The general description of the actual sewing of a straw hat, whether by hand or machine, must be followed by the statement that when sewn the hat is invariably in a limp condition, that is it is quite unfit for general wear. There are some few plaits, when made into hats, so firm in their consistency as to require little or even no assistance to keep them in shape. These shapes are mainly of the “floppy” order, and are designed either to wear as “picture” hats or to be manipulated in such a manner as to make a “toque” effect. From the earliest period of making hats for fashionable wear, and that certainly is not more than two centuries ago, some process was necessary to keep the hat, whether woven or sewn, in the required shape. The first methods were by the insertion of a kind of wicker foundation, which allowed the shape to be moulded to it; and by similar materials threaded through the rows of the plait, or being attached thereto by sewing; also by fine wires which were utilized in the same way as the wicker. Whalebone was also used as a support, and in the construction of the huge hats common during the Georgian period, cardboard and buckram were used. But all these articles, effective though they might have been, were of such great weight that means were sought to find a medium that would give the desired result without increasing the weight. One must remember that with the use of whole straws a hat of large size would be very heavy without the addition of wicker, wire, or buckram, and when, during the craze for French fashions which followed the signing of the Treaty of Amiens, smaller hats came into vogue, such strengtheners made the hats look clumsy and distorted. The genius, whether Briton or foreigner, who discovered the use of glue or gelatine for the stiffening of straw hats, is unknown, although it is very probable he or she was French. (When the writer was apprenticed to a firm of hat makers in Paris in 1877, he was given to understand that the first gelatine process for hats was used in Paris. If the name of the inventor was given, he has entirely forgotten it, but to the best of his recollection no name was mentioned.) But other materials such as starch and isinglass had been tried, but none found entirely satisfactory until the use of glue was adopted. Gelatine is a fine variety of glue, and was developed first by the French glue makers; among the foremost of whom were Coignet FrÈres, of Lyons, founded in 1818. The manufacture of gelatine is now almost universal, but Messrs. Coignet still retain a very high credit for their wares. It is quite probable that either some glue used for joinery or gelatine bought for cookery purposes was first tried on straw hats by the inventor, and doubtless with such success that it was speedily taken up by all straw workers, and to-day no other medium is used for the stiffening of actual straws.

That used for the purpose is specially made, and is in varying qualities of strength and colour. For white goods gelatine of the purest colour is necessary, while for black or dark colours, a gelatine of dark biscuit tint is generally used, as its price is materially less than that of the better colour. The main requirements in a gelatine are 1st, colour; 2nd, no tendency when being used to froth; 3rd, when dry an elastic and firm result. The second condition is probably the most necessary, as although gelatine is capable of being reduced with water to such a degree of fluidity, that it affords the best medium for penetrating the straw and giving it the required strength, if the quality is not good the mixture when used will froth like soapy water, and thus have a tendency to leave a snaily appearance on the hat.

The method of preparation for “stiffening,” as the process is termed in the trade, is by soaking the gelatine in cold water for a sufficient term to enable it to become quite soft and flaccid, and afterwards with heat to melt it down in its softening bath. The weight of gelatine and quantity of water vary according to different formulae for the “stock” mixture, and “stiffenings” of lesser strength are made by the addition of water to a certain quantity of the “stock.” In almost any hat for ladies, the crown is stiffened with a weaker solution than the brim, and therefore two strengths are generally provided for this purpose. Two methods are adopted by the workers for stiffening straw hats, “sponging” and “rolling.” The former consists, when the hat is on the wooden block, of sponging the hot gelatine on to the straw with a “dabbing” motion, and when the plait is thoroughly saturated, using a warm, nearly dry sponge to clear all surplus from the surface. The latter method is effected by rapidly dipping or “rolling” one or more hats into the gelatine bath, and then allowing them to drain, afterwards placing them singly on the block and sponging out the superfluity of gelatine. The first way is generally used for the highest class work, as when well done there is less tendency for the dried hat to crackle and a decided inclination towards a resilient finish. But the second plan is very successful on some materials, and being much quicker to effect is generally practised among manufacturers handling large quantities. It has one advantage, it can be done by less skilled or careful operatives than the “sponging,” which needs careful attention.

The straw boater for men during its stiffening is often soaked in the “stiffening” bath for an appreciable time in order that the gelatine may thoroughly soak into all the fibres of the plait; but that also, when it emerges, is sponged over to remove excess.

The general plan of stiffening a single piece hat (ladies’ hat) with gelatine is for the operator to place the crown of the hat correctly on the wooden block. The sponge having been dipped into the proper bath, the crown is evenly and thoroughly saturated with the gelatine. It is then “dry sponged” to clear the surface, and the operator carefully arranges the rows to synchronize with the edges of the block and with each other. Withdrawing the crown block, the hat is next put on the brim block, and the sponging and arranging operations are repeated, but in the case of a wide brim the “stiffening” used is from a stronger solution bath. Before the sewer hands over the hat to the “stiffener,” the hat has to be “strung,” i.e. a fine thread is so attached to it as to afford a convenient means of hanging the hat up to dry, and when the stiffener has finished his operation he suspends the hat on a wooden rod, which is placed near him in a convenient position. These rods are from 3 ft. to 4 ft. long, according to individual needs, and about 1 in. square: on the longer ones from four to six hats can be hung, and when full the rod is placed in a suitable rack with covering overhead, but in a position freely open to the air.

The best results are obtained from natural air drying, whether by wind or by a mechanically arranged draught from a centrifugal fan, but in cases of time pressure, where goods are wanted quickly, recourse is made to a drying room, which warmed either by fire or by steam heated coils is able to ensure a dry heat, by which the moisture in the hats is soon evaporated and the gelatine allowed to set. This plan is only useful in extremity, for in the early stages while the moisture in the hats is at its greatest volume, the gelatine has a tendency to run towards the lowest hanging portions of the hat, with the result of uneven strengths; and further, when the moisture is driven off, the gelatine retained is rendered more or less brittle, losing entirely the much desired toughness and resiliency. Another point against drying by heat is that it requires a stronger, and therefore more costly, solution of gelatine to be used, in order to counteract the wastage caused by running and the weakness consequent on the dried up gelatine.

The above methods are those in use for all straw, tagal or hemp, and for all chip plaits. It is also used for real horsehair crinoline, but the imitations of this article being of viscose, cellulose, or similar foundation fibres, require special mixtures of gelatine with some acid, such as acetic, to harden the fibre and prevent it shrinking or dissolving, and with some volatile fluid such as methylated spirit, to encourage the rapid evaporation of the stiffening and thus reduce to a minimum the deteriorating effects of a liquid of any kind on the artificial fibres.

Another method of stiffening these susceptible plaits is by some mixture of a resinous nature, preferably that of shellac dissolved in spirit. This method has, of course, several variations which are jealously guarded by the inventors, but the foundation of all of them is on the above lines. In these cases the “stiffening” or really “proofing” (for it is, of course, waterproof) is applied with a brush and care has to be used not to clog the interstices of the fabric. There are many disadvantages to the use of this medium, and its use is not general.

Cotton fibre plaits are generally stiffened with a gelatine solution similar to the viscose method, but another process was evolved for black cotton hats, by which a resinous solution after application was burned off in a blocking machine, combining at the one time the dual processes of stiffening and blocking. This, however, can only be taken advantage of when the particular variety of machine, with spelter male and female blocks, was available. (This will be described under the head of Blocking.)

These, in the main, are the “stiffening” methods in use in the straw hat trade as it is to-day, when the materials used for hats are prepared to their final appearance stage before being sewn, but in the early days of the trade when the finished plait was quite crude as compared with that of this century, some methods were utilized during stiffening to alter or improve the colour of the hat or bonnet. The earliest attempt in this direction was the production of a white colour on straw. It has been shown in previous chapters that the early bleachings simply improved the natural colour of the straw, and did not remove its yellow tinting. But it was found possible during the stiffening to carry the improvement a stage further. This was done by the mixture of some acid, such as oxalic, sorrel and other similar chemicals, in the gelatine bath. These had a dual effect, they kept the gelatine from returning gradually to its pristine browny-yellow tint, and when the hat was stiffened the chemically treated “stiffening” was more easily affected in the bleaching by the fabrics of sulphur. (Incidentally one may remark that the addition of a similar chemical action to that produced by the above-mentioned acids, will materially improve the colour of even the darkest tinted gelatine.) But even under all these improvements, plait could not be made as white as fashion demanded sixty or seventy years ago. Attempts were made to produce the required article by making plait similar to “twist” or “Luton” with the straws plaitted inside out, that is the two splints used for each straw were laid with the outsides of the straws together, leaving the inside of the straw, or “rice,” which is much paler in colour, on the outside of the plait. This, when bleached, was materially whiter than that with the silicate outside, but it did not come up to the required standard. A method was introduced called “Enamelling” or “Compoing,” which consisted of a paste made of starch, or isinglass, or gelatine, mixed with various white powders, making when ready for use a thickish whitewash. This provided both stiffening and colouring to the hat.

But this in itself was an additional weight, and as all plaits with heads made the proper distribution of the enamel very difficult, some smoother and lighter medium had to be found. “7 ends Split” was the chosen plait, and for several years enamelled split bonnets were a most fashionable feature. The modus operandi was to spread the “enamel” or “compo” over the outside surface of the bonnet or hat, in a perfectly even manner, so that when dry it presented the appearance of being evenly whitewashed. The final touch was given by ironing the hat very carefully on the block, with a bare iron not too hot; this imparted a slight glaze, which, if unscorched, was really very fine. Various other media have been used at different times for stiffening straw hats, such as dextrine and other farinaceous products, and resinous and other gums, soluble in spirit or in water. Machines have been utilized for stiffening, but the little advantages therefrom were so overweighted by the disadvantages, that they have never obtained any popular support and to-day it is probably not too much to say that every straw hat is stiffened actually by hand.