tannage" may be desirable, whilst for coarser and larger grains paddles or drums may be more extensively used. Amongst the finishing processes dyeing holds an important position. The nature of the process has many points of similarity with that of tanning. The great specific surface of pelt is probably more enhanced than otherwise during tannage, at any rate with light leathers, owing to the isolation of fibres, and consequently leather is as liable as pelt to exhibit adsorption. The dyestuffs, on the other hand, are substances very easily adsorbed. Some (like eosin and methylene blue) are crystalloids, some (like fuchsin and methyl violet) are semi-colloids, whilst others (like Congo red and night blue) are undoubted colloids forming sols (usually emulsoid) with water as dispersion medium. The crystalloids and semi-colloids may also be obtained in colloidal solution, sometimes being so changed on the mere addition of salts to the solution. In addition, the pelt has been mordanted with tannin. If, however, leather has been kept long in the rough-tanned or "crust" state, this may not be so effective, owing probably to the secondary changes in tanning (Part I., Section III.), but such leathers are usually "retanned" or prepared for dyeing by sumaching (which process also incidentally bleaches). The tannin mordant assists materially in the fixation of the dyes. In the case of basic dyestuffs, lakes also are formed, _i.e._ there is a mutual precipitation of oppositely charged colloids (+dye, -tannin). The dyeing of leather is thus a case of colloid reactions even more complicated than that of tanning. Another finishing operation typical of the light leathers is "graining" or "boarding." In this the skins after dyeing and drying are worked by a board which is covered by cork, rubber, perforated tin or other material, and so grips or "bites" the leather. The object of "graining" is to work up the grain pattern by pushing or pulling a fold on the skin with the board. The nature of the grain varies with the thickness and the hardness of the skin, with the amount of pressure applied, with the nature of the board, with the direction of the boarding and with the total number of directions boarded. There is thus infinite scope for variety of finish, and hence arise bold grain, fine grain, hard grain, straight grain, cross grain, long grain, etc. The operation requires considerable skill and experience. In the case of skins with little natural grain (such as sheepskin) embossing and printing machines impress the desired pattern.