Production Processes: East Timor

Production processes
Drying of leather in East Timor
Ancient leather tanning in Fes, Morocco
Tanned leather in Marrakech
Modern-day tannery in Leon, Mexico.

Main article: Leather production processes
The leather manufacturing process is divided into three fundamental subprocesses: preparatory
stages, tanning, and crusting. A further subprocess, finishing, can be added into the leather
process sequence, but not all leathers receive finishing.
The preparatory stages are when the hide is prepared for tanning. Preparatory stages may include
soaking, hair removal, liming, deliming, bating, bleaching, and pickling.
Tanning is a process that stabilizes the proteins, particularly collagen, of the raw hide to increase
the thermal, chemical and microbiological stability of the hides and skins, making it suitable for
a wide variety of end applications. The principal difference between raw and tanned hides is that
raw hides dry out to form a hard, inflexible material that, when rewetted, will putrefy, while
tanned material dries to a flexible form that does not become putrid when rewetted.
Many tanning methods and materials exist. The typical process sees tanners load the hides into a
drum and immerse them in a tank that contains the tanning "liquor". The hides soak while the
drum slowly rotates about its axis, and the tanning liquor slowly penetrates through the full
thickness of the hide. Once the process achieves even penetration, workers slowly raise the
liquor's pH in a process called basification, which fixes the tanning material to the leather. The
more tanning material fixed, the higher the leather's hydrothermal stability and shrinkage
temperature resistance.
Crusting is a process that thins and lubricates leather. It often includes a coloring operation.
Chemicals added during crusting must be fixed in place. Crusting culminates with a drying and
softening operation, and may include splitting, shaving, dyeing, whitening or other methods.
For some leathers, tanners apply a surface coating, called "finishing". Finishing operations can
include oiling, brushing, buffing, coating, polishing, embossing, glazing, or tumbling, among
others.
Leather can be oiled to improve its water resistance. This currying process after tanning
supplements the natural oils remaining in the leather itself, which can be washed out through
repeated exposure to water. Frequent oiling of leather, with mink oil, neatsfoot oil, or a similar
material keeps it supple and improves its lifespan dramatically.[5]
Tanning methods
Main article: Tanning (leather)
Tanning processes largely differ in which chemicals are used in the tanning liquor. Some
common types include:
 Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned using tannins extracted from vegetable matter, such
as tree bark prepared in bark mills. It is the oldest known method. It is supple and light
brown in color, with the exact shade depending on the mix of materials and the color of
the skin. The color tan derives its name from the appearance of undyed vegetable-tanned
leather. Vegetable-tanned leather is not stable in water; it tends to discolor, and if left to
soak and then dry, it shrinks and becomes harder, a feature of vegetable-tanned leather
that is exploited in traditional shoemaking. In hot water, it shrinks drastically and partly
congeals, becoming rigid and eventually brittle. Boiled leather is an example of this,
where the leather has been hardened by being immersed in boiling water, or in wax or
similar substances. Historically, it was occasionally used as armor after hardening, and it
has also been used for book binding.[6][7]
 Chrome-tanned leather is tanned using chromium sulfate and other chromium salts. It is
also known as "wet blue" for the pale blue color of the undyed leather. The chrome
tanning method usually takes approximately one day to complete, making it best suited
for large-scale industrial use. This is the most common method in modern use. It is more
supple and pliable than vegetable-tanned leather and does not discolor or lose shape as
drastically in water as vegetable-tanned. However, there are environmental concerns with
this tanning method, as chromium is a heavy metal; while the trivalent chromium used
for tanning is harmless, other byproducts can contain toxic variants. The method was
developed in the latter half of the 19th century as tanneries wanted to find ways to speed
up the process and to make leather more waterproof.[8][7]
 Aldehyde-tanned leather is tanned using glutaraldehyde or oxazolidine compounds. It is
referred to as "wet white" due to its pale cream color. It is the main type of "chrome-free"
leather, often seen in shoes for infants and automobiles. Formaldehyde has been used for
tanning in the past; it is being phased out due to danger to workers and sensitivity of
many people to formaldehyde.
o Chamois leather is a form of aldehyde tanning that produces a porous and highly
water-absorbent leather. Chamois leather is made using oil (traditionally cod oil) [9]
that oxidize to produce the aldehydes that tan the leather.
 Brain tanned leathers are made by a labor-intensive process that uses emulsified oils,
often those of animal brains such as deer, cattle, and buffalo. An example of this kind is
buckskin. Leather products made in this manner are known for their exceptional softness
and washability.
 Alum leather is transformed using aluminium salts mixed with a variety of binders and
protein sources, such as flour and egg yolk. Alum leather is not actually tanned; rather the
process is called "tawing", and the resulting material reverts to rawhide if soaked in water
long enough to remove the alum salts.

Production Processes: East Timor

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Production Processes: East Timor

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Production processes

Drying of leather in East Timor

Ancient leather tanning in Fes, Morocco

Tanned leather in Marrakech

Modern-day tannery in Leon, Mexico.

Main article: Tanning (leather)

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