{"id":115,"date":"2016-07-07T20:46:04","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T20:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brentblack.com\/cart\/?page_id=115"},"modified":"2016-07-14T17:07:20","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T17:07:20","slug":"tour-shaping-and-styling-panama-hats","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/hat-lore-overview\/tour-how-a-panama-hat-is-made\/tour-shaping-and-styling-panama-hats\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blocker Shapes and Styles the Hats"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"BBB_Measures_Crown_Height\"

\u00a9 2005 Roff Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

Blocking is the hand process by which a hat is given its shape. Just as a fine diamond can be enhanced or spoiled by the diamond cutter, a beautiful Montecristi hat body can be enhanced or spoiled by how it is shaped and finished.<\/p>\n

Blocking. It is such an inelegant, abrupt name for such an elegantly complex\u00a0process of myriad subtleties.<\/p>\n

Blocking Montecristi hats has little in common with blocking felt hats. It\u00a0is a universe unto itself. I block only Montecristi hats. They make me crazy.\u00a0We\u2019ll get to that later.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\"Stack_of_Unblocked_Hats\"This photo (left, top) shows a stack of unblocked Montecristi hats. That is\u00a0how they look when they leave Montecristi. That is how they look on my shelves\u00a0here in Hawaii. As you can see, they have not yet been styled. They are just a\u00a0generic hat shape.<\/p>\n

Weavers do not weave the hats into the different style shapes. The weavers\u00a0weave a generic hat shape. In this photo (left, middle) you can see that the\u00a0crowns of the two hats have been woven over flat-topped, round wood forms, and\u00a0the weavers are now weaving the brims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Th\"Mother_and_Daugher_Weaving\"e blocker gives the hats their shapes. The blocker defines their styles.\u00a0In this photo (left, bottom), you can see one unblocked hat, still shaped as it\u00a0was when I received it, and a second hat that has been blocked as a Classic\u00a0Fedora. Can you tell which is which? Thought so. You\u2019re a natural.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Blocked_and_Unblocked_Hat\"The hats in the stack (photo left, top) all have brims 2\u00bd to 3 inches\u00a0wide. If I selected one, I could block it as a Classic Fedora, Gatsby Fedora,\u00a0Havana Fedora, Montego Bay Fedora, Optimo, or several other styles. To block a\u00a0Plantation, Monte Carlo, or other wide-brim style, I would have to go get a\u00a0different stack of hats.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s walk through the basics of blocking a Montecristi hat and\u00a0I\u2019ll point out the crazy-making parts of it as we go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

1. Choosing which hat to block for you<\/h2>\n
\n
\"$475\"

$475<\/p><\/div>\n

Suppose you ordered a Classic Fedora. I sent you five size\u00a0test bands to try on. You confirmed by phone or email that your best fit is\u00a023\u00bc inches. You told me, when you placed your order, that you are\u00a06\u2032 2\u2033 about 200 pounds. Good to know. I like to have a sense of\u00a0your physical proportion to guide me as I choose and block a hat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"$1,000\"

$1,000<\/p><\/div>\n

I sort my unblocked Montecristi hats, more than 2000 of them, by brim width\u00a0and weave count. If you ordered a $475 Classic Fedora, I would choose your hat\u00a0from those in the photo above (top of left column above). If you ordered a\u00a0$1000 Classic Fedora, I would select from a different stack.<\/p>\n

\n
\"$25,000\"

$25,000<\/p><\/div>\n

If you ordered a Classic Fedora, the finest available in your size, I would\u00a0focus my attention within a \u201csmall\u201d (world\u2019s largest by far)\u00a0collection of the very finest Montecristi hats woven during the past ten years,\u00a0fewer than fifty hats, priced between $10,000 and $25,000. I would select those\u00a0hats, if any, that would block to your size, style preference, and a flattering\u00a0proportion. We would discuss those hats, probably at some length. I would\u00a0recommend the hat that I think would block to the best proportions for you and\u00a0the style you have chosen. Sadly, that might not be the most expensive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While other sellers may ask prices as high as my highest, and while they\u00a0usually \u201cborrow\u201d my descriptions of my very finest hats, their hats\u00a0are not as fine as my finest. Simple fact. I know who the best weavers are; I\u00a0buy ALL of their best hats. Some very nice hats may slip by once in a while,\u00a0but never the very finest. I have heard some alarming stories of people paying\u00a0many thousands of dollars for hats represented to be \u201cthe very\u00a0finest\u201d when, in fact, they were merely the very finest the other dealer\u00a0was able to buy, perhaps the finest the dealer has ever seen. But would not be\u00a0as fine as my finest. A comparable hat from me probably would have cost\u00a0significantly less, and the artists who created it would have received\u00a0significantly more income from the hat. I am absolutely certain no one anywhere\u00a0has finer Montecristi hats than my finest. Hmm. Tell you what. If anyone can\u00a0show me a Montecristi hat finer than my finest, I will give that person a free\u00a0Sim\u00f3n Espinal hat that I would price at $10,000.<\/p>\n

Okay, let\u2019s get back to selecting which hat to block for you.<\/p>\n

When choosing the best hat for you, I will put serious candidates over the\u00a0block I will use, verifying that each would be likely to block to the size and\u00a0proportions we have in mind. This is not a reliable test.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Blocked_Hat_on_Flange_0795\"<\/p>\n

For you (size as given above), I will be looking for a hat body that will\u00a0yield, when blocked, a Classic Fedora with a brim width of 2\u00be to 3\u00a0inches and a crown height of 43\u20448 to 4\u00bd inches. If you have\u00a0requested different dimensions, then I will be looking for whatever we agreed\u00a0upon. If you are a different head and\/or body size, I may be looking for\u00a0something different.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It is much simpler to locate the right price hat than the right proportion\u00a0hat. Measuring an unblocked hat is an exercise in optimism, or futility. When\u00a0the hat is steamed and pulled onto the block, the proportions will change,\u00a0sometimes dramatically. The only way to know, for certain, what will happen is\u00a0to make it happen.<\/p>\n

2. Which end is up?<\/h2>\n
\n

\"Unblocked_Hat_Brim_0796_250pxW\"Well, that part is easy. The hats have an obvious top and\u00a0bottom. But choosing which is the front of the hat and which is the back is not\u00a0<\/span>at all obvious.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, I look at the brim. Brims are never the exact same width all around\u00a0the hat. Some are blessedly close.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"BBB_Examines_Hat_1280_250pxW\"

above \u00a9 2005 Roff Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

The brim edges are never perfectly even and rounded. Again, some are\u00a0blessedly close.<\/p>\n

Naturally, I try to put the best face forward for any hat I am blocking.\u00a0Every hat requires study, analysis, judgment. Luck helps. Experience helps\u00a0more.<\/p>\n

\"Pencil_Mark_in_Back_0623_100pxW\"Imagine a diamond cutter studying an uncut diamond, trying to peer into its\u00a0soul, straining to see, or to intuit, how to orient it, how to shape it, how to\u00a0reveal a unique perfection within the uncut stone, as Michelangelo revealed The\u00a0David within an uncut stone.<\/p>\n

Once I have decided which part of your hat Michelangelo would put in the\u00a0back, I make a pencil mark inside as a reference point, and hope I\u2019m\u00a0right.<\/p>\n

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3. Getting steamed<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\"Hat_in_the_Steam_0637_375pxW\"Now the real fun begins. The crown of your hat is put into the\u00a0steam. Or the steam is put into the crown of your hat. Some blockers steam from\u00a0<\/span>outside the hat. Some steam from inside the hat. I generally steam from inside\u00a0<\/span>the hat, so the steam will fill the crown, warming and softening the straw\u00a0<\/span>evenly.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can feel the straw becoming hotter and softer as I rotate the hat by hand\u00a0to distribute the steam evenly throughout. Once it feels ready, I pull the hat\u00a0onto a block.<\/p>\n

\n

4. Onto the block<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\"Onto_the_Block_01_1366_250pxW\"Your hat is warm and soft from the steam. I check for my pencil mark\u00a0and orient the hat with the mark centered in back, then pull the hat\u00a0over the block.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"Onto_the_Block_02_1372_250pxW\"Your hat is centered over the block, front, back, left, right, then\u00a0the hat is pulled onto the block.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\"Onto_the_Block_03_1381_250pxW\"A cinch cord is put around the hat and pulled tight. This cord\u00a0defines where the crown will end and the brim will begin. That place is\u00a0called the break line.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"Onto_the_Block_04_1384_250pxW\"The pusher-down tool is used to push the cinch cord down so that it\u00a0is level all around the hat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\"Onto_the_Block_05_1404_250pxW\"Your hat is pulled taut on the block, using just my hands some of\u00a0the time and a wooden, boomerang-shaped, puller-down thing some of the\u00a0time. I can feel the straw stretching to its limit as I pull evenly all\u00a0around the hat.<\/p>\n

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\"Onto_the_Block_06_1423_250pxW\"The tipper is a necessary complement to the block itself. The tipper\u00a0shapes the top of the crown to the block.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

6 photos in series \u00a9 2004 Matthew Klein (Thank you,\u00a0Matthew.)<\/small><\/p>\n

5. Measuring up to expectations<\/h2>\n
\n

\"Measuring_Fedora_8151\"Now the crazy-making begins in earnest.<\/p>\n

Carpenters like to say \u201cmeasure twice, cut once.\u201d Lucky SOBs. I\u00a0envy them. Under ordinary circumstances, their boards don\u2019t change\u00a0dimensions while they aren\u2019t looking.<\/p>\n

My #@!%& hats change dimensions continually, whether I\u2019m looking\u00a0or not.<\/p>\n

I measure each hat before I put it into the steam. And every time I do this\u00a0I can hear the hat gods snickering behind me. Because once the hat has been\u00a0steamed, and I am pulling it onto the block, everything changes.<\/p>\n

Some hats stretch a lot. Some very little. Some stretch more on one side\u00a0than another. That\u2019s always funny. Not so much, really.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Measuring_Optimo_0022\"

2 photos above \u00a9 2005 Roff Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

After I\u2019ve pulled and pulled and pulled, all over, all around,\u00a0it\u2019s time to measure everything again. More often than not, I have to\u00a0readjust the hat\u2019s position on the block to even it all up again. With\u00a0distressing frequency, the hat no longer matches the dimensions I\u2019m
\naiming for, so I have to take that hat off the block and start all over with a\u00a0different hat body.<\/p>\n

It is not unusual for me to have three or four different hats onto the block\u00a0before one comes out just right. Sometimes, I might have as many as ten\u00a0different hats onto the block before I find a keeper.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I know, it sounds like I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m doing. I have\u00a0blocked thousands of Montecristi Panama hats. If it were possible to predict\u00a0the final dimensions of a hat, even an idiot would learn how, as a matter of\u00a0simple self-defense. The more I know, the more I know what I don\u2019t know.\u00a0As Harry Truman said: \u201cIt\u2019s what you learn after you know it all\u00a0that really counts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Why are the woven hats so unpredictable?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"tour_03_06_saeps93\"<\/p>\n

Well, let\u2019s think about it. They are made of straw. The straw is made\u00a0from naturally growing plants. There are rainy seasons and dry seasons. Some\u00a0plants will receive more sunlight than others. Some will receive more, or less,\u00a0water. A weaver may use material from fifty different plants to make a single\u00a0hat. He will slit the straw lengthwise with his thumbnail to determine their\u00a0width, then roll them between thumb and forefinger before weaving with\u00a0them.What are the chances that every strand of straw is identical to every\u00a0other strand in width, length, and tensile strength? Right. Zero.<\/p>\n

\"tour_07_22_rosahandsV1\"<\/p>\n

The other key variable is the weave. Some weavers pull their weave tighter\u00a0than others. Two weavers might weave with the same number of rows of weave per\u00a0inch horizontally, but one might weave taller rows than the other. And so on.\u00a0Hats will vary from weaver to weaver.<\/p>\n

The weaving is done by hand, a little at a time, spread out over anywhere\u00a0from five weeks to five months. The weaver is human, not a NASA-calibrated\u00a0precision machine. Even the same weaver will not exert the exact same amount of\u00a0pull on each and every strand of straw in each and every weave action\u00a0throughout a hat s\/he is weaving. Perhaps s\/he had more or less sleep, more or\u00a0less coffee, more or less energy, today than s\/he had yesterday. So, hats will\u00a0have variations within the same hat.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Unblocked_Fine_Hat_on_Stand_0597\"<\/p>\n

Your hat is on the block. Pulled tight. Cinched tight at the break line.\u00a0Everything is measured and re-measured and re-measured again. I am satisfied\u00a0that everything is as even as possible.<\/p>\n

Now I do some really important stuff that I\u2019m not going to bore you\u00a0with (meaning I don\u2019t really want to disclose a few critical trade\u00a0secrets). After I have completed my mumbo-jumbo, oh-so-secret rituals, the hat\u00a0must be allowed to dry completely on the block. This is how it\u00a0\u201clearns\u201d the shape.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

6. Drying time<\/h2>\n

It is critically important for the hats to dry completely in\u00a0the shape one wants them to have. I often use two or more crown blocks to\u00a0achieve a final style shape for a single hat. The hat must dry completely at\u00a0each stage.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep in mind that Hawaii is not exactly a desert. I live on the\u00a0windward (rainy) side of Oahu. Trying to dry a hat completely during a ten-day\u00a0rainy stretch (it can happen) is on the far side of Hopeless. Either I have to\u00a0wait for dry weather, or move to a drier climate. Leave Hawaii? Not likely.<\/p>\n

Business reality and some semblance of sanity require that the hats must dry\u00a0thoroughly within 24 to 48 hours, even if it\u2019s raining.<\/p>\n

As they say, necessity is a mother. I figured out how to make a special\u00a0place to put the hats to dry. I call it The HATchery. Sorry. I do enjoy my hat\u00a0jokes.<\/p>\n

Your hat is now in The Hatchery, drying. I can\u2019t show any pictures.\u00a0You know how it goes. I show a few photos of this thing I thought up and the\u00a0next thing you know Billy Mays is selling them on TV, making a fortune with my\u00a0idea. So no photos.<\/p>\n

Visualize your hat in a happy place. It has a view of palm trees and water.\u00a0Your hat is blissed out.<\/p>\n

7. Surprise!<\/h2>\n
\"BBB_Measures_Brim_Width_0004_250pxW\"

Photo \u00a9 2005 Roff Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

Your hat is dry. It comes out of The Hatchery. I loosen the\u00a0cinch cord. I measure everything again.<\/p>\n

If you live on the far side of the lake from me, you can probably hear this\u00a0part of the process.<\/p>\n

The hats often dry unevenly. One part shrinks more than another. Or shrinks\u00a0less. Maybe some parts don\u2019t shrink at all. Big joke. The Hat Gods laugh.\u00a0I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

I adjust and repeat. As many times as it takes. Sometimes I choose a\u00a0different hat body and start over.<\/p>\n

Beautiful hats don\u2019t just fall off trees, you know.<\/p>\n

\"Flanges_on_Shelf_0702_755pxW\"<\/p>\n

8. What\u2019s a flange?<\/h2>\n

\"Homburg_with_Brim_A_0559_250pxW\"<\/p>\n

\"Long

Long oval. Regular oval.
Both are for the same size head and the same width brim.<\/p><\/div>\n

Imagine hundreds of little wooden toilet seats for\u00a0leprechauns. Some bigger, some smaller. Some wider, some narrower. Some long\u00a0oval, some regular oval. Some special flanges for special styles.<\/p>\n

These wooden forms, called flanges, are used to shape the brims of the\u00a0hats.<\/p>\n

Why so many? Think about it.<\/p>\n

\n
\"A

A special flange for a Homburg<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Three

Three flanges and a band block.<\/p><\/div>\n

A snap-brim style, such as an Optimo or one of my five fedoras, will require\u00a0one type of flange, while a Plantation or Monte Carlo brim style requires not\u00a0just a wider flange but a different shape. A Derby or Homburg requires a\u00a0c\"Homburg_with_Brim_B_0965_250pxW\"ompletely different type of flange. There are even different types of Homburg\u00a0brim shapes\/styles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Flange_for_Homburg_B_3612_250pxW\"

A different flange for a Homburg.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Flanges_on_Shelf_0702_250pxW\"Then each type of flange has to have different sizes of flanges for each\u00a0different hat size. And a 2-inch brim needs a different width flange than a\u00a02\u00bd-inch brim, or a 2\u00be-inch brim, or a 3-inch brim, or\u00a0a\u2026<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t have too many flanges.<\/p>\n

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9. Into and onto the flange<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\"Onto_the_Flange_01_1475_250pxW\"When I am satisfied with the crown shape, the hat goes crown-down\u00a0into the flange.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"Onto_the_Flange_02_1480_250pxW\"The flange must be exactly the right size, so the hat will fit into\u00a0it perfectly, no gaps, no squeezing. The flange must also be the right\u00a0shape, the right width.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\"Onto_the_Flange_03_1493_250pxW\"A brass band block is put inside, opened to fill the space,\u00a0tightened to hold. The band block holds the hat snugly in the\u00a0flange.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

\"Onto_the_Flange_04_1516_250pxW\"A flange cloth is pulled over the hat brim, to protect it during the\u00a0next two stages. The brim is smoothed under the cloth. Then the cloth\u00a0is pulled tighter than a Marine\u2019s bunk on inspection day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

5 photos in series \u00a9 2004 Matthew Klein<\/small><\/p>\n

10. The sandbag<\/h2>\n
\n

\"Sandbag_Up_0744_250pxW\"Look at this beautiful piece of equipment. You won\u2019t\u00a0find one of these at the Home Depot. This one was made by Doran Brothers of\u00a0Danbury, Connecticut, which used to be one of the major capitals of the hat\u00a0world almost a century ago, back when hats were serious business.<\/p>\n

This holds 65 pounds of sand in the big red head. You can see the cotton\u00a0outside cover on the bottom. There is also an asbestos cover below the cotton\u00a0cover. A heating element heats the sand so that it is hot to the touch.<\/p>\n

The head of the sandbag device is slowly lowered onto the flange. Sixty-five\u00a0pounds of hot sand further smooth the brim and set the shape. The brim and\u00a0flange stay under the sandbag for several minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Sandbag_Down_0784_250pxW\"Then it\u2019s back to The Hatchery to dry again.<\/p>\n

Another pause in visible progress. Again, 24 to 48 hours of drying time to\u00a0set the brim.<\/p>\n

By now, you should be beginning to understand why there is no such thing as\u00a0a rush job. I allow each hat time to dry at every stage. There are many\u00a0stages.<\/p>\n

Yes, I could shape a hat in one day but it would be junk. You would not love\u00a0the result. To quote the Supremes: \u201cYou can\u2019t hurry love.\u201d\u00a0And we haven\u2019t even reached the parts where most of the time goes. Stay\u00a0tuned.<\/p>\n

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11. So far, we\u2019ve covered the basics. Now the hard part begins.<\/h2>\n

\"Simple_Dome_Block_0786_350pxW\"Yes, I\u2019m serious. The part we covered takes about a\u00a0week. Making it exactly right may take longer.<\/p>\n

The hat to the right has been blocked on a simple dome block. The brim has\u00a0been flanged. This is a good beginning. But there is much yet to be done.<\/p>\n

Some hats must go onto a second block in order to get the shape that defines\u00a0the style. This Havana-Fedora-to-be was first a simple dome.<\/p>\n

The simple dome will remain a simple dome until I am satisfied that the size\u00a0is exactly right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"Havana_Before_Brim_0793_350pxW\"My hats are custom sized to the nearest one-eighth inch. Hat blocks are\u00a0sized in increments of three-eighths inches. What if your size is in between\u00a0block sizes?<\/p>\n

Well, I could block it to the larger size. Then squeeze it in to fit the\u00a0sweatband. I could block it to the smaller size. Then try to squeeze the\u00a0sweatband into the hat. Neither alternative works for me. I want the hat to be\u00a0exactly the right size, so that the sweatband fits inside evenly, without gaps\u00a0or squeezing.<\/p>\n

\"Sweatband_Gap_755pxW\"<\/p>\n

The Classic Fedora above has a leather sweatband in it that fits exactly\u00a0right. It is not sewn in. It is just placed inside to test the size fit. The\u00a0same size test bands that I send to clients are used to test the sizes of the\u00a0hats to make sure they are exactly the right size before the sweatband and\u00a0ribbon are hand sewn to the hat.<\/p>\n

The same Classic Fedora now has a sweatband in it that is one-eighth inch\u00a0smaller than the one in the photo to the left. If you look carefully at the\u00a0upper left part of the sweatband, from 10 to 11 o\u2019clock were the hat a\u00a0clock face, you will see a small gap between the sweatband and the hat.<\/p>\n

If the requested size is 22\u00be inches, the hat is perfect. If the\u00a0requested size is 225\u20448 inches, I have more work to do.<\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019m that fussy.<\/p>\n

How do I do it? How do I persuade a hat to become a precise size for which I\u00a0have no correspondingly sized block? Not telling.<\/p>\n

Oh, another variable. Some hats hold the size of the block, some contract\u00a0inward as soon as they are off the block. Some do, some don\u2019t. Good joke.\u00a0Now what? Do I put the hat back on the block and try again, or put a different\u00a0hat on the block? Maybe both.<\/p>\n

These are the times that try men\u2019s souls. I\u2019ve been tempted a\u00a0time or two to offer mine for sale\u2026if I could just get that little\u00a0ripple out of the back of this fedora brim. Yeah, it really gets like that.\u00a0What do you do when you see a ripple? You smooth it out, iron it out, sandbag\u00a0it out. But what if it still won\u2019t come out? Hang yourself. Less painful\u00a0than going on.<\/p>\n

I sometimes spend two weeks or more fine tuning the details before a hat is\u00a0ready for the ribbon and sweatband. That bears repeating: I sometimes spend two\u00a0weeks or more fine tuning the details before a hat is ready for the ribbon and\u00a0sweatband.<\/p>\n

Keep this in mind when you receive and try on your size test bands to choose\u00a0your perfect custom fit. I ask you to spend ten or fifteen minutes to decide a\u00a0size that I may spend a week or more to achieve. So if you just blow it off and\u00a0then call to tell me your new hat falls down to your ears when you put it on,\u00a0okay. Let\u2019s start over with the size thing. You send me the hat. I send\u00a0you more size test bands. Maybe try them on this time. It\u2019s a simple\u00a0thing. It\u2019s your hat. Think about yourself, be selfish, figure out\u00a0what\u2019s perfect for you.<\/p>\n

I will invest far more time than is reasonable to make your hat turn out\u00a0just right. Montecristi hats are unpredictable and unfaithful. They can take\u00a0some time to persuade. Work with me here. Give the size test bands your serious\u00a0attention. I know you expect me to give your hat my serious attention.<\/p>\n

Also, please allow me the time to get it right. Sometimes it takes a totally\u00a0irrational amount of time. If I am dissatisfied at any stage of the process, I\u00a0may decide to start over. I may start over with a different hat. I may re-do\u00a0the same hat. I may do both. I have something in mind. It is easier to think it\u00a0than to find a hat that will agree to be it.<\/p>\n

I keep on keepin\u2019 on until I think I have it right. My name is in my\u00a0hats. They are blocked with my hands. That\u2019s important.<\/p>\n

If you want to complain about, or praise, a Brent Black hat, Brent Black is\u00a0who made the hat, Brent Black is who answers the phone. You have a problem with\u00a0a Stetson, good luck trying to find someone named Stetson to talk to. Know what\u00a0I mean?<\/p>\n

12. Sew, sew, sew your hat, gently \u2019round the brim<\/h2>\n

Sooner or later, I persuade your hat to be exactly the right size.\u00a0Everything measures as it should. Joy reigns throughout the land. Celebratory\u00a0music is sometimes played. Dancing may occur.<\/p>\n

While I have been blocking your hat, your sweatband was made to size. I then\u00a0use your actual sweatband, instead of a size test band, to verify that your hat\u00a0is exactly the right size.<\/p>\n

Your sweatband is sewn into your hat by hand, using very thin needles and\u00a0fine silk thread that has been waxed with beeswax. Why do we use such special\u00a0thread. Well, I wouldn\u2019t mind telling you, but as for my competitors\u00a0(many of whom seem to read my site regularly), it\u2019s none of their\u00a0beeswax. Do kids still say that? Probably not.<\/p>\n

I shudder every time I take the sweatbands out of other hatters\u2019 hats.\u00a0Most of them sew the sweatbands in with a sewing machine and thick cotton\u00a0thread. They have punched big fat holes through the straw all around the hat. I\u00a0hate that. Lazy. Destructive. Makes re-blocking such hats a very risky\u00a0proposition. Just tear along the dotted line. I am extremely reluctant to\u00a0accept such hats for blocking. When pulling them onto the block with the\u00a0boomerang-shaped puller-down tool, I have had the entire bottom part of the hat\u00a0just tear off in my hands. That\u2019s not right.<\/p>\n

Our sweatbands have a little seam where they are joined in the back, and\u00a0that seam is sewn with a sewing machine. Nothing else is sewn with a sewing\u00a0machine. Oh, wait, for legal clarity, when the sweatbands are manufactured,\u00a0there are parts of them that have been sewn by machine. But my Montecristi hats\u00a0themselves have never experienced a sewing machine, never. Everything by hand.\u00a0Sure, it takes a lot more time, therefore it raises the prices of the hats.<\/p>\n

Our bows are shaped by hand. Even the little part that wraps around the\u00a0center of the bow, called the keeper, is shaped and sewn by hand. I\u2019ve\u00a0seen Borsalino hats with the keepers fastened with a staple!!! I am serious. A\u00a0Borsalino Montecristi hat that retails for about $1000, and the bow is stapled\u00a0in back. Shame. Maybe they stopped doing that. I hope so.<\/p>\n

I have seen other Montecristi hats with staples. I have seen Montecristi\u00a0hats with the ribbons glued on. I have seen some horrifying sights. Sometimes\u00a0in hats from brands that are global icons, sometimes in hats from the\u00a0\u201cbest\u201d hand hatters in the US.<\/p>\n

Do I think my hats are the best-blocked, best-finished Montecristi hats in\u00a0the world? I honestly don\u2019t know. I\u2019m sure there are great hatters\u00a0I\u2019ve never heard of, never seen their work. Am I satisfied that my hats\u00a0are the best they can be? Never. As long as I keep doing, I will keep learning,\u00a0and I will keep striving to make the best-blocked, best-finished Montecristi\u00a0hats in the world.<\/p>\n

When I first began my love affair with Montecristi hats more than two\u00a0decades ago, I talked with a hatter who had been blocking Montecristi hats for\u00a0a couple of decades before I even knew what they were. I have great respect for\u00a0his skills and talent. He represented himself to be the world\u2019s leading\u00a0authority on Montecristi hats. Okay. Glad I found him. What did I know about\u00a0hats? I was an advertising creative director who had gone to Montecristi on an\u00a0adventure vacation no one else cared to share. Ever traveled alone and tried to\u00a0do business without either party speaking the language of the other? I was in\u00a0no position to claim knowledge of anything.<\/p>\n

He had seen the hats I bought on that first trip to Montecristi. I asked him\u00a0to teach me more about the hats, teach me to choose better hats, teach me\u00a0everything. He erupted a stream of refusals. Won\u2019t teach anyone anything\u00a0about anything. Whoa. Hadn\u2019t expected such an extreme reaction. I\u00a0didn\u2019t want the formula for Coca-Cola.<\/p>\n

Eventually, he calmed down and his breathing returned to normal. \u201cI\u00a0won\u2019t teach you anything. But I will tell you one thing. The hats you\u00a0brought back from your first trip are some of the best I\u2019ve ever\u00a0seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good start. Two decades later, I\u2019m still learning. Does anyone know\u00a0everything there is to know about diamonds? Not likely. I don\u2019t expect to\u00a0know everything there is to know about Montecristi hats. Not ever. Not even if\u00a0I keep buying them for another two decades. As the great explorers of the 16th\u00a0century learned, you don\u2019t ever reach the end, there is always more\u00a0beyond. If you\u2019re willing to go there.<\/p>\n

13. The toughest test of all.<\/h2>\n

The hardest test to pass might be the photo test. I photograph\u00a0as many hats as possible before I send them away. I am proud of my hats. I hate\u00a0to give them up.<\/p>\n

A photographer learns to scrutinize details that one might not see\u00a0otherwise.<\/p>\n

I remember a particular photo shoot for a very high-end resort hotel\u00a0restaurant here in Hawaii, back when I was an advertising creative director. We\u00a0worked long days, every day for more than a week, to photograph three plates of\u00a0food.<\/p>\n

The head chef, back in the restaurant, could not imagine what the hell we\u00a0were doing that could possibly take so long. He came to the studio to see for\u00a0himself. He watched for a couple of hours, was amazed by our attention to\u00a0detail and subtleties, thanked us, and went back to the restaurant, where he\u00a0would obsess over details that were crucial to him and meaningless to us.<\/p>\n

Fussing over details is not a new thing for me.<\/p>\n

If a hat does not look perfect enough to photograph and show off to anyone\u00a0who will look, then it is not yet right. Many a hat goes back to the studio for\u00a0a little more work during the photography stage.<\/p>\n

Sometimes when I\u2019m packing a finished hat to ship, I see something I\u00a0don\u2019t like. Whatever it is, it has to be fixed, even if that means\u00a0starting over from the beginning.<\/p>\n

I apologize for the delay of course. Yes, it should have been perfect the\u00a0first time. I\u2019m hoping to become perfect this year. It has eluded me so\u00a0far. If you have advice which will hasten my journey toward perfection, I will\u00a0welcome it, and will give it every bit as much consideration as it\u00a0deserves.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, I will slog on, doing my best to do my best. It is very hard\u00a0work. Often frustrating. Sometimes infuriating. I am not an easy guy to work\u00a0for.<\/p>\n

A travel writer of note watched me block hats for a week, then\u00a0observed:<\/p>\n

\u201cMate, you aren\u2019t chargin\u2019 enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

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Blocking is the hand process by which a hat is given its shape. Just as a fine diamond can be enhanced or spoiled by the diamond cutter, a beautiful Montecristi hat body can be enhanced or spoiled by how it is shaped and finished. Blocking. It is such an inelegant, abrupt name for such an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":1000,"parent":86,"menu_order":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"tour-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-115","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/63"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4110,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/115\/revisions\/4110"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/86"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.brentblack.com\/cart\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}