82 ANIMAL PROTEINS 



paddle liquor may be from the forward handlers. It is 

 often customary to obtain the best liquor from the second 

 leach, and allow the best leach to stand for a few days. 

 This allows the bloom to deposit in the leaches. The system 

 secures the result desired, but the deposition of bloom 

 involves a loss of tannin, which waste makes the system 

 expensive. 



Heavier dressing hides are tanned by methods similar 

 to the above, but with floaters, dusters and occasionally 

 layers added after they have passed through two sets of 

 handlers. Thus they may have first handlers (8-i8) two 

 weeks ; second handlers (40-45) for six weeks, making 

 twelve weeks in all. Lighter goods may receive two 

 rounds, being two weeks in each. 



After tanning, the kips are rounded usually into 

 butts, shoulders and bellies, to which different finishes 

 are given. The currying may be illustrated by selecting 

 types, but it must be borne in mind that there is much 

 elasticity in this matter. Thus kips may be made into 

 waxed butts, satin shoulders and lining bellies, but also 

 may be cut down the back in " sides," both of which are 

 finished limings. 



Waxed kip butts are a type of many similar upper 

 leathers (waxed shoe butts, waxed calf, waxed splits, 

 etc.). The finish is on the flesh side. The kip butts 

 are soaked carefully, and shaved by machine. They are 

 then drummed in sumach for an hour or two, slicked out 

 and sammed for stuffing. The sumaching is also the 

 scouring unless the goods be too heavily bloomed. The 

 samming is often done by machine. Drum stuffing follows, 

 wool fat and stearin being staple greases, with varying 

 amounts of degras and cod oil, and of tallow and cod oil. 

 A little paraffin wax and resin are also used sometimes. 

 The goods are well slicked out and dried. They may be 

 now dubbined and laid away to mellow for whitening, 

 which consists of a careful shaving of the flesh by a turned- 

 edge slicker or by machine. The grain is stoned, set out 

 and " starched," and the butts grained by boarding the 



