Sounds menacing doesn’t it? And it looks like a medieval torture device. So, what is this instrument? How is it used? And what does it tell the bespoke hat maker to do?
In the first stage of the process the conformateur is placed on the head and positioned at about the mid point of the forehead. Then the rectangle shaped piece of paper that has been inserted into the jig on the top is punched by pins when the receptacle is closed.
The pin points mirror the shape of the head.
To get the shape transmitted into a form that can be used by the maker another instrument is used. The piece of paper is inserted into this mechanism that includes a series of spring levers that encircle the paper print and is bolted down into position.
Once the shape has been transmitted from the clients head, to the paper, to the second apparatus, it can now be used to shape the hat.
The conformateur is used to make all kinds of bespoke hats. Its use is particularly important in the proper shaping of hard hats such as top hats, and Cokes (aka Bowlers.)
I learned some interesting things from the conformateur. I have two points at the temples that are narrower then the rest of my head. And this is what had always caused a bit of unsightly gaping at the temple that loosened the fit of the hat. That should no longer be a problem when the Alden trilby is done in a few weeks. Stay tuned.
Cheers
Michael Alden
