The secrets of leather processing
Leather processing is a fascinating and very ancient practice, dating back to prehistoric times, when man used this material to cover and cope with everyday needs. Sumerians, Greeks, Etruscans and Romans, many peoples have left us evidence of how the leather was a central part of their life and how these civilizations worked and used it in various ways.
Leather, a life partner
We can therefore say that leather has always been a precious companion of human life. It is no coincidence that it is a sought-after and widely used raw material for making garments, shoes, bags and other accessories, even jewelery. But what are the secrets to obtain high quality items, able to really make the difference?
The secret for quality items
In order to obtain high-quality objects that last over time, two things are essential:
- the choice
- the cut of the leather
After evaluating the selection and cutting of the leather, it will be subjected to conservation processes through dehydration, with the aim of keeping it in good condition, in fact, excellent condition until the tanning operations are started. Preservation can take place in various ways: by drying in air on stretched skins, salting with denatured sea salt, pickling by immersion and fulling in a bath saturated with denatured sea salt to which sulfuric acid is added.
From tanning to final processing
With the term tanning we mean the steps to which the skins of animals are subjected to make them rot-proof and transform them into leather.
Before moving on to the actual tanning operations, which serve to give the leather greater resistance to wear, maximum water resistance and maximum porosity to air and water vapor (sweat), we proceed to the preparation, washing and soaking of the skin (a treatment to eliminate foreign substances). The following steps in the processing of leather are: depilation, calcination and splitting up to trimming, deliming, degreasing, pickling and washing. These are all essential steps to achieve the desired thickness and thus create high-quality leather objects.
