TECHNICAL
The leather manufacturing process is divided into three sub processes, preparatory stages, tanning and crusting. All true leathers will undergo these sub processes. A further surface coating can be added into the leather process sequence, but not all leathers receive surface treatment as there are so many different types. We will try and not go too technical as technology advances the information changes so this is a rough outlook.
The preparatory stages are when the hide / skin is prepared for tanning which may include : preservation, soaking, liming, unhairing, fleshing, splitting, reliming, degreasing,bleaching and de-pickling. Still not bored okay, Tanning is the process which matches the protein of the raw hide or skin into a stable material and will meet the standard to use for suitable wide variety of products.
The most commonly used tanning material is chromium, which leaves the leather, once tanned, a pale blue colour ( which is commonly called wet blue ). The hides once they have been finished pickling would be loaded in a drum slowly rotating until the tanning solution slowly soaks through the full substance of the hide.
Crusting is the process when the hide / skin is thinned, retanned and lubricated. Often at this stage a colour is included in the crusting process. Crusting may also include the following operations such as wetting back, splitting, shaving, dyeing, drying, milling, staking and buffing.
The final finishing may then include, oiling, brushing, spraying, roller coating, polishing, plating, embossing, ironing for hair on hides and tumbling.
By now if you are baffled don't worry, so am. I just google the technical listings, it's much easier!
The technical side is endless and at Legend Leathers we don't want to try and go too deep but there are four types of leather sold as full grain, top grain, corrected and grain split.
For further in-depth details you can email us any time for a technical breakdown, as I am having one now!
Veg Tan leather is tanned using tannins and other ingredients found in different vegetable matter such as tree bark, wood leaves, fruits and roots. It is supple and brown in colour depending on the mix and the colour of the skin. It is the only form of leather suitable for leather carving, stamping and is not stable in water, it tends to discolour or shrink and becomes less supple
(Vegetable-tanned leather) .
At Legend Leathers we only use the skins that have been used as a bi-product of the food chain and the skin is of secondary importance. All our skins stocked are sourced from different regions of the world.
We try and source all of the above examples in the leather trade by our day to day experience in the leather industry, my personal experience in the leather field is 32 years and still learning.
Far from perfect we strive for perfection and as a company we are going from strength to strength in this fierce and competitive market.
