material, previously blocked into shape. The so-called velvet and satin hats deserve those titles only so far as the plush resemble those materials. The plush is mostly woven in the north of England. Paris hats are for the most part made in England, the silk plush being imported from France.
Rounding Card, No. 1. Rounding Card, No. 2. Finishing Iron. Brow-piece. Blistering Iron. Card. Polishing Block. Multer. Brush.
The various tools employed are mostly used for shaping the different parts of the hat. The cutting machine, for dividing and preparing the felt and other materials; the block, on which the body of the hat is formed previous to its being placed in the lathe, where it is made perfectly round; the brow-piece, for shaping the hat where it fits the head; the card, a sort of wire brush for scratching up or carding the fibre of the silk or beaver after the hat is made; the rounding cards, for pressing and completing the hat near the brim; the curler, for turning up and shaping the brim; the multer, finishing iron, and blistering iron, are used for shaping and smoothing; the polishing block holds the hat while it receives the final process of brushing and smoothing with a pad of velvet called the veleure.
Curler. Block. Veleure.