Leather: From the Raw Material to the Finished ProductAdcock, K. J.
History
Leather: From the Raw Material to the Finished Product
Adcock, K. J.
Leather
The best known of the fancy leathers is "morocco." This variety has
been made for ages, and the name probably originated from the fact
that very fine leathers of this kind were manufactured in Morocco a
few centuries ago. History records that a similar leather, dyed red,
was made in the ninth century before the Christian era.
The best morocco leather is made from Continental goat skins, which
are mostly obtained from Central Europe and Spain. The Norwegian goat
skins are also said to be of good quality for the morocco finish. An
inferior morocco leather, which is produced in large quantities, is
manufactured from East India goat skins, while a cheaper grade still
can be produced from certain classes of East India sheep skins. The
real moroccos are tanned in sumach, but the cheaper sorts are tanned
in India with babool or turwar bark and re-tanned in sumach in the
countries to which they are exported, chiefly Great Britain, Germany,
France, and America.
One of the best methods of sumach-tanning goat and calf skins is
that known as the "bottle" tannage. Each skin is doubled over and
sewn by machine round the edge, leaving part of the neck unsewn. The
skins are then turned inside out and filled with a strong infusion of
sumach, and floated in a tub containing sumach liquor. After being a
few hours in the tub, the skins are heaped one above the other in a
large pile, where the pressure forces the tannin through the skins.
The process can be completed in twenty to twenty-four hours, after
which the skins are cut open, rinsed, and finished in the usual
manner. This method of tanning is now largely replaced by the use of
paddle-vats (Fig. 25).
The dyeing and finishing are somewhat similar to that of coloured
boot upper leather, except that the leather is slightly oiled
on the grain instead of being fat-liquored. There are several
different methods of graining morocco leather; some of the grains
are made naturally by pressing the leather, when folded over, with a
cork-covered board, while others are first embossed in various ways
and then boarded. The well-known "crushed morocco" is produced by
glazing the grained leather under heavy pressure.
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