REPORT by Elly Stemerdink Aluminium Hat Blocks


Whereas most milliners and hat makers use wooden blocks to make their one-off designs or small production runs, in hat factories aluminium hat blocks are used on the blocking machines as they can be heated and are much more durable. Although this is an essential tool for the hat industry, there are only two aluminium block makers left in Europe: Boon & Lane in the UK and Gerardi Hatblocks in Italy.


Gerardi Hatblocks


Every worker focuses on a specific step in the production process


Aluminium block manufacturer Gerardi Hatblocks was founded in 1874 by the Morganti family. Based in Signa, just west of Florence, the company was taken over by the grandfather of the current owner Roberto Gerardi in 1986 and it has been in the family ever since. It is no coincidence that Gerardi Hatblocks is located in this region of Italy, as the town is situated within Florence’s historical hat industry area. Entering the workshop, however, you do not


The models that are used for the creation of the sand moulds in the boxes are usually made from plaster, but resin can be used for creating these models as well. Plaster and resin


46 | the hat magazine #97


are the only two types of material that are suitable for this process because they both have a smooth surface and both are strong enough to withstand the pressure of the sand in the box


get the impression that the company is part of a disappearing industry, as half of the total number of eight staff are no older than their early 30s. As the trade is not taught anywhere anymore, the young apprentices are all trained by Roberto himself within the company. “The production process involves a lot of


different steps, so becoming a skilled all-round aluminium hat block maker takes at least ten years,” Roberto says. “The process starts with the creation of a plaster model based on, for example, a sketch, a picture, a wooden block, or a prototype from an existing hat that we receive


Photos by Piet de Meijer & Elly Stemerdink


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