Making Felt Hat Bodies at Winchester Hat Corporation

See the felt hat body making process in action as Richard Beene takes the Hatted Professor on a tour of the Winchester Hat Corporation's felting plant in Winchester, Tennessee. Starting with raw fur, Winchester makes felt hat bodies for Western and Dress hat custom hatters all over the United States. Richard Beene started with Hat Corporation of America in the mid-1960s, and continued on with Winchester Hat Corporation after HCA closed their hat business in 1972. Includes a brief discussion of the forming of the Cavanagh Edge for hats.

Because the factory noise is so loud, the Closed Caption transcription is a close as it can be, and it a good way to watch this video the first time through.