1.
Goat Skin
2. Sheep Skin
3. Cow Hide
4. Buffalo Hide
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The
most confusing term used within the
leather industry is the term 'top
grain'. Ironically, 'top grain' is
the definition generally used when
the grain is not genuine; when, in
fact, the real grain has been taken
away and an imitation grain embossed
into the leather. When the genuine
grain remains, the leather is called
'FULL Grain' or 'FULL TOP Grain'." |
The
better the quality of a hide of skin,
the less it has to be treated. In
a premium quality hide or skin the
full natural grain is retained and
exposed. One should see the "fat
wrinkles," the natural markings,
and the feel or hand should be supple
and natural to the touch. |
Although
calfskins are finer than the hides
of older animals, they are equal in
durability and abrasion resistance
because the fiber structure of calfskin
is denser, tighter and stronger than
that of cowhide. (Some disparity in
opinion exists over the relative quality
of European hides and skins versus
American hides or skins. However everyone
agrees that hides or skins in descending
order of quality are: calfskin, premium
cowhide, premium suede, select cowhide
and production run cowhide.)
|
Transforming
hides and skins into leather is done
in three basic phases: pretanning,
tanning, and finishing. Whatever is
done to a piece of leather after it
is tanned is part of the finishing
process. This may include: dyeing,
rolling, pressing, spraying, plasticizing,
lacquering, antiquing, waxing, buffing,
snuffing, embossing, glazing, waterproofing,
stain proofing, flame proofing, or
any other post-tanning treatment.
Full-grain leathers are color-treated
only by transparent aniline vegetable
dyes which shade or color the skins
without concealing or obscuring natural
markings or grain character. Most
furniture leathers have been treated
with a coating of pigmentation to
help even out the color.
Although many finish applications
are administered for purposes other
than altering or masking the surface
of the leather, all applied opaque
finishes and airtight surface sealants
should be held suspect. Genuine, natural,
unpigmented and unplasticized leather
will breathe and ventilate, thus wicking
away body heat. If upholstery leather
is able to breathe, it can absorb
moisture, be nourished, and remain
soft and pliable. If the surface of
the leather has been plasticized,
as is the case for most automobile
upholstery, the leather cannot breathe
and may become stiff and boardy.
|
| Leather is a
material created through the tanning
of hides, pelts and skins of animals.
Leather was a very important clothing
material, and its other uses were legion.
Together with wood, leather formed the
basis of much ancient technology. Leather
with the fur still attached is simply
called fur. |
|
Today,
most leather is made of cow hides,
but many exceptions exist. Lamb and
deer skin are used for soft leather
in more expensive apparels. The leather
made from some more exotic skins has
during different times in history
been considered very beautiful. For
this reason certain snakes and crocodiles
have been hunted to near extinction.
In the 1990s, farming of ostriches
and emus for their meat became popular.
As a side product, ostrich leather
became a fad for a while. Ostrich
leather has a characteristic "goose
bump" look because of the large
follicles from where the feathers
were. |
| |
|
Kinds
of Leathers
Stand with heels togather,
and measure around the fullest part
of your hips.
|
 |
| ALLIGATOR |
| Alligator, crocodile,
and related types. |
|
| BOVINE
|
| A cow, ox, or
closely related animal. |
|
| BUCKSKIN
|
| Deer and elk
skins, having the outer grain removed.
|
|
| BULLHIDE |
| Hide from a male
bovine, capable of reproduction. |
|
| CABRETTA
|
| A hair-type sheepskin;
specifically those from Brazil. |
|
| CALFSKIN |
| Skin from a young
bovine, male or female. |
|
| CAPESKIN |
| Skin from a sheep
raised in South America. |
|
| CARPINCHO |
| A water rodent
native to South America; like pigskin.
|
|
| CATTLEHIDE
|
| General term
for hides before tanning from a bovine
of any breed or sex, but usually mature;
includes bullhide, steerhide, cowhide
and sometimes kipskins. |
|
| CORDOVAN
|
| From a section
of a hide called the shell. |
|
|
| COWHIDE |
| Hide from a mature
female bovine that has produced a calf. |
|
| DEERSKIN |
| Deer and elk skins
having the grain intact. |
|
| DOESKIN |
| From sheep or lambskins,
usually with the grain removed. |
|
| FLESHER |
| The underneath (flesh
side) layer of a sheepskin which has been
split off. Used to make chamois. |
|
| GOATSKIN |
| Skin from a mature
goat. |
|
| HAIR SHEEP
|
| Sheep from several
species whose "wool" is hair-like.
|
|
| HEIFER |
| A female bovine, under
three years of age, that has not produced
a calf. |
|
| HIDE |
| The whole pelt from
large animals (cattle, horses, etc.). |
|
| HORSEHIDE |
| Hide from a horse or
colt. |
|
| KANGAROO |
| From the Australian
kangaroo or wallaby. |
|
| KIDSKIN |
| Skin from a lamb, or
young sheep. |
|
| KIPSKIN |
| Skin from a bovine,
male or female, intermediate in size between
a calf and mature. |
|
| LAMBSKIN |
| Skin from a lamb or
young sheep. |
|
| LIZARD |
| Any of a great number
of the lizard family. |
|
| MOCHA |
| Middle-East hair sheep,
usually with the grain removed. |
|
| OSTRICH |
| From the two-legged
animal native to North Africa. |
|
| PECCARY |
| From a wild boar native
to Central and South America; like pigskin.
|
|
| PELT |
| An untanned hide or
skin with the hair on. |
|
| RAWHIDE |
| Untanned skins or hide.
|
|
| RAWSTOCK |
| General term for hides
or skins that a tanner has received in a preserved
state, prepatory to tanning; a tanner's inventory
of raw material. |
|
| SHARKSKIN |
| From certain of the
shark species. |
|
| SHEARLING |
| Wooled sheep and lambskins,
tanned with the wool intact. |
|
| SHEEPSKIN |
| Skin from a mature
sheep |
|
| SKIN |
| The pelt from small
animals (calf, sheep, goat, etc.). |
|
| SKIVER |
| The thin grain layer
split from a sheepskin. |
|
| SNAKE |
| Any of a number of
the snake species. |
|
| STEERHIDE |
| Hide from a mature
male bovine, incapable of reproduction, having
been raised for beef. |
|
| WALRUS |
| Skin from a walrus;
also, sometimes sealskin. |
|
| WATER BUFFALO
|
| Flat horned buffalo,
primarily from the tropics. |
| |
| General Terms
|
|
ALTERED LEATHER
Leather that has had the original surface
of the skin or hide removed, (usually due
to imperfections in the original grain surface),
and a new grain embossed into the leather.
This is also called corrected grain. Most
top-grain leathers have altered or corrected
grain. |
|
ANILINE
The name given to the particular transparent
dye used to color dyed leather. |
|
| ANILINE LEATHER
|
| Leather that has been
dyed through with aniline dyes. Pure aniline
leathers represent approximately 5 percent
of all upholstery leathers produced worldwide.
Sometimes topped with a protein, resin, or
lacquer protective coating; can also be waxed.
|
|
| BARK TANNED
|
| See "Vegetable
Tanned" |
|
| BASEBALL LEATHER
|
| Leather used for the
covers of baseballs. Prior to 1974 baseballs
were covered in horsehide; today most baseballs
are covered in cowhide according to standards
set by Major League Baseball. |
|
|
| BELTING LEATHER |
| The vegetable-tanned
leather used in the construction of furniture
and other strength-related requirements. |
|
| BLUE, IN THE |
| The state of hides
or animals being "chrome" tanned
after they have been removed from the tanning
solution. Chromium salts cause the tanned
hides to be light blue before they are dyed. |
|
| BOARDED LEATHER |
|
| Leather softened by
creasing the grain by folding to and fro across
the hide, either by hand or boarding machine. |
|
| BOAR DY |
| An adjective applied
to stiff, inflexible leather. This term is
not to be confused with boarding, which is
the process of softening leather. |
|
| BRUSH COLORED |
| The application of
dyestuff to leather with a brush, the leather
being laid on a table. |
|
| BUFFED |
| Leather which has been
abrased or sueded. This can also be referred
to as snuffed, nubuck leather, or grain-sueded
leather. |
|
| CASE LEATHERING |
| A general term for
leather used in traveling bags and suitcases.
The staple material for case leather is bovine
hides. |
|
| CENTER CUT SUEDE |
| A suede split that
has had the edges trimmed to leave the bends
and the shoulder, leaving the best and most
usable part, or the center of the material. |
|
| CHROME TANNAGE |
| Leather tanned in chromium
salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate resulting
in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent
color variety. Currently the most widely used
tannage in the USA. |
|
| COMBINATION
TANNAGE |
| Leathers tanned with
more than one tanning agent, such as chrome
and vegetable together, resulting in both
softness and body in skins. |
|
| CORDOVAN |
| Leather made from the
tight, firm shell portion of horse butts.
Cordovan has very fine pores and a characteristic
finish, and is very durable. |
|
| CORRECTED GRAIN |
| The outside skin is
sanded or abraded to minimize faults. It is
then pigmented to cover the sanding and printed
with an artificial grain. A spray sealer topcoat
is then applied. Corrected grain material
is usually called top grain leather. |
|
| CROCK (noun) |
| The coloring matter
that rubs off of poorly dyed leather. |
|
| CROCK (verb)
|
| To transfer color of
rubbing. |
|
| CROCK PROOF |
| Leather, suede or fabric
that has been treated to prevent color from
rubbing off. With suede, this term also means
to treat to prevent shedding or rubbing off
of fibers. |
|
| CRUST |
| Leather which has been
tanned but not finished. Such leathers referred
to as being "in the crust." |
|
| DEGRAINED LEATHER |
| Leather from which
the grain has been removed after tanning,
by splitting, abrading or other process. |
|
| DOUBLE BUTT
SUEDE |
| A term sometimes used
to mean center cut suede. |
|
| DRAWN GRAIN |
| Shrunken, shriveled,
or wrinkled grain surface of leather. |
|
| DRUM DYING |
| The application of
dye stuffs to leather by the immersion of
the leather in a drum that is tumbled. This
process allows full dye penetration into the
fiber. |
|
| EMBOSSED LEATHER |
| Usually corrected grain,
in which a pattern is applied by extreme pressure
in a press to give a unique design or imitation
of full grain characteristics. Sometimes leathers
are embossed to make them appear to be another
leather, such as embossing an alligator pattern
into cowhide. |
|
| EMBOSSED, FANCY |
| A fancy or geometric
pattern is impressed into the leather. |
|
| FAT WRINKLE |
| Wrinkles in the grain
of leather caused by fat deposits in the animal
that create beauty in the leather. Fat wrinkles
are not visible in imitation grain leather. |
|
| FINISH |
| A surface application
on the leather to color, protect, or mask
imperfections. More specifically, all processes
administered to leather after it has been
tanned. |
|
| FULL GRAIN |
| The term used for the
outside original skin or hide which has had
the hair removed, but otherwise has not been
corrected or altered. Full-grain leather possesses
the genuine original grain of the animal. |
|
| FULL HAND |
| Leather which is full-bodied,
such as some combination tanned leathers and
fine vegetable-tanned upholstery leather.
Also called round hand. |
|
| GLAZED FINISH |
| Similar to an aniline
finish except that the leather surface is
polished to a high luster by the action of
glass on steel rollers under tremendous pressure. |
|
| GLOVE LEATHER |
| A term used to describe
soft leather used for gloves, which is normally
lambskin. The term is also used by some to
define soft leather. |
|
| GRAIN (LEATHER) |
| The outside of the
hide or skin consisting of the pores, wrinkles
and other characteristics which constitute
the natural texture of the leather. |
|
| GRAIN CHARACTER |
| The natural markings
on the surface of the leather. |
|
| GRAIN, EMBOSSED |
| An artificial grain
pressed into the surface of top grain leather
from which the original grain has been removed. |
|
| GRAINED LEATHER |
| Any leather on which
the original natural grain has been changed
or altered by any method, process or manipulation;
also top grain. |
|
| GRAIN SUEDED |
| A process of sueding
the grain side of the skin to achieve a buffed
or sueded condition. See "Snuffed". |
|
| HAND |
| A term used in the
leather industry to describe the feel, i.e.,
softness or fullness of upholstery leather. |
|
| HEAVY LEATHER |
| A somewhat indefinite
term, generally understood to include vegetable-tanned
sole, belting, strap and mechanical leathers
made from unsplit cattlehides. |
|
| IMITATION |
| A variety of materials
which have been made to resemble genuine leather.
The great bulk of these are rubber or plastic-coated
fabrics. It is unlawful to use terms connoting
leather to describe imitations. |
|
| LEATHER |
| animal skin which has
been preserved and dressed for use. |
|
| LEATHERETTE |
| A manufactured product
which imitates leather. |
|
| LEATHERY |
| Tough. |
|
| MATTE FINISH |
| A flat or dull finish. |
|
| MINERAL TANNED |
| Leather which has been
tanned by any of several mineral substances,
notably the salts of chromium, aluminum, and
zirconium. |
|
| NAKED LEATHER |
| A leather with no surface,
impregnated treatment of finish other than
dye matter which might mask or alter the natural
state of the leather. |
|
| NATURAL GRAIN |
| A leather which retains
the full original grain. |
|
| NUBUCK |
| A brushed, grain-sueded
leather. |
|
| OAK TANNAGE |
| Originally, the tannage
leather occurred almost entirely with oak
bark, later the term applied to tannage with
a blend containing oak tannin. Now it is loosely
applied to any tannage of leather with vegetable
extracts. |
|
| OIL TANNED |
| Leather tanned with
certain fish oils. Produces a very soft, pliable
leather such as chamois. |
|
| PATENT LEATHER |
| Leather with a glossy
impermeable finish produced by successive
coats of drying oils, varnish, or synthetic
resins. |
|
| PATINA |
| A surface appearance
of something grown beautiful, especially with
age or use; an appearance or aura that is
derived from association, habit, or established
character. |
|
| PERFORATED |
| In leather, the process
of die cutting small holes to form a pattern.
The holes can vary in size, density and pattern. |
|
| PIGMENTED |
| A process of coloring
and coating in the leather surface with colored
pigments dispersed in film-forming chemicals
called binders which can be tailor-made to
produce surfaces that are highly resistant
to wear, fading, etc. Leather that has been
sprayed with a pigmented, opaque finish. This
is usually done to cover imperfections in
leather. |
|
| PLATING, PLATED
LEATHER |
| Pressing leather with
a heated metal plate under high pressure.
Most furniture leather is usually sanded,
pigmented and plated to cover imperfections. |
|
| PRODUCTION
RUN |
| Cheaper, ungraded leather
sold to manufacturers for use on furniture. |
|
| RECONSTITUTED
LEATHER |
| Material composed of
collagen fibers obtained from macerated hide
pieces, which have been constructed into a
fibrous mat. |
|
| RETAN |
| A modifying secondary
tannage applied after intermediate operations
following the primary tanning. |
|
| ROUND HAND |
| A full-handed leather,
usually slightly swelled as with vegetable
tanning. |
|
| SADDLE LEATHER |
| Vegetable-tanned cattlehide
leather for harnesses and saddles, usually
of a natural tan shade and rather flexible. |
|
| SHRUNKEN GRAIN
LEATHER |
| A full, natural-grain
leather which is shrunken to enlarge and enhance
the grain of the leather. |
|
| SHOULDER LEATHER |
| The thickest part of
the hide from the shoulder area of the cow. |
|
| SIDE |
| Half a hide cut along
the backbone. |
|
| SIDE LEATHER |
| Grain leather which
has been cut in half, forming two "sides"
in order to better accommodate tannery equipment. |
|
| SKIVE |
| To shave, slice or
divide, to peel into a thin layer. |
|
| SNUFFED |
| The grain surface is
abraded with brushes, emery wheel or sandpaper.
Leather is snuffed for the purpose of removing
defective grain, or for sueding the surface
of the leather. |
|
| SPLIT LEATHER
(SPLIT) |
| Skin sliced in layers
to give uniform thickness to the piece (grain
side). Split leather (inside) is trimmed and
finished as suede. Cheap leathers are sometimes
pigmented splits with embossed imitation grain. |
|
| SPLITTING |
| Cutting leather into
two or more layers, or cutting leather into
two sides preparatory to tanning. |
|
| SPREAD |
| size of a skin measured
by machine in square feet. |
|
| STRAP LEATHER |
| Heavyweight vegetable-tanned
leather used for industrial purposes, or to
support seats and backs on certain types of
seating. |
|
| SUEDE |
| Leathers that are finished
by buffing the flesh side (opposite the grain
side) to produce a nap. Term refers to the
napping process, and is unrelated to the type
of skin used. See "Split Leather". |
|
| SUEDING |
| The process of raising
fibers on the grain side of a hide or skin
to give a velvet nap effect. This is generally
called "nubuck" or "grain suede." |
|
| TABLE DYEING |
| The application of
dyestuff to leather with a brush, the leather
being laid on a table. Also called brush coloring. |
|
| TABLE RUN |
| which are not graded.
See "Production Run". |
|
| TANNIN |
| Any various solvents;
astringent substances of plant origin used
in tanning leather. |
|
| TOP GRAIN |
| The term intended to
define genuine grain leather, as opposed to
split leather which has been pigmented and
embossed with a new grain. In reality, top-grain
leather usually has had the original grain
removed and an imitation grain embossed into
the surface. |
|
| TRIM |
| The removal of parts
of a skin or hide not suitable for making
leather, such as portions on the outer edges. |
|
| UNFINISHED
LEATHER |
| Normally defines aniline-dyed,
naked leathers with no additional application
intended to finish, color or treat in a way
that would alter the natural characteristics
of the leather. |
|
| UPHOLSTERY
LEATHER |
| A general term for
leather processed for use in furniture, automobiles,
and airplanes. |
|
| VAT DYEING |
| An older method of
dyeing leather sometimes confused with drum
dyeing. |
|
| VEAL CALFSKIN |
| An upholstery leather
skin averaging 30 square feet of premier quality. |
|
| VEGETABLE TANNING |
| The conversion of rawhide
into leather with a greater body and firmness
than the more general method of chromium tanning. |
|
| WEIGHT |
| The weight of leather
is measured in ounces per square foot. |
|
| WICK |
| To absorb and dissipate
moisture and heat through the fiber structure
of the leather |
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