A STICK UMBRELLA IN THE MAKING

The manufacturing process has changed very little over the last few years and we are pleased to say neither has our staff.

Our stick maker and gold mounter (George) has been with us for 40 years and his experience is unmatched anywhere in the world. Our head cutter (John) has just celebrated 50 years service with us and his experience is unparalleled. These skills have, of course, been passed on to the rest of our craftsmen and women. We have over the years updated our methods and adapted to modern materials and fashion trends. This is why we believe we still make the best umbrellas in the world.

This was proven back in January 1990, when The Times newspaper selected various umbrellas and put them to a test in a wind tunnel at Cranfield Aerodynamics Laboratory. We are proud to say that our Gents and Ladies umbrellas came first and second in the best overall performance and were rated the highest. They withstood wind speeds of 25.3 mph and neither were damaged in any way.

So the journey begins…

Workshop

First the sticks arrive and are checked for any blemishes.

Then the cutouts are made into the stick ready for springs to be added.

Now the end on the umbrella is sanded down for the ferrule to be added.

The springs are hand made on each stick from spring tension wire and they are individually fitted to each stick.

Holes are then drilled and ‘pins’ are fitted to hold the springs in the correct position.

Stopper pins are fitted to the end holes, these pins stop the umbrella from turning inside out in windy conditions and give the umbrella a spring effect so that the ribs don’t break.

All the work so far is inspected.

The sticks now require the ribs to be fitted, 8 ribs are fitted to each stick (again the ribs are fitted by hand). A special wire is fitted through the 8 ribs and this in turn is fitted to the runner.

The umbrella is inspected (again) and the next stage begins.

Cutting

Once the type of pattern has been chosen John has to cut the cloth.

These are then checked for marks before being sewn.

Making the covers

The 8 sections are now sewn together.

They are now checked and then tipped (tips keep the covers on the ends of the ribs).

Fitting the covers to the frames

The covers can be hand sewn or machined to the frames depending on the style of umbrella.

Prevents are fitted to keep the covers in good condition and rosettes are fitted to the top. Both rosettes and prevents protect the cover and ribs from going rusty over the years.

Ironing

This is an important phase as well. When the umbrella has been ironed, it is left open to dry. At this point it is rolled into its first shape on the frame and this determines how the umbrella rolls up in the future. Just look at a Fox umbrella and you’ll see what we mean!