...About Leather Hides...

About Leather Hides:


Most of our leather hides are "Chrome-Tanned". Chrome salts are used with
other ingredients in the first tanning process. This process dissolves the
hair and unwanted fats from the raw hide that was originally purchased from
the Meat Cutters. Now you end up with what's called "Wet Blue".

The leather hides are then split into the desired thickness. Now you have
two pieces. The most desired "Top Grain" at a uniform thickness and the
by-product called "Splits". While the Top Grain part is used for
upholstery, shoes and boots, handbags, sneakers and more, the less desired
Splits are used as suede, plated suede and such.

Some Wet-Blue Top Grain leather hides are kept whole for upholstery leather
and others are sided (cut down the back bone) for easier handling during the
2nd "Re-Tanning" process. With the leather hides in the wet-blue state,
they can be stock piled for shipping all over the world as long as they are
kept moist.

The Re-Tanning process is where the leather hides are colored into the
particular types and colors. Conditioning the Re-Tanned leather depends on
the final use. For soft garment and upholstery to handbags and the heavier
boots and utility belts. The final steps now are the Finishing of the
leathers with a numerous sort of methods.

An interesting note is the raw hides are purchased from the Meat Cutters by
the pound. The tannery that Chrome-Tanned the hides also sells by the
pound. After the Re-Tanning and Finishing, the leather hides are sold by
the square foot and ready to cut into the final use.