Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

Cardboard for a mould and paper mache.

AwesomeO said:

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

Cardboard for a mould and paper mache.

I reckon you could find something in a place like Cheap As Chips or Reject Shop, in their section with wrapping paper and boxes and stuff. They often have some really nice cardboard boxes in there. You would have to either take the hat or a list of dimensions and a tape measure with you.

kryten said:

AwesomeO said:

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

Cardboard for a mould and paper mache.

I reckon you could find something in a place like Cheap As Chips or Reject Shop, in their section with wrapping paper and boxes and stuff. They often have some really nice cardboard boxes in there. You would have to either take the hat or a list of dimensions and a tape measure with you.

Yeah, hunt around the discount shops, and the craft/art supplies shops. They often have biggish-size cardboard boxes with lids.

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

I believe that may well be a Commander’s bicorn hat. Do you know the name of its owner?

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

He was just playing the odds there.

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

I hate this hat box.

sarahs mum said:

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

I hate this hat box.

I hat this hate box.

captain_spalding said:

sarahs mum said:

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

I hate this hat box.

I hat this hate box.

:)

Has Miss m tried looking on YouTube?

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

Oh, goodness. Sorry about the wrong thread thing.

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

captain_spalding said:

Cardboard for a mould and paper mache.

How would you do that? eg. what grade cardboard? Where to get that grade of cardboard? What glue? Fittings?
Lining with suede or velvet perhaps.

AwesomeO said:

I believe that may well be a Commander’s bicorn hat. Do you know the name of its owner?

It’s not quite the same style, but bicorn. Owner was mrs m’s grandfather Joseph Walter Thompson. Born 1889 in Australia. His father Thomas was born in 1842, also in Australia.

It came with a hatbox, but one made of steel that is incredibly heavy and is now 99% rust. The hat goes in the box upside down.

If you have the original box even better. Put plastic film over it and paper mache, usual ingredients, newspaper and flour glue. Same deal if you need to construct a cardboard template, cut cardboard to shape, some tape, maybe an internal brace or two whilst paper mache is being built up.

AwesomeO said:

If you have the original box even better. Put plastic film over it and paper mache, usual ingredients, newspaper and flour glue. Same deal if you need to construct a cardboard template, cut cardboard to shape, some tape, maybe an internal brace or two whilst paper mache is being built up.

That makes sense. Want a size smaller than original steel, so could cut corners off inside making it a long octagonal.

Spotlight for lining and fittings?
Office works?
Riot Art & Craft?
Hinges and hook from Bumings?

3 mm melamine is too brittle.
Polycarbonate or acrylic sheet? Too expensive?

Lots of places, even newsagents, used to sell thick cardboard for school projects, but not any more. Kids don’t do projects on thick cardboard any more.

mollwollfumble said:

AwesomeO said:

If you have the original box even better. Put plastic film over it and paper mache, usual ingredients, newspaper and flour glue. Same deal if you need to construct a cardboard template, cut cardboard to shape, some tape, maybe an internal brace or two whilst paper mache is being built up.

That makes sense. Want a size smaller than original steel, so could cut corners off inside making it a long octagonal.

Spotlight for lining and fittings?
Office works?
Riot Art & Craft?
Hinges and hook from Bumings?

3 mm melamine is too brittle.
Polycarbonate or acrylic sheet? Too expensive?

Lots of places, even newsagents, used to sell thick cardboard for school projects, but not any more. Kids don’t do projects on thick cardboard any more.

You can get 3mm MDF at Bunnings. Not difficult to knock up a box out of that.

mollwollfumble said:

My art supplyists sell suitable cardboard. Often called strawboard.

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

captain_spalding said:

Cardboard for a mould and paper mache.

How would you do that? eg. what grade cardboard? Where to get that grade of cardboard? What glue? Fittings?
Lining with suede or velvet perhaps.

AwesomeO said:

I believe that may well be a Commander’s bicorn hat. Do you know the name of its owner?

It’s not quite the same style, but bicorn. Owner was mrs m’s grandfather Joseph Walter Thompson. Born 1889 in Australia. His father Thomas was born in 1842, also in Australia.

It came with a hatbox, but one made of steel that is incredibly heavy and is now 99% rust. The hat goes in the box upside down.

I think that you’ll find that it’s an RAN officer’s bicorne hat.

A look at the NAA website reveals this:

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=5232873&isAv=N

A god start for you to request further info from NAA.

mollwollfumble said:

and I need to make a hat box for it.

Do you, though?

mollwollfumble said:

AwesomeO said:

If you have the original box even better. Put plastic film over it and paper mache, usual ingredients, newspaper and flour glue. Same deal if you need to construct a cardboard template, cut cardboard to shape, some tape, maybe an internal brace or two whilst paper mache is being built up.

That makes sense. Want a size smaller than original steel, so could cut corners off inside making it a long octagonal.

Spotlight for lining and fittings?
Office works?
Riot Art & Craft?
Hinges and hook from Bumings?

3 mm melamine is too brittle.
Polycarbonate or acrylic sheet? Too expensive?

Lots of places, even newsagents, used to sell thick cardboard for school projects, but not any more. Kids don’t do projects on thick cardboard any more.

Try Eckersley’s. I know there’s one in Prahran, which is relatively close to you, but there may be one closer.

captain_spalding said:

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

Hi all, Missy has inherited a hat that looks similar to this, and I need to make a hat box for it.

Any advice on how to make a hat box?

How would you do that? eg. what grade cardboard? Where to get that grade of cardboard? What glue? Fittings?
Lining with suede or velvet perhaps.

AwesomeO said:

I believe that may well be a Commander’s bicorn hat. Do you know the name of its owner?

It’s not quite the same style, but bicorn. Owner was mrs m’s grandfather Joseph Walter Thompson. Born 1889 in Australia. His father Thomas was born in 1842, also in Australia.

It came with a hatbox, but one made of steel that is incredibly heavy and is now 99% rust. The hat goes in the box upside down.

I think that you’ll find that it’s an RAN officer’s bicorne hat.

A look at the NAA website reveals this:

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=5232873&isAv=N

A good start for you to request further info from NAA.

Yep. That’s the right man. Right birthplace and all.

> The bicorne was widely worn until World War I as part of the full dress of officers of most of the world’s navies … some countries of the Commonwealth (notably Australia, Canada and New Zealand) continued to wear bicornes with ceremonial dress until the second half of the twentieth century.

Now that I didn’t know.

dv said:

mollwollfumble said:

and I need to make a hat box for it.

Do you, though?

Yes. Not just Xmas promise. Also necessary to stop degradation.

sarahs mum said:

My art supplyists sell suitable cardboard. Often called strawboard.

btm said:

Try Eckersley’s. I know there’s one in Prahran, which is relatively close to you, but there may be one closer.

Noted. Thanks.

Following up the hint on strawboard gave me Officeworks as possible first try. They call it “Art Board”. https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/paper/coloured-board/art-board

Thicknesses are in gsm, grams per square metre, I want high gsm. Low gsm is about 230. Canvas board wouldn’t be the right stuff, that’s what artists paint on, canvas on the front and cardboard on the back.

This one looks possible, 1000 gsm, A2 size. https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/quill-a2-1000gsm-board-white-qu90548
Possibly dampen and bend to shape, or score with a knife and fold and glue.

Or 5 mm thick polypropylene, https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/quill-5mm-pp-signboard-500-x-770mm-black-qu97800bk
But that’s foam.

Hmm. Or double thickness 300 gsm? where inner layer protrudes above outer layer to make a flush side where the lid joins the box.

mollwollfumble said:

dv said:

mollwollfumble said:

and I need to make a hat box for it.

Do you, though?

Yes. Not just Xmas promise. Also necessary to stop degradation.

sarahs mum said:

My art supplyists sell suitable cardboard. Often called strawboard.

btm said:

Try Eckersley’s. I know there’s one in Prahran, which is relatively close to you, but there may be one closer.

Noted. Thanks.

Following up the hint on strawboard gave me Officeworks as possible first try. They call it “Art Board”. https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/paper/coloured-board/art-board

Thicknesses are in gsm, grams per square metre, I want high gsm. Low gsm is about 230. Canvas board wouldn’t be the right stuff, that’s what artists paint on, canvas on the front and cardboard on the back.

This one looks possible, 1000 gsm, A2 size. https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/quill-a2-1000gsm-board-white-qu90548
Possibly dampen and bend to shape, or score with a knife and fold and glue.

Or 5 mm thick polypropylene, https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/quill-5mm-pp-signboard-500-x-770mm-black-qu97800bk
But that’s foam.

Hmm. Or double thickness 300 gsm? where inner layer protrudes above outer layer to make a flush side where the lid joins the box.

are you sure you can’t redeem the original box in some way?

I reckon you are over doing this. Just go to Reject Shop and buy a cardboard box made in China big enough for the hat to fit in. Then make it a frame to sit on, if you want it to sit upside down, and stuff the spaces with tissue paper. Ladies hats were kept in generic hat boxes, just with tissue around them.

mollwollfumble said:

> The bicorne was widely worn until World War I as part of the full dress of officers of most of the world’s navies … some countries of the Commonwealth (notably Australia, Canada and New Zealand) continued to wear bicornes with ceremonial dress until the second half of the twentieth century.

Now that I didn’t know.

The Navy’s repository on Spectacle Island in Sydney Harbour was, and still may be, quite the Aladdin’s cave. All sorts of items from ships past, and from excursions and battles in the 20th century. I got sent there to do some maintenance on weapons in the collection, including small arms e.g an AK-47 captured in Vietnam.

I got caught up in an activity where items which hadn’t been seen/touched for a long time were being ‘unearthed’ in the manner of an archaeological dig, with step-by-step photos,notes, diagrams. Even the newspapers that lined some drawers were treated as artifacts.

One thing that we ‘found’ was a full dress unifrom, folded and wrapped in tissue paper, which included a hat identical to yours, moll. That uniform is now on display in the Navy’s museum at Garden Island in Sydney.

captain_spalding said:

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

He was just playing the odds there.

well consider white guys have come up with everything , done everything, thought everything and are in the top of the field in most things it was odds on

we should have a day celebrating white guys

wookiemeister said:

captain_spalding said:

buffy said:

Mr buffy predicted the Australian of the Year would be a white guy. He was right.

He was just playing the odds there.

well consider white guys have come up with everything , done everything, thought everything and are in the top of the field in most things it was odds on

we should have a day celebrating white guys

we should have a day celebrating good white guys.

There’s been a lot of dickheads, you know.

captain_spalding said:

wookiemeister said:

captain_spalding said:

He was just playing the odds there.

well consider white guys have come up with everything , done everything, thought everything and are in the top of the field in most things it was odds on

we should have a day celebrating white guys

we should have a day celebrating good white guys.

There’s been a lot of dickheads, you know.

i tolerate dickheads until they start becoming a real problem.

Progressing quite well. Bottom of hat box done.
Still to do lid, crown spreader, suede lining, hinges, catch and handle.

Crown spreader needed because the hat is way too narrow to wear at present.

mollwollfumble said:

Progressing quite well. Bottom of hat box done.
Still to do lid, crown spreader, suede lining, hinges, catch and handle.

Crown spreader needed because the hat is way too narrow to wear at present.

Lid done and fixed, glue drying. Original lid was too short, oops.
Crown spreader done

Still to do bicorn support, suede lining, hinges, catch and handle

Done. As fas as I’m going to. The last two things I tried bade it worse, so I’m stopping here.

Original hatbox of rusty steel. Outside.

It looked better inside

Layout of new box on cardboard

How the hat fits inside the new box.

Layout for lid (left) and box ends (right)

Box end details

Hat on completed box and lid

Suede lining and hat-end supports

Gold vinyl on hat-end supports and bottom of box

The completed box with handle

Needs some black or gold braid stuck on around the edge of the lid.

:)

(Check your email again)

buffy said:

Needs some black or gold braid stuck on around the edge of the lid.

:)

(Check your email again)

Golly, yes it does.

OK, thanks.

buffy said:

Needs some black or gold braid stuck on around the edge of the lid.

:)

(Check your email again)

Gold braid added :-)

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

Needs some black or gold braid stuck on around the edge of the lid.

:)

(Check your email again)

Gold braid added :-)

:)

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

Needs some black or gold braid stuck on around the edge of the lid.

:)

(Check your email again)

Gold braid added :-)

Looks like a dismounted violin case.

PermeateFree said:

mollwollfumble said:

buffy said:

Needs some black or gold braid stuck on around the edge of the lid.

:)

(Check your email again)

Gold braid added :-)

Looks like a dismounted violin case.

Meant to say it looks like a dismantled violin.