When the Panama Hats are finished from weaving, they are taken for ironing. Ironing the Panama Hat is one of the procedures that are required to complete the whole process of making the Straw Hats. To iron the hat, you need tools like several forms made out of woods, leather belts and sulfur powder. These wood forms are shaped into several types, which is used for putting the panama hats on to iron. The planchador is the person who takes up the job to iron the Panama Hats.
What they do is fit the Panama Hat into the form and put on the leather belt on top of the hat’s crown. The belt is made very tight and then it is pushed through on top of the hat till it reaches far bottom of the wood form. When it is done properly, the Panama Straw Hat is wiped with the sulfur powder. The ironing begins at that moment. Ironing the Panama Straw Hats is not an easy job as it looks like. The planchador puts a piece of cloth between the hat and the iron. This is the way a Panama Hat get its ironing.
Ironing the Panama Straw Hat takes a lot of muscle work. It is not ironed the way a cloth is done. While ironing, the planchador will push hard as he goes. You need to put some strong effort while ironing. The ironing of the Straw Hat is done all over-from the hat crown to that of the side and that of the brim. Meanwhile, the planchador often rub the hat with sulfur powder as he does the ironing. It takes a great hand and mastery to iron the Panama Straw Hats. A master planchador always brings out the best ironed Panama Straw Hat. You can always tell the finishing touch of an artist.
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