DELIMING

After the hair and debris has been cleaned from the skin, hides are delimed in a vat of acid. After the lime has been pulled from the skin, hides are treated with enzymes, which smooth the grain of the leather and help to make the resulting product soft and flexible.

TANNING

Hides and skins are often treated several times during the process of tanning. Which type of tanning procedure is used, depends largely on the hide itself and the resulting product intended.

VEGETABLE TANNING

Hides which have been tanned with a vegetable tanning agent solution produce flexible, but stiff leathers, such as those used in luggage, furniture, leashes, belts, hats, and harnesses.

Vegetable tanning consists of stringing hides on large frames, located inside large vats, and exposing them to tannin, a natural product found in the bark, wood, leaves and fruits of chestnut, oak and hemlock trees. Hides are transferred to many different bins during this step, each containing a stronger solution of tannin. Vegetable tanning prevents the skin from decay and shrinkage.

MINERAL TANNING

Mineral or chrome tanning is performed on skins which will be used for softer, stretchier leathers, such as those found in purses, bags, briefcases, shoes, gloves, boots, jackets, pants, and sandals.

Hides which are tanned with minerals are pickled first in an acid and salt mixture. From there, hides are soaked into a chromium-sulfate solution. This process is much faster than vegetable tanning, and is usually a 1-day project.

DYEING PROCESS

Depending on the desired product, the hides then go through a dyeing process, which also involves adding moisture back into the skin. Hides which have been vegetable tanned are bleached and them soaked with oils, soaps, greases and waxes to make them more pliable.

ROLLING

Rolling leather running the skins through a machine, which works to firm the leather to make it stronger.

After the rolling process has finished, leathers are stretched, where they dry out in a heat controlled room.

FINISHING COMPOUND

The final step in the tanning process involves finishing the skin. This is done by covering the grain surface with a chemical compound and then brushing it. Light leathers are buffed and sandpapered to cover imperfections. Leathers which are buffed for long periods of time become suede.

Waxes, pigments, dyes, glazes, oils, waxes and other solutions are also added to make the leather more appealing to the buyer.