REPORT >> 11 Boon & Lane
The surface of the aluminium blocks is sanded until they have the right smoothness.
12
Aluminium and wood hat block manufacturer Boon & Lane was founded by John Boon and Peter Lane in Luton in 1963. In 1966 they moved their business to Taylor Street, in a neighbourhood where several millinery suppliers and hat manufacturers can still be found today. The company was taken over 22 years ago by Peter’s son Steve and his old school- mate Alan Davies, who both learned the trade from the same people that taught John and Peter.
“It’s just the two of us now,” says Steve Lane. “Alan and I run the
whole lot full-time. Steve Lane
I focus on designing the
plaster models and the foundry work, and Alan does
The blocks are assembled so they are ready to be used on a pressing machine.
the woodwork and the finishing of all the blocks, whether they are made in aluminium or in wood. But we can swap tasks if necessary.”
Collections Twice a year, Boon & Lane present a new collection of plaster designs to their customers. Almost all these designs can be made in either aluminium or wood. “When I came into the business, my father immediately put me on the plaster models, because that’s where the whole process starts,” says Steve. “It is very important to get the designs at this stage exactly right, otherwise you will never end up with a well-made finished block. When a customer decides to order one of our designs in wood, then Alan will transfer it into a wooden block for them. If they need an aluminium block, then the plaster model will act as the pattern
50 | the hat magazine #97 azine #97
At Boon & Lane red casting sand is used
for the casting process.” Customers do not just choose designs
from one of Boon & Lane’s collections; they have blocks made to measure from their own sketches, photos or sample pieces as well. As one of Boon & Lane’s specialisations is designing for occasion wear, the social calendar has a big influence on their work schedule. “When a special event such as the coronation of King Charles in May comes up, we notice that six months before as everyone will start putting in orders. We’re busy all the time, so it is a bit of a challenge to squeeze these extra orders in because we have to put them all in on top of our production run as it is.”
Casting Whereas a wooden block has to be made from scratch again every time, a plaster block can be used several times to create an aluminium block. “I can reuse a plaster block as long as the pattern stays in good condition,” Steve says. “After a few uses, the plaster will wear out and break, because you’re hand ramming the sand against the plaster block when it is in the moulding box. This causes the block to start cracking and distorting after five or six uses. If this happens, the casted aluminium blocks won’t have the right shape and therefore are not going to fit anymore. The fit of an aluminium block and its counter block is crucial as they need to have the exact right amount of clearance between them to be able to press the material in between correctly.” On a casting day, the number of moulding boxes is prepared that can be filled with one fully topped foundry, which is about five blocks. The casting sand that is used by Boon & Lane has a red colour when it is new but turns brown when it has been used several times as the casting process burns it. Besides that, it will also dry out naturally. “You can reuse the casting sand several times by keeping it rotating around and mixing it with new sand, but it will die after a few uses. Normally, once we’ve done a cast, we would spread all the sand back out and rewater it as you can reinvigorate it with water. You can’t put too much water on, though, because if
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