Photos of hatters tools

[Jedwbpm]

Mr. DelMonico's father bunt old blocks in his wood stove during the energy crises of the 1970's. We still have a lot of blocks in the store.

Jeff

 

[John Galt]

Mr. DelMonico's father bunt old blocks in his wood stove during the energy crises of the 1970's. We still have a lot of blocks in the store.

Jeff

Good points, all. Need will out, and in my experience folks who grew up in wartime (and my Portuguese family members, New Englanders & farmers) waste nothing.

There were also still lots of blocks & flanges at TopHatters, so it's not like they hurt their business by doing this. When bunched tightly, there's a little more than a full cord of wood by volume.

Side Note: A "cord" of wood is 4'x4'x8' well stacked - don't let anyone tell you otherwise, and always demand to see it stacked. It shouldn't fit in a pickup truck without racks. In my neck of the woods, a "tier" is a unit of measurement equalling one row of a cord of wood, with 16" lengths (1/3 cord). Often, a purported "cord" is short by nearly a tier, and sometimes a tier is offered as a cord.

 

[TheDane]

If it could save the life of one of my grandchildren, I wouldn't hesitate a second to burn the original Danish Constitution, wrapped in the Mona Lisa! [huh]

If not extinct, I believe that "the block-burner" is a highly endangered species from inside the hat industry. I also believe, the hatter of today is fighting a whole other - and more invasive - species: The "barefoot" hatter from TFL, bidding up prices on tools and materials (not least ribbon), so "real" hatters have a harder and harder time finding used, but still useable stuff at an affordable price. Feeling like a pest is not nice, but it's often so hard not to be one [huh]

 

[Joao Encarnado]

It's a long distance from Denmark just to have the fun to burn the Mona Lisa
Having only having those two things to burn, most things would have been burned already leaving you no choice.

 

[TheDane]

My point is, that blocks were burned during severe crisis. If you have the choise between your main door, table, chair and hat block - then by all means burn the block. They are still made - though very expensive - so they are not irreplaceable relics

 

[Joao Encarnado]

Still a table or a chair would be cheaper to replace

 

[tonyb]

I have very little doubt that many, many thousands of blocks and flanges met their end in woodstoves during the 1960s and '70s, when the local hatter's shop gave every appearance of being well on its way to extinction and when escalating utility costs had many people looking for alternatives to oil and gas and electric space heating.
But then, there's little doubt that we are tossing out/recycling all order of things these days that will be worth quite a bit 40 or 50 or more years from now. Too bad we can't be certain of what those things are, and, lacking such prescience, most of us just acknowledge that we have little desire to live amidst a bunch of stuff that might (but probably won't) be worth something at some point long after we ourselves have gone to the incinerator.

 

[TheDane]

I'm often hearing myself repeat my dad's old line "Had I only known, what they are worth today!". But I would have ended up with a small farm filled with junk - an one with sellable stuff

 

[tonyb]

I once had a fantasy of acquiring a barn or two on some inexpensive land somewhere and filling those structures with cool stuff that can be had cheap now but which may be worth quite a bit at some point in the future. And that would be my legacy.
Alas, it's a complete fantasy. I can't afford to tie up money on barns and the stuff that would fill them. It would be all outgo, and I got bills to pay. Even space in a barn in some remote location is of some economic value, as is space in a closet in Midtown Manhattan.

 

[John Galt]

I once had a fantasy of acquiring a barn or two on some inexpensive land somewhere and filling those structures with cool stuff that can be had cheap now but which may be worth quite a bit at some point in the future. And that would be my legacy.
Alas, it's a complete fantasy. I can't afford to tie up money on barns and the stuff that would fill them. It would be all outgo, and I got bills to pay. Even space in a barn in some remote location is of some economic value, as is space in a closet in Midtown Manhattan.

If I had the space, I would use a trash compactor to make all of the metal I recycle into blocks (not hat blocks) and store them.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

You are seen too much those TV programs that focus on that.

 

[TheDane]

I once had a fantasy of acquiring a barn or two on some inexpensive land somewhere and filling those structures with cool stuff [...]

Not a good idea! You'd have to fill it with stuff, that at some point in the future will become cool. The hard part is to figure out, what will become cool in 30, 40 or 50 years. If anyone back in the late 60s or 70s had told me, I would evolve into a fedora-lover before I turned 60 - the answer would have been: "Not in a lifetime!". At the time, nothing seemed as foolish and outdated as my parents and grandparents clothing habits

 

[T Jones]

Not a good idea! You'd have to fill it with stuff, that at some point in the future will become cool. The hard part is to figure out, what will become cool in 30, 40 or 50 years. If anyone back in the late 60s or 70s had told me, I would evolve into a fedora-lover before I turned 60 - the answer would have been: "Not in a lifetime!". At the time, nothing seemed as foolish and outdated as my parents and grandparents clothing habits

Ha! As the old saying goes, never throw anything away. It will eventually come into fashion again.

 

[tonyb]

You are seen too much those TV programs that focus on that.

Seeing just a couple of those shows was seeing too much of them.

 

[tonyb]

Not a good idea! You'd have to fill it with stuff, that at some point in the future will become cool. The hard part is to figure out, what will become cool in 30, 40 or 50 years. If anyone back in the late 60s or 70s had told me, I would evolve into a fedora-lover before I turned 60 - the answer would have been: "Not in a lifetime!". At the time, nothing seemed as foolish and outdated as my parents and grandparents clothing habits

Indeed. As I noted in a previous post (to quote myself) ...

"But then, there's little doubt that we are tossing out/recycling all order of things these days that will be worth quite a bit 40 or 50 or more years from now. Too bad we can't be certain of what those things are, and, lacking such prescience, most of us just acknowledge that we have little desire to live amidst a bunch of stuff that might (but probably won't) be worth something at some point long after we ourselves have gone to the incinerator."

 

[John Galt]

Children's book, but with some well-researched and detailed info and great illustrations. Got it cheap on Etsy.

 

[Hatter4]

John , I have seen this book before for sale, but never bought a copy. How are the illustrations in the book?

 

[Joao Encarnado]

The cover looks nice and I think the illustrations inside are the same kind.

 

[humanshoes]

My search for #52 blocks is finally over. Just paid dearly for these four on the bay, though still cheaper than I can make them. Sizes 7, 7 1/4, 7 3/8, and 7 5/8. I already had the 7 1/8 and 7 1/2 so I should be good to go for most men's sizes in the #52 style. Also bought this really cool little Scandinavian style travel iron that I think will make a great crown and brim iron. Shape reminds me of the old sad irons and the block style wooden handle is very user friendly.

 

[John Galt]

Very nice! Congrats on this purchase, and the launching!