The beautiful Nord'Ways materials: Leather
- 3th May 2016
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“From skin to leather…”
The skins are changed into leather in tanneries, they go through different transformation processes before they can be used for leather goods, the manufacture of shoes and clothing.
Stage 1: “River work”. This is the tanning preparation stage. We start with the “quenching” or we dehumidify the skin then we move on to “hair removal-pelenage” to remove the hairs from the epidermis. Then it's "swapping" where the remains of fat and flesh are mechanically removed. Finally, "deliming" which completes the work of the river.
Step 2: “Tanning” is the operation intended to transform the skin into leather using a solution of tanning agents to make it rot-proof. The type of tannins used will define the leather obtained.
Step 3: “Finishing operations”
- The saw that will generate a more or less thick crust of leather.
- The release allows to refine the thickness of the flowers and crusts.
- The dyeing as its name suggests, consists in dyeing the leathers in the bath of the fullers.
- The drying is carried out by circulation of hot air in the dryers and under vacuum.
- Sanding makes it possible to obtain suede or nubuck leathers.
- Currying prepares the leathers for the final finishing step
Step 4: “Finishing”
This is the last step which will consist in giving the leather specific characteristics such as shine, mattness, etc.
Finishing is done either by spraying or lint
The graining makes it possible by plating the leather to represent a multitude of homogeneous patterns over the entire skin.
Leather is animal skin! Depending on the animal, there are different leathers varying in quality. Sheep leather, for example, is a beautiful, fairly fine leather that is perfect for small leather goods. Lamb is a very fine and delicate leather mainly used in gloves and clothing. With the goat we get a fine leather of good quality with a slight grain. Pig, on the other hand, is a very beautiful leather, naturally light in color. Cow and calfskin are thick leathers with a plain and shiny grain, it is the leather most used in leather goods and shoes.
At Nord'Ways we pay particular attention to the selection of our materials. If you want to know more, do not hesitate to contact us!