Hat-making

tion, and rubbed into the body; the surface intended for the inside having much more imposed than the outer, while the brim is made to absorb many times the quantity applied to any other part. This viscous matter contains proofing, or those ingredients which render the hat waterproof.

On being again dried, the body is ready to be covered, and is once more taken to the battery. The first cover of beaver or napping, which has been previously boiled, is equally strewed on the body, and patted upon with the brush charged with the hot liquor, until incorporated; the cut ends only, being the points which naturally intrude. Here the body is put into a coarse hair-cloth dipped and rolled in the hot liquor, until the beaver is quite worked in. This is called rolling off, or ruffing. A stripe for the brim, round the edge of the inside, is treated in like manner, and is thus prepared for the second cover, which is applied and inworked in like manner; the rolling, &c. being continued until the whole has become incorporated, and a clean, regular, close, and well-felted hood is the result. The dry hood, after having the nap beat up and freed, is clipped to the length which may be thought best, by means of common shears. A clipping machine, invented nearly four years ago in Scotland, is now very generally preferred, and doubtless will soon everywhere supersede the ordinary process; much greater regularity, speed, and certainty being secured by it. When the nap is thus disposed of, the hood is soaked in the battery kettle, and then drawn down on a block to the size and shape wanted, firmly tied at the bottom with a cord, around which the brim is left in a frilled condition.

Dyeing is the next step. A suit, or six dozen, are put into the dye kettle at a time, all on the crown-blocks already mentioned, and allowed to remain three quarters of an hour in the liquor, which is kept as near as possible one degree below the boiling point. These being taken out and set in the yard to cool, another suit is introduced for a like period, and the various suits are so treated at least twelve times in successive order. Each of the first four introgressions of every suit is accompanied by about seven pounds of copperas, and two pounds of verdigris. The body is then washed and brushed out in changes of hot water, until no colouring can be recognized in it. When thus thoroughly cleansed, it is steamed on a block shaped as the hat is wished to be when complete; and in the finishing shop, by heavy (21-pound) heated irons and moisture, the frilled brim is shrunk until rendered quite level, the nap gently raised all over with a fine wire card, and brushed and ironed smooth in the uniform directions. The tip, a thin lath sheet, is then fitted and stuck to the inside of the crown, and robbined or secured all round the edges by stripes of prepared paper. When thus got down, it is sent to the picker, who, with tweezers, extracts the kemps, vulgarly called "grey hairs," which are a few of those thick fibres peculiar to the fur of amphibious animals, that have escaped the search of the machine used in blowing the beaver, so as to separate them from its fine parts. This being carefully accomplished, it is transferred to the finisher, who, with a plush cushion or velure, a brush, and hot iron, imparts to it that bright sleeky lustre so characteristic of English and Scotch hats. The shaper then rounds the brim with a knife and knotted segment to the breadth wanted; and shapes it in varied styles by means of a hot iron and damp, with about a foot length of rope, over which the curl is laid. The trimming is next done, when the tipper off corrects the twists, smooths the ruffled nap caused by trimming, and papers it up with tissue and cartridge, which completes it for the retailer.

Dye-stuffs for a gross of beaver hats.—About 180 gallons of pure soft water, one and a half hundredweight of best Campeachy logwood, eight pounds oxide of copper, and thirty pounds of copperas. It is to be observed, however, that some put the chips, others only the juice, of the log-

wood into the dye-kettle. Galls are now disused. Stiffening stuffs.—Makers differ in the proportions, but the ingredients are shell-lac, rosin, mastic, saundrice, and elm, all churned until dissolved. A quantity of this is then melted over steam, sieved, put in hot, and well mixed. Cleaning stuffs.—These are now seldom considered necessary. One half pound of borax, diluted in five gallons of water, into which the stiffened nap is dipped and well brushed.

Silk hats are made upon bodies of wool, stuff, willow, straw, and leghorn plait, and cambric and woollen cloth, although chiefly on felted wool bodies, which are dipped in glue size, wrung out, blocked, and dried. The tip is then fitted and robbined, when a flour-box charged with powdered shell-lac and rosin in like quantities is used to strew equally its grainy mixture on the external surface of the shell, so called from being the frame-work. This is burned in by hot irons, first on the top, which passes through to the lath-tip within; then on the upper brim, the sides, and, finally, the under brim. When this is hardened, it is coated with thick ordinary flour-paste, which is dried, and the shell again blocked and smoothed; then once more glue-sized outside, dried, and varnished, which prepares it for covering. The shag for the sides is cut across the web, in a ratio of obliquity increased by inferiority. This cross part is sewn to a circular piece for the crown, whilst the brims are singly patched together. These preparations being completed, the top-side or upper brim is first stuck, then the crown, next the sides, and, finally, the under brim. Sticking is effected simply by the heat of the iron passing through the covering and melting the varnished surface. In the finish of this manufacture, the most particular part is the side-seam, which is disposed of thus: The selvidge end is cut perpendicularly from top to brim, by a sharpened pallet-knife, the nap having been previously brushed clear off its edge. The other selvidge end is then stuck and cut with the utmost nicety, in close parallel with the other. It is then finished very much in the same manner as a beaver hat.

Tip stuff for silk hats.—Seven pounds of glue melted in water, when three pounds of pitch and half a pound of tallow are added, and the whole is boiled to the consistency of thick jelly. Varnish stuff.—A quarter of a cwt. of turpentine, mixed with two gallons of linseed oil.

The major part of stuff hats are finished in London, whilst body-making and ruffing is managed chiefly in Gloucester and Derbyshire. Plated and short-nap hats are made principally in Lancashire, Cheshire, and Staffordshire, owing to local advantages.

150,000 dozens of silk and covered hats are annually made in London, and about 100,000 dozens in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Glasgow. Throughout Edinburgh and the other parts of Scotland there may be an additional 50,000 dozens made yearly.

Imported hats are each subject to ten shillings and sixpence of duty. In 1832 there were exported 62,854 dozens. In this branch of manufacture there are employed annually nearly 25,000 men, besides about 10,000 females in the trimming and picking departments.

HATS, STRAW. Any attempt to ascertain when straw was first used in the manufacture of hats would be useless, because it would be impossible to fix a date with any correctness. In Italy it had arrived at a great degree of perfection two centuries ago; but it is not above sixty or seventy years since it began to be followed as a trade in England. Wheat straw is the material chiefly used by our