Hat body question for the resident hat makers.

[WalkingEye]

I was wondering what exactly the difference is between a hood and capeline in terms of use. I can see how the capeline could be blocked into a fedora, but can a hood serve the same purpose or is it specific to a different style of hat?

I made a hat block several weeks ago to reblock a hat for a friend (a wool felt fedora that he dropped in a bathtub full of hot water!). luckily we have the same size head. so, i have a block in my size, in my exact head shape to be exact, just sitting here asking for a hat to be made. i'll be making a flange next. i'm looking to your sage advise so i don't order the wrong felt.

oh and i've found hatsupply.com but are there any other material suppliers you could lead me to?

Thanks-
Rich.

[DR Ulloa]

Try Winchester Felt.

Dave

[JPdesign]

A hood is the step before a capeline. when the body is still in a roughly conical shape. A capeline has been flared with a blocking machine and is therefore much easier to make a mens hat with. milliners use hoods for some hats like cloches, where there is no brim, or styles with small brims the have a lot of curve. Whwn you flange a hat for the curve then you are shrinking the edge of the brim, giving it a smaller diameter, if a hat is going to have a lot of curve in the brim then it is easier to do that without having already stretched the brim of the body by flaring it. If you have seen a milliner's block and flange that stack on top of one onother, instead of the block going into the flange upside down. First you pull the body down until you can tack the edge to the edge of the flange below where the brim will be cut, don't wory about fitting the body to the flange just yet.. Then you can create a band line by tyiong a rope around the thing and pulling the felt into the block. then you use rope to pull the felt into the shape of the block, if it isn't round. After it cools , you cut it at the brim edge and untie it and the thing comes off ready to be trimmed. you peal the rounding off the block and pull the tacks and you are ready for the next one. Hoods and capelines are generally sold for millinery use and therefore these terms generally refer to bodies that do not require pouncing. In my experiance the felt is usually not as tight. Winchester is the best bet for bodies in the U.S. I don't know about buy from them if you are not a business. I have sold bodies to others that want to give hatting a try.

Jimmy

[WalkingEye]

thanks guys!

Jimmy, that was incredibly informative and exactly what i wanted to know... and then some! thanks very much.

I just might be dropping you a line on getting my hands on a winchester body too.

-Rich.