Are you creating a hat line? You might have heard of hat molds. Molds and trims are the final steps to bringing your hat design to life. Understand the process from rough hat body to finish product will help you through the manufacturing process with suppliers.
1. Hat Body
Once orders come into factories, suppliers start with a rough hat body. Rough hat bodies are fabrics that have already been through an extensive felting process, dying, tipping (stretches the crown), brimming (stretches the brim) and wet-blocking (sets the shape) before reaching the factory.
2. Hat Block
Choose a hat block. This is also called a hat form or bashing block. This is a wooden block that is carved into the desired shape of the hat. This is essential to getting the right shape/design of your hat.
3. Set-Up
Prepare your hat block while you are steaming your rough hat body. The steam pot loosen the felts to facilitate the stretching process.
4. Create Shape
Remove hat from steam pot and place on wooden mold/block.
Hat stretches over the block and the brim is closed with rope. During this step, both the crown shape and brim is being created.
Hat is placed in oven which then sets the shellac. The shellac helps the brim to hold its shape.
Remove the hat mold and press crown shape into hat using a rubber block.
5. Defining Design
Depending on design, hats go through some finishing operations that may include sanding.
Rounding machine that trims off excess brim to create a consistent brim edge.
Binding operation that sews trim or ribbon to brim for a finished look. Then add sweatband and label.
6. Finishing Touches
Use steam to set brim.
Tack the outside band on the hat using a tacker machine or hand-sew.
7. Final Inspection
Steam to bring out color and examine for impurities. This is the last step before sending product to consumers. Be sure to check for quality standards.
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