History of the Skin

Leather has been a very useful raw material since the beginning of humanity. Thanks to it, man was able to survive the most extreme periods of climate.

During the Stone Age, the culture of leather working began. It was then that clothing, stores and supports for religious representations began to be produced. Later, by “accident” primitive man learns how to preserve it; near the sea with curing by salting or curing by drying in the sun, and when the fire dominated, curing by smoking was carried out.

In natural laboratories with the fermentation of tannins that destroy hair keratin, the skin is transformed into leather. With the discovery of bronze and later iron, other processes appear that give rise to an endless number of useful objects.

Types of leather

  • Bovine
  • Calf
  • Goat
  • Equine
  • Ovine
  • Pig
  • Otter
  • Chinchilla
  • Crocodile / Alligator
  • Reptiles
  • Fish

Treatment

Treatment

Type of treatment

Characteristics

Applications

Rawhide Drying with salt Rigid texture Drums
Leather with aluminum It is tanned with aluminum It is very white and not very resistant Scrolls
tanned with brains With animal brain fat Very soft and flexible (suede). Multiple textures Saddlery and pre-tanning
Vegetable tanned With tannins and vegetable ingredients. It oxidizes with air and light, giving it a brown color and darkening. It is not stable in tone or consistency if it gets wet or changes temperature. Textures: multiple Saddlery and pre-tanning
chrome tanned It was invented in 1858, it is the most used. With salts and chromium acid Texture: soft, flexible and waterproof Multiple


Post tanning treatment

Treatment

Characteristics

Applications

cooked leather It sinks and the collagen fibers shorten. It is immersed in water if it is rigid. It is introduced into boiling wax or fat, it is more flexible Bookbinding, furniture and sculpture
oiled leather Replenishes natural oils. Gives durability
dyed leather Dyes such as aniline, translucent colors, acrylic dyes, uniform colors. Covered with one or several layers of polyurethane varnish
Patent leather It waterproofs the leather and makes it more resistant. Resistance: light, scratches, repellent