ANILINE DYED
A process reserved for fine qualtiy of leather. The water-soluble aniline dye thoroughly penetrates the leather, permanently fastening the colour. Aniline dyed leather is relatively pure. No other finishes or pigments are applied. This process enhances leather’s inherent qualities, showing off the natural grain.
BRINING
Brining preserves the leather until it is treated. Washed hides are placed into large containers and kept moving constantly until the brine penetrates the skins.
The concentration of salt is kept high by continually adding salt to the brine solution. The leather is then taken out and dried, ready for shipping.
DYEING
Leather dyeing goes back to ancient times. Early processes were complicated and the range of colours were limited. The advent of aniline dyes at the end of the last century made the process simpler. It became possible to dye leather virtually any shade.
FLESHING
Excess flesh and fatty substances are removed by a mechanical process.
GRAIN
The top layer of leather next to the epidermis, where the fibres are extremely fine, shows the natural pores and grain pattern of the leather.
LIMING
Liming removes the hair roots and epidermis in a solution of lime, caustic soda and strong alkalis, exposing the grain layer without damage to the dermis.
MINERAL TANNING
This process is commonly used to manufacture most upholstery leather. Mineral tanning creates a leather product that is soft and supple and more suitable for upholstery than vegetable tanning. The tanning agents are mineral compounds.
SCUDDING
This historical pre-tanning process originally involved placing the leather on a rounded board and running a rounded knife over the grain to remove remaining hair.
SHAVING
Shaving levels the leather’s thickness. If a leather hide’s thickness is too great, or uneven, it is put through a machine that presses the fleshside of the leather against a rapidly revolving cylinder set with curved blades.
SOLE LEATHER
A vegetable tanned product specifically created with the correct density and durability for making shoe soles.
TANNING
Tanning is the process that turns animal hides into leather making it usable for myriad applications. The term tanning is derived from the Celtic “tannum”, the tannic acid in tree bark.
VEGETABLE TANNING
Vegetable tanning leather tiles uses this traditional method of tanning, which is a six-week process. Natural vegetable tanning is the oldest method of tanning leather and is still considered one of the best. Extracts from many hundreds of plant species have been shown to have a tanning effect. This method of tanning utilizes environmentally friendly tanning agents (ie.Tree bark) that are less harmful to the environment.