Leather Terms
Understanding the Leathercraft process.
Leather Terms
- aniline (an-a-lin) dyed:
- the process of coloring leathers throughout with transparent dyes.
- antiqued:
- the light application of one color over another, (usually a darker color over a lighter color) to create highlights.
- corrected grain leather:
- leather whose natural surface texture has been altered.
- drum-dyed:
- a dyeing process in which leather is immersed in dye and tumbled in a rotating drum, allowing maximum dye penetration.
- dyeing:
- the application of color, either by spraying, hand-rubbing or immersion.
- embossing:
- a process in which design is added to leathers surface by pressure to alter or enhance the surface, resulting in uniform imitation grain or unique patterns.
- finishing:
- any post tanning treatment, such as: dyeing, rolling, pressing, spraying, lacquering, antiquing, waxing, buffing, embossing, glazing, waterproofing or flameproofing.
- full grain:
- a term which indicates that leather possesses its original, natural grain; leather which has not been altered.
- grain:
- the distinctive pore and wrinkle pattern of a hide; may be either natural or embossed.
- hand:
- a term used to describe the softness or feel of a leather.
- hides:
- skins of animals, usually cattle, sheep or water buffalo.
- leather:
- a generic term for all hides and skins which have been tanned and finished.
- patina (pa-tee-na):
- a lustre that develops with time and use.
- premium select:
- a term describing hides with very few scars or blemishes, usually less than 5% of all hides.
- sanding:
- refers to the removal of grain, scars and blemishes from a hide's surface.
- semi-aniline (an-a-lin):
- leathers which have been aniline dyed then top coated with matching pigments to even out the color (also called "aniline plus").
- splits:
- underlying layers of leather, usually used for suedes, not top grain.
- splitting:
- cutting a hide into two or more layers.
- tanning:
- treating raw hides to reduce their perishability.
- top grain:
- the top surface of the hide.
- tumbling:
- a process in which hides are tumbled in a rotating drum to soften the hand or enhance the grain.