Traditional smith's cap

[beth]

bill- no problem or trouble to send you a hat - but they vary in price and quality so much.... i will see if i can send you some links of sites here that sell that trad looking old skool style :)

[Sweany]

Thanks for the dadscaps link! B)

[beth]

ps am personally loving the flair and imagination of sam and jk around the workshop - thumbs up guys ! might have to try to compete for best hat.....

[Mainely,Bob]

Um, no, it's not at all like the "gloves, no gloves" thread. People don't wear gloves because of concern that they may cause extra injury, or interfere with the ability to perform a task. This is absolutely not the case with motorcycle helmets.

Helmets do, in fact, protect against impact above parking-lot speeds. To think otherwise is to misunderstand the mechanics of the vast majority of motorcycle accidents, and the injuries that the helmets are designed to prevent or mitigate.

Sorry to rant, but the decision to wear a helmet, or to legislate (or not) should be made on accurate information, not on urban legend.

For the record: I'm pro helmet, and anti helmet law.

OK,care to point to supporting evidence put out by qualified independent organizations not funded by insurance companies so I can educate myself?
I was getting my education from motorcycle rights organizations literature but I stopped looking about 10+ years ago.Has the DOT certification process changed since then?

[forgemaster]

Stikes me funny that you warn about using cotton or wool and yet you don't wear a helmet when riding your bike. Texas is a 'no helmet' state also and most of the guys I work with that ride will take the shortest way through a state where they have to wear them. Desn't matter to me, I just thought it was humorous..

Yeh if you don't need a head you don't need a helmet. I thought that was funny too, that guys will worry about wearing a hat to protect their head when in the workshop but don't see the need for one when flying down the road on a balistic missile at 100 MPH with other things coming the other way and going across in front of you.

Wierd.

[bhanna]

I don't know about traditional, but i tend to wear a tophat when blacksmithing. I figure it makes up for the mangled junk i produce by making me look distinguished while doing it.

As for the motorcycle helmet thing, one saved my brother's life. Something went wrong with his bike and he flew into the air and landed on his head. He ended up in the hospital with some bad head injuries, but he's back to normal. His helmet was completely totaled though. Definitely would be dead without it. They may not save you from everything, but for the crashes where they will save you, it's probably better to have it.

[Jymm Hoffman]

18th. century pattern workman's cap is one I like to wear or a modern welder's cap with the bill cut off.

[canada goose]

A knitted toque is great but it should be pure wool of course.

[Frank Turley]

Kromer Caps sell the balloon top, wildly colored welder's caps. They also have wild beanies without the bill.

A couple of old Oklahoma welders told me that the balloon style came about in the 1940's, when a guy complained to his wife that when he did 'overhead,' he got gradoo in his ears. He requested that his wife make a cap that he could pull over his ears. She agreed, but it was Sunday and the dry goods stores were closed. Looking around the house, she was able to scrounge some crazy colored material, and so began the making of the crazy colored welder's caps.

I always saw Whitaker wearing the black, quilted welder's caps. He said he got them from J C Penny's.

You can google baseball umpire's caps, and find short billed, dark colored ones.

The "Greek Fisherman's cap" is available, but may be a little pricey.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

[CurlyGeorge]

Sparks in the hair? Hmmmm. Don't have THAT problem!!! :D

[Dragons lair]

OK,care to point to supporting evidence put out by qualified independent organizations not funded by insurance companies so I can educate myself?
I was getting my education from motorcycle rights organizations literature but I stopped looking about 10+ years ago.Has the DOT certification process changed since then?

Don't think dot has changed in 40 yrs. Well they now say if your pot falls off the seat you should replace it due to damage.
Ken.

[CurlyGeorge]

Bob, sorry for rocking the cart here. But speaking as an EMT with 16 years in the back of an ambulance, the vast majority of victims that I have worked on, from motorcycle accidents, that were not wearing helmets had serious head trauma. That is by MY independant study. Each person has the right to make their own decision to wear or not to wear a helmet. Me, I WEAR A HELMET!!!

[Mainely,Bob]

Bob, sorry for rocking the cart here. But speaking as an EMT with 16 years in the back of an ambulance, the vast majority of victims that I have worked on, from motorcycle accidents, that were not wearing helmets had serious head trauma. That is by MY independant study. Each person has the right to make their own decision to wear or not to wear a helmet. Me, I WEAR A HELMET!!!

No problem George.
At least here in Maine it`s still a matter of choice.
I`t`s when other people get to mandate or limit my choice that things go off track IMO.

I remember the instructions we used to get with new Kevlar helmets in the Army.They had a place to record the number of bullet impacts and you were required to turn the helmet in for direct replacement after a certain amount of bullets caught .
The reactions from new soldiers were priceless.I had one recruit come up and ask what it meant.I told him it was a way for us to track who needed remedial training on how to keep their head down. <_<

[CurlyGeorge]

We're still a "Your Choice" State, in Illinois, too.
Bet the look on there face was priceless, Bob. :D

[Dodge]

These caps were very popular for many welders were I used to work. They fit well under a helmet; worn with the bill forward or back, depending on you preference or situation. They are 100% absorbent cotton, but never had one catch fire. (Usually got too saturated with sweat ) : Kromer Caps

Edit: Just saw Frank Turley's Post after I posted Sorry, Frank. But it just goes to show you; great minds think alike

Scott

Edited October 6, 2010 by Dodge

[unkle spike]

I wear a Engineers cap much like my Grandpa Phillips wore in his shop, I can't tell if his was striped or not, there may be stripes under a bunch of dirt.
The attached photo was from around 1940.

Julius Scott x sml.bmp

[petere76]

Bill,

Try looking for a "Landry Cap". they are basically a welders short brined, all cotton cap and very heavy duty. Some were done in multiple colors so you would not loose it too easily. The ones I used to see were sold in and around port Arthur Texas and they were favored by the metal trades and the Engineers on ships.

Peter

[Frosty]

I forgot to mention where I get mine. The welding suppliers I've been into carry both the kind I usually wear and the quilted type. I usually make em give me one when I buy more than $50 worth of welding stuff.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Bentiron1946]

We are rather casual in the work place now but in times past you were expected to dress the part. If you were a trained machinist you took some pride in your work and wore a white shirt, tie, vest, coat, and slacks to work. You were a professional and dressed the part. Now it seems that you can wear just about anything. When I was young lad and started as a draftsman I had to wear a dress shirt, tie and slacks. My friends that have stayed in that field now go to work in jeans and tee shirts. So what is an appropriate hat to wear in the shop for a blacksmith, anything you want to keep the sparks, slag, dirt, whatever out of your hair. I just usually wore a sweat band cause it was so danged hot out here. :blink:

[philip in china]

I can hardly believe the amount of correspondence that this has generated!

I always wear a hat outdoors and always wear one in the smithy. Usually either a baseball type cap or more often a bush hat. I keep both sides fastened up and always have a pair of plug ear defenders in the creases.

Try a look at this site if you would like to see more:

http://www.kphats.com/

[fciron]

I can hardly believe the amount of correspondence that this has generated!

Philip,

It's because it says 'traditional' in the subject line. Nothing generates controversy like tradition. :)

[Frosty]

I can hardly believe the amount of correspondence that this has generated!

I always wear a hat outdoors and always wear one in the smithy.
http://www.kphats.com/

Gee Phil, some of us aren't bald, or just don't care.

Frosty the Lucky.

[shortdog]

Stikes me funny that you warn about using cotton or wool and yet you don't wear a helmet when riding your bike. Texas is a 'no helmet' state also and most of the guys I work with that ride will take the shortest way through a state where they have to wear them. Desn't matter to me, I just thought it was humorous..

Safety first!

[archiphile]

I've done some Google searches on this topic and I get hideous synthetic baseball caps, weird gamer caps and other stuff, but nothing like the short-billed or no-bill cotton or wool caps worn by blacksmiths in the last 150 years. Anyoen have a source?

I would be happy to knit you a cap. Seriously.

[Frank Turley]

I was curious and got online...found out that some caps are available in the Women's Wear accessory areas of department stores. Really!

Today, I went to Target, J.C. Penny, and Ross. Target has a black cap with elastic in back and a short bill: "Newsboy Hat Black/95291 @$9.99. It has a mix of materials, not pure cotton or wool. Ross had a 100% cotton black cap, short bill, similar to those quilted welder's caps (see Francis Whitaker): D&Y Brand @$5.99. J.C. Penny did not have a very good selection in my city, but they do show a few on line. These caps are sometimes called "newsboy" and sometimes called "mod caps."

Some of the mail order sites say "Fits Most," but I wouldn't buy a pig in a poke. I'd want to try it on in person.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools