I will delve into the specifics of what each machine brings to the table in due course but let me start first with Mike Miller’s perspective. Mike argues that introducing a machine into the hat making process does not diminish the hand made aesthetic. After all, one is hardly placing the hat into a machine and waiting for a finished hat to magically pop out of the other side! The skill of the experienced maker is still required to operate the machine and ensure it performs its task well.
As I have outlined, there are two things to consider when discussing the addition of machinery to the craft of hat making. Production efficiencies and the overall finish/ finesse of the hat.
The machinery
The following five machines are the most common ones found in hat making shops and the ones most sought after.
• Sweat band sewing machine • Crown iron • Brim plater/press • Sandbagger • Block spinner/crown pouncer • And finally - the finger blocker
The gadget that garners the most interest from the new hat maker is the sewing machine designed specifically to sew in leather sweat bands. It takes an average of one hour to sew in a sweat band by hand, but this can be reduced to a matter of minutes with the help of a machine, saving vast amounts of time. Having spoken with many new hatters, the task of hand
The vintage Singer 107-1 is the holy grail of sweat band sewing machines, with the contemporary ASM 1107 coming in very close behind. But I have to add the caveat that the learning curve on these machines can be long and frustrating. I have spoken to hatters who have broken down in tears at the frustration they experienced during the sometimes long and challenging path to proficiency. Once mastered, the efficiencies in production are certainly there, but at a cost of $2,000 to $4,000.
The Crown Iron is next on many hatters’ list. The crown iron is a machine that rotates the crown whilst an iron is pressed against it allowing the hatter to perform other steps
sewing the leather sweats into the hats is the one thing they find most vexing, frustrating and annoying.
Crown iron
in the hat making process at the same time. The consensus is that, it too, offers mostly efficiencies over improved product. It saves the hatter a great deal of time and relieves the tiresome and mundane activity of pressing out the crown. However, this machine comes in at a cost of $8,000 to $10,000 or more.
The third item, and one that I covet greatly, is the Brim Press or Brim Plater. The brim plater is essentially a heated, hydraulic press and it is almost essential if you are working exclusively with heavier, stiffer, western weight felts. The hat brim is placed into the machine and then pressed between two thick aluminium plates with about 2000 psi (pounds per square inch) pressure exerted on the brim. Within minutes you have a perfectly flat brim. Not only that but the felt is compressed, creating a tighter, smoother finish. I recall Mike Miller telling me what a game changer it was when he purchased his first brim plater. Rather than hand pressing his brims with a 35lb iron (a lengthy, imperfect and arduous process), he could achieve almost perfect results with the machine in under
HATalk | APR 2026
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