Leather can be made into a variety of products. The leather can be fashioned into a variety of products including footwear, outer apparel, belts, upholstery, suede products, saddles, gloves, luggage, purses and other recreational items. For Mens Handmade Leather Belts, consider hipandwaisted.com/handmade/mens-leather-belts
The tanning process gets its name from tannic, the agent which displaces the water from between the protein fibres of the hide and clings them together. The oldest tanning method, vegetable tanning, still has a lot of importance. The tannin-rich parts of plants are used to extract the tannin. These include the roots, barks, leaves and seed husks. The material extracted is then processed into tanning liqueurs, and hides are soaked until sufficiently tanned in drums or vats of increasing strength.
Mineral tanning is preferred for most lighter leathers. It uses minerals and salts to produce a supple, flexible leather. This method can reduce the tanning time to a few hours or days. Chrome Salt, but also Aluminum, and Zirconium salts are used.
Oil tanning, an ancient method, is a process in which oil, and other fatty substances, are pounded into a dried hide, until the moisture has been replaced by the original skin. Oil tanning is primarily used to produce chamois, a porous soft leather that can be repeatedly soaked and dried. The tanning agents used are a variety of synthetic compounds derived from hydrocarbons and phenols.
The final step in the leather-making process, after the tanning, is the processing of the pelts. After the pelt has been tanned, it is thoroughly dried, then dyed with the desired colour. Common methods include spraying, drum dyeing and brush dyeing. The leather is then treated with a mixture of oils and greases to improve its softness, strength and ability to shed moisture.
After stretching, the leather is dried in an air dryer or tunnel. The leather is stretched, softened and coated with a grain coating to increase its resistance to abrasions, cracking and peeling.
