HOW IS A
SHEET OF
LEATHER MADE?
The first step is fleshing the animal. There are a variety of animals that can be used for leather, ranging from livestock such as; pigs, goats and sheep, to more exotic animals like kangaroos, snakes and crocodiles. The most commonly used animal for making leather though, is cattle. The hide can either be removed by machine, or cut off by hand. It is important that this step is done with care to prevent any damage to the hide. A good yield would result in 90% of the hide being used for leather, anything below 60% would usually be considered a bad yield. Sometimes this step is skipped as the hides can come straight from the meat industry. The best way to get a good yield is to make sure the cattle are good quality, e.g. no branding, no injuries, and no scars on the hide.
FLE S
HIN G
DID YOU KNOW?
The best quality cows come from Italy, Denmark and Germany. This is because there are stricter care regulations, meaning there are few visible marks from injuries or ill health.
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After fleshing, the hide needs to be preserved. This is achieved through a process called ‘salting’. This process must be completed within the first few hours to prevent the decomposition of the hide, which would render it useless. Firstly, the hides are covered generously in a thick rock salt – approximately a pound per hide before being folded and stored in pallets for up to a month.
DID YOU KNOW?
The optimal temperature for salting is between 40-70 degrees? When the temperature drops below 40° the process begins to slow. Above 70 and the hair follicles can be damaged, reducing the quality of the finished leather.
Salting drains the skin of excess bacteria and fluids, and prevents rotting or decomposing. It is essential that the salt used is fresh and not reused, as salt that has been used previously to preserve a hide is ‘saturated’ with micro-organisms from the previous skin, and therefore will not guarantee a successful preservation on a new hide.
S A L T I N G
SHAV This stage is where the hair is removed, with the same tool used for scraping the flesh from the hide.
VING
To loosen the remaining hair from the now preserved hide, it is now soaked in a solution of water and a small amount of calcium hydroxide. During this process, proteins and keratin are also removed from the skin, cleaning and improving the quality of the hide prior to completion. This ‘bath’ is known as bating.
DID YOU KNOW? The weight of leather is measured in ounces per square foot.
LIME BATH
N N TA
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G N I N
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The hide is placed into another drum, and the desired dye is added (typically diluted with water). The hide is then left for at least eight hours to ensure an even coating of the dye. Once dyed, A machine called a ‘staker’ can soften the leather by stretching it and lubricating it with natural oils.
DID YOU KNOW? Although most leather products are brown or black, the natural colour is a very pale tan. If the leather isn’t tanned, it will eventually darken over time.
DYEING
Once the entire tannage/ dyeing process is complete, the leather is now hung over a wooden horse or put into a vacuum chamber to dry. If the skin is not drying evenly, a wet rag should be used to re-moisten the dried-out areas, to prevent uneven stretching/ tearing of the leather. A softening oil is applied several times throughout the drying process for a smoother finish to the leather.
DRYING
By Phoebe Kerfoot & Robyn Jefferson