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Caring For Leather
Below is a copy of an page that came from an old book on leather written by J. W. Waterer. Much of his advice still applies today. THE CARE OF LEATHER Before Decay's effacing fingers An Article well made of good leather is an investment and a true economy; but leather is a material which well repays a little care and attention. Treatment varies both with the type of leather and with the purpose for which it is used. The following hints may serve to indicate the general principles to be observed in order to secure maximum life and service from leather articles in common use. Bags and cases (travelling). Most leathers in common use can be washed with saddle-soap and a damp cloth. While still damp, oil with neatsfoot or castor oil. Finish, when dry, with a good wax polish. Books (leather-bound). Books in regular use will remain in better condition than Those which remain on the shelf, because a minute quantity of grease is absorbed from the hands. Books seldom used should be wiped over occasionally with a cloth moistened with a small quantity of neatsfoot or castor oil, or a good quality white shoe paste. A preparation made to, a British Museum recipe is also available. Books should be protected from direct sunlight and gas or tobacco fumes and should be kept in a dry, well-ventilated room. Clothing. Leather clothing should be dry cleaned by a firm of repute. A technique of a high order has been developed in this country and its existence is not as well known as it should be. The work is carried out by experts and no difficulty should be experienced. Grease marks can be removed from leather by rubbing the spot gently with sawdust moistened with benzine. Care should be taken not to rub hard or the surface may be damaged. Footwear. Wet leather is very sensitive to heat; great damage results from standing wet shoes near a source of heat. Wet footwear should be stuffed with newspaper and slowly dried at a temperature not above blood-heat. Footwear is best kept on trees. Generally speaking, upper leather is improved by the application of grease or oil in amount and of nature appropriate to the type. The leather should, of course, be cleaned before greasing. For ordinary street wear an occasional light application of castor oil is beneficial (this will not affect subsequent polishing) and may, with advantage, be applied when the leather is wet. For heavy duty footwear greasing with dubbin (a mixture of cod-oil and tallow) is recommended, special attention being given to the edge of the sole and the welt. Patent leather should be lightly oiled, at least once a month, with castor-oil to prevent cracking. Old fashioned 'blacking' is injurious to leather, but modern wax and turpentine polishes of reputable make are harmless: polish should be well rubbed into the leather. Suede shoes should be cleaned with a wire brush, greasy marks being removed with benzine. Tanning Hides and skins which have reached the present stage are not yet leather. Wet they would still be subject to putrefaction; dried they would be stiff, horny and translucent. The purpose of tanning proper is to bring about chemical changes which will render them imputrescible and water-resistant whilst preserving the fibrous structure from which ultimate strength and flexibility are derived. The usual methods of tanning may be considered under five headings :-- 1. Vegetable tanning through the agency of water infusions of tannin or 'tannic acid' obtained from certain barks, leaves, woods or nuts (called 'fruits'). 2. Mineral tannage, with the salts of certain minerals of which the most important are those of chromium and aluminium. 3. Oil tannage by the use of certain fish oils, of which cod-oil is the principal, which have the power of oxidising. 4. Aldehyde tannage with formaldehyde or formalin, well known as disinfectant and preservative. 5. Combination tannage, e.g. mineral and vegetable or two mineral tannages. VEGETABLE TANNAGE This tannage, which produces leather varying from pale cream to dark reddish-brown, is used for the bulk of sole, belting and harness leather, for bag, case and upholstery leathers, and for the majority of light leathers for fancy leather work. Generally speaking vegetable leathers have good substance, are well filled and comparatively free from stretch, and can be worked to bring up the natural grain or embossed with various designs. The vegetable tannage is one of the most ancient methods and it was natural that each country or locality should make use of local vegetation. Early tanners in this country used, almost exclusively, oak-bark which yields excellent leather with a pleasant, characteristic odour. In early days there were many great oak forests in this country, the size of each being calculated, for Domesday Book, according to the number of swine that could be sustained on the 'pannage' of acorns. Early tanners settled in or near these forests for the sake of the bark, and the present locality of some groups of tanneries, as, for example, in Northamptonshire, is believed to have been originally determined by this consideration. Great inroads into these ancient forests were made in the days of wooden ships which commenced with the influx of Norsemen; vast quantities were used for building, from Anglo-Saxon times onwards, and, at a later date, iron smelting consumed much of what was left in certain parts of the country. The comparatively small number of trees now remaining provide but a minor percentage of British tanners' requirements. Oak-bark tanning, applied to sole leather, was a long process, occupying up to fifteen months or more. Sumach leaf, well known in some countries bordering the Mediterranean, was introduced here, probably from Spain in Elizabethan times, and remains a very important source of tannin; it was used for light leathers and provides a pale cream colour. With the opening up of trade routes many other materials were introduced, most of which have their own characteristics, and it is the custom, today, to use blends, enabling the tanner to produce leathers of many different kinds. |
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