habigman

Ottmar Reich "Insuperable" "Asa", F.P. 6, Eng. 7 1/4, 59 cm, possibly earlier 1900s. This Kreissäge / Straw Boater is really interesting. It has a very Wide Black Band (8 cm, 3 5/32 inches) with a Pleated Bow paired with a Narrow Brim. The Bow has a Mother Pearl button. The Sweatband is made of very thin crosshatched textured leather that has hardened. The Liner Mark of an America Indian is really special. The American Indian was a common motif in late 19th Century and early 20th Century Germany. There is also a black Cord at the base of the Crown which is typical of the time. It's rare to find an old German Kreissäge in this size range especially one that is this unique. Ottmar Reich was originally a Straw Hat factory and in the 1920s started to also make Felt Hats. The photo of the paper label was taken by the Seller and in the process he slightly damaged the Sweatband so I didn't want to take a risk of further damage trying to take a better one. The three size types are located at the bottom of the paper label. There is another Ottmar Reich "Insuperable" that was found by back in 2009 which is from a later time period. https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/boater-faction.26728/page-49#post-2278410 The Mother of Pearl button solved the mystery of the white thread stitch at the bottom of center of the bow on this Ottmar Reich Kreissäge of mine. For some reason I overlooked the Ottmar Reich "Insuperable" posted above. https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/18-ottmar-reich-hutfabrik/?do=findComment&comment=1627 Natural Light

Tonak Hückel "Jota" "Seal Velour", 57cm possibly 1953 based on the Paper Label. This Velour is interesting because it has a Hückel "Jota" "Seal Velour" Crown Patch and Tonak Sweatband and Paper Label. Based on the Paper Label markings It appears it was made for the Czech market. The Sweatband was badly damaged so I had to replace it. Also some dye seepage into the Band / Bow. I will also post this in the German - Austrian thread because the Hückel "Jota" "Seal Velour" marking. Open Crown

1963 Bottin Europe - Page 6, John Valtz & C. S.p.A. , v . Corte Pietro 18 , Andorno Micca ( Vercelli ) 1966 Bottin International - Page 548, Andorno ( Vercelli ) . Valtz John & C. s.a. , 18 v . P. Corte I couldn't find a via Corte Pietro 18 but in general via Corte Pietro looks similar to Stefan's photo of John Valtz. I found this from "Annuario delle Camere di Commercio italiane all'estero commercio estero e turismo 1943" that lists John Valtz & C.S.A. as an exporter of rabbit fur felt hats and rabbit fur felt which makes sense based on the address.

John Valtz & C. Andorno Micca "Extra", measures 58cm, missing Paper Label. This came from a seller in Berlin and I am not sure on the dating. The liner is stitched in place but I am fairly certain there were later modifications (ribbon / bow and over welt). Regardless it has a really great look and the felt is really fantastic. John Valtz & C. Andorno Micca is connected with Gosso Valtz and Co. so hopefully Daniele will comment (see link). https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/italian-brands-hats.60339/page-27#post-2860122

This is a more detailed description from "Der Hut" Gustav Menschel Copyright © 2009 by Eigenverlag, Wien 1.1 Decatizing The foundation stone for a weather-resistant wool felt hat was laid around 1850 by hat maker Carl Gottlob Wilke from Forst, who also founded the first German hat factory in Guben in 1864 and patented the decatizing process at the same time. Pre-decaturation and decaturation significantly improve the dimensional stability of wool felts and reduce their weight. For cost reasons, only high-quality woolen hats are decatized. Since wool is severely attacked at higher temperatures and especially over longer exposure times, special attention must be paid to the temperature when decating. Fiber damage can be easily recognized visually by the discoloration of white wool felts. Bortfeldt mentions the following study in his book: Some sections of such felts were exposed to a higher air temperature for 15 minutes each and showed no change at 100 °C, a slight yellowing at 105 °C, and a noticeable gold at 110 °C , browning begins at 120 °C and charring at 150 °C; while after a stay of 20 seconds there was no noticeable change. Decatering Kettle made by Zimmermann Stiff wool hats are pulled over saddles and nailed before being placed in the decaturation machine. Soft, good quality wool stumps are usually decated for the first time before stiffening. Two stumps, ground or unground, possibly with shiny surfaces, are placed with their right sides on top of each other, pulled tightly onto the oval head shapes and tied at the band point with a shaping cord. After the steam-heated rack is fully loaded, the stumps are moved into the decaturation kettle. The frame is connected to the steam pipe using a bayonet lock and, like the casing of the previously closed boiler, is preheated well. Preheating prevents the formation of water droplets from the direct decaturation steam and avoids irreparable decaturation stains. Now the decaturation steam is allowed to enter and decaturation is carried out for ½–1 hour at a maximum of 1 bar overpressure (100 °C). Steam tensions higher than 1 bar should be avoided because the associated increase in temperature severely attacks the wool felt. After the treatment is finished, in order to quickly remove the steam and cool the stumps, the one at the back of the kettle installed vent is switched on. After removal, the stumps are stiffened and shaped into a hat. This is followed by the actual decaturation with completely dry goods. If the hats are wet, direct contact with the molds, which are usually made of aluminum alloys, could destroy reducible dyes and thus cause staining. To be on the safe side, cover the shapes with cotton fabric or thin felt (Manchons). The chassis and the casing of the decaterator must be preheated well for ¼ hour before loading. This means that the metal molds can be heated easily and the coloring is prevented from being affected by condensation of water vapor on their surface (sweating of the molds). The molds covered with two hats are decated for 20-30 minutes at ¾-1 bar, as described for the pre-decating. Cheap hats that have not been subjected to pre-decating must be decated at at least 1 bar, otherwise they will very quickly lose their shape when used, especially in rainy weather.

According to pre WWII German sources Decatizing was especially important for Wool Soft Felt Hats. C.G. Wilke Guben were the first to use this process on Wool Soft Felt Hats in the mid 19th Century. This is explanation is from "Der Filzhut (The Felt Hat), seine Geschichte und seine Herstellung (Its History and Preparation), Hrsg.v.d. Deutschen Hutmacher-Zeitung (German Hat Maker Newspaper), 1936". "Molding Shop or Matrix Drawing and Decaturation From now on, man must often replace the machine, skill and expertise now play a major role. Now the experience of the old art of hat making comes into its own (the die-making and decatur are closely related). The process is as follows: take the stumps, moisten them slightly and heat them under the so-called drawing hood (see illustration). This hood is made of copper and comes into contact with a large sieve that allows vapors to pass through from below. Above this there is usually an exhaust system which extracts the water vapor. The worker places the mold, which usually has a loose head and rim, on this sieve. In contrast to the past, when only wooden molds were used, aluminum alloy molds are now used, which have the advantages of durability and reusability. The stump is attached to the rim by wrapping a cord around it and the head is firmly pressed or screwed into place by means of a large iron screw. Women's hats are left to dry on the mold, men's hats are now ready for decaturation, i.e. the product is made resistant to the weather and durable. One of the first experts to use this process in practice was Wilke, Guben. Just as we said with carbonization that furnaces with trolleys were used (see illustration), which could be pushed out and also replaced, similar apparatus, decatizing kettles, are also used for decaturation; these are mainly supplied by the companies Meyner, Altenburg, and Johst, Luckenwalde. For technical reasons, it is advisable to insulate the decatizing kettles with a mixture of sand and diatomaceous earth, which is connected by a bandage. The actual decatizing process is as follows: the goods are pre-dried on the mould in the kettle for approx. 1 hour, then the kettle is firmly closed by tightening wing screws on the front wall and the kettle and heating coil are pressed to 1-3 atmospheres. It is then blown off through a venting valve and emptied through an exhaustor. After this process, the boiler is left to dry for 4 hours, opened, allowed to cool down and the decaturation is complete." This is from "25 Berlin - Gubener Hutfabrik (Hat Factory), Actiengesellschaft (Public or Private Company) vorm. A. Cohn, Guben", 1913:". DECATIER APPARATUS FOR SOFT HATS "The station to which the hat is now brought is the raw decatur. The term "decatizing" has its origin in the French word "cati", i.e. to press. In the original conception, decatizing meant nothing more than freeing the fabric from the pressed sheen; a manipulation that was first used in cloth manufacturing. The cloth industry also used this term for a whole number of much wider cloth industrialists soon discovered that these treatments on the fabric maintained a matt sheen, a going treatment of the fabric with steam. The inventive, ambitious mind of the soft, mollusc-like feel, a fine, long-lasting stroke was achieved; above all, however, this treatment made the cloth shrink-free, i.e. it was prevented from shrinking or changing its structure at all when worn due to the effects of the weather. For a long time, the woollen hat industry knew nothing about this manipulation, which was widely used in cloth manufacture, until a hat manufacturer from Guben continued his experiments and achieved useful and, as it turned out after further elaboration of the original system, extremely important results. Today, the woolen hats are drawn onto precisely fitting molds, two at a time, with the right sides of the hats lying on top of each other, the outermost edges stretched onto corresponding rings and subjected to a steam process, i.e. the decatizing effect. For this purpose, the hats are placed on an iron frame, pushed into a large boiler which is hermetically sealed and inside which hot, dry steam is let in and pressure is generated by an atmosphere. The goods are exposed to this steam pressure for a period of time (20-40 minutes). In order to protect them from any water droplets, the racks are covered by covers and, after the steaming process is complete, the steam used is extracted by ventilation before the boiler is opened. The decatur is therefore of extraordinary importance for the woolen hat. Just as the Fulling means the soul of the Stumpen / Hood, so the Decatur imprints the character of the hat, it makes it stable and solid." Here is an 1930s Wool Soft Felt Hat that was made by Brüder Böhm that is marked "Guaranteed Decateered". https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/7-brüder-böhm-hutfabrik/?do=findComment&comment=798 Here is a Bahner Plaiting Machine, Decatising Machine (306) https://hatmachines.com/our-fabrications-and-products/new-machines/plaiting-machine-decatising-machine-306/

C. G. Wilke "Helios", 58cm, Wool, possibly 1930s. Fantastic liner. This Stiff Felt belongs to Martin.

J. Hückel´s Söhne "Durit", FP 5 3/4, possibly late 1920s early 1930s and made for the French Market. This is the only JHS Soft Felt that I have encounter with 1/4 sizing. This is a real beauty! The Velour color and finish is magnificent. This Velour belongs to Daniele on the FL. Daniele reports that the Velour is of a light weight and the overall condition is excellent.

Koch - Velour "Secunda", 58cm possibly later 1950s. Otto Koch Miesbacher Velourhutfabrik lasted to the mid 1960s. This is a very nice Close Cropped Velour that is excellent overall condition. Open Crown Natural Light

Stetson - Mayser Excellent "Skyway", 57cm possibly late 1950s. There is only one other Stetson - Mayser "Skyway", found by Stefan on the FL back in 2021. The black Felt has a very nice finish and is pliable so easily dry creases. The form is "Camber" like so I think it looks better "Brim Up". Mayser acquired the Stetson license for Germany in 1954. Open Crown Natural Light Ferdinand Ludewig (5/9/1902-7/6/1963) the original owner of the Stetson - Mayser Excellent "Skyway" wearing it in 1961. Photograph courtesy of Ferdinand Ludewig's granddaughter Alexandra.

Josef Gratzer Hutmachermeister Miesbach, No Paper Label, measures 55cm possibly 1930s. It's possibly that Kohlndorfer was the Velour source for this hat. The black Velour has a very soft hand and has high gloss. The nap is fairly long but not quite Soleil. The greenish gold Liner also has very high gloss but is very delicate so it has some small wear tears. Open Crown

Josef Gratzer Hutmachermeister Miesbach, I found the following regarding Josef Gratzer: "1949 their new hat factory. In the same year, Ulrich Rager and Josef Gratzer founded the Oberbayerische Hutfabrik GmbH". Gratzer was already listed as a hat maker prior.

Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. "25 Berlin - Gubener Hutfabrik, Actiengesellschaft vorm. A. Cohn, Guben, 1913" https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/678-hare-and-rabbit-skin-storage-skin-pickling-carroting-skin-cutting-and-fur-sorting-25-berlin-gubener-hutfabrik-actiengesellschaft-vorm-a-cohn-guben-1913/ LOOK INTO THE PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP (Application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing)

The Use of Specialized Hydraulic Presses in Stiff Felt Production "25 Berlin - Gubener Hutfabrik, Actiengesellschaft vorm. A. Cohn, Guben, 1913" https://germanaustrianhats.invisionzone.com/topic/677-the-use-of-specialized-hydraulic-presses-in-stiff-felt-production-25-berlin-gubener-hutfabrik-actiengesellschaft-vorm-a-cohn-guben-1913/ PRESSING THE STIFF HATS (WITH HYDRAULIC PRESSES)

Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. Four Photographs from a German Hair Cutting Shop (1913) This excerpt is from "25 Berlin - Gubener Hutfabrik (Hat Factory), Actiengesellschaft (Public or Private Company) vorm. A. Cohn, Guben, 1913". It covers Hare and Rabbit Skin Storage, Skin Pickling / Carroting, Skin Cutting, and Fur Sorting. There are four rare photographs from a German Hair Cutting shop. The third photo "German PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP" is especially rare. It shows the application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing. You might need to click on the photos to make them larger. The production of hair hats is carried out in a completely separate establishment from the wool hat production. If we also pay a brief visit to this department, we first enter the raw materials store, where many types of hair are stacked up, mostly neatly packed in paper packages. The packets are labeled on the outer wrapping with the name of the quality they contain. We find different types of hare hair, rabbit hair, beaver and nutria. The most important haircutting factories are located in Germany, France, England and Belgium. Here, skins from all over the world come together, are prepared, trimmed and sorted. In its original state, as it is cut from the hide, the hair is not suitable for the manufacture of hats because it lacks felting and fulling properties. Rather, it must first undergo the manipulation of mordanting before it acquires this property, but then to a greater extent than wool. For this purpose, the hair on the skins is carefully brushed up to the root with a solution of mercury and nitric acid using hand brushes or machines with cylindrical brushes. The skins are then dried in heating chambers specially constructed for this purpose, then remoistened and carefully smoothed to smooth out any folds in the skin. - The skins prepared in this way then pass through a machine in which the fur is cut into narrow strips between cylinders equipped with sharp knives, without tearing the loosely connected hair fur. The pieces of fur fall down and the blanket of hair, cut to the root, emerges at the end of the machine and lies on a thin metal plate. From here it is removed by trained workers and cut into individual parts of the fur, because the back has the finest hair, while the sides and belly have smaller hairs, which vary considerably in price. For example, the back of the hare fetches five times the price of the hair from the belly. With the enormous boom in hair that has occurred in the last year, which has caused unprecedented prices, the backs are getting bigger and bigger and the smaller parts are getting smaller and smaller. This huge price increase is partly due to the fashion for velour-like hats for men and women, but also to the widespread use of animal skins as trimming material for clothing in recent years. Below are 4 photographs from a German Hair Cutting shop. THE SKINS ARE CUT OPEN AND CLEANED STORAGE OF SKINS PREPARED FOR STAINING LOOK INTO THE PICKLING /CARROTING SHOP (Application of Nitrate of Mercury by Hand Brushing) THE HAIR IS CUT FROM THE SKINS