88 LEATHER 



days, in ordinary weather ; but in hot weather for a much shorter time, sometimes 

 only moving them in the sour bran-liquor for a few minutes. They are lastly wrung 

 at the peg, and subjected to the fulling mill. 



When the skins have been sufficiently swelled and suppled by the branning, they 

 may receive the first oil as follows : a dozen skins being stretched upon the table, the 

 fingers are dipped in the oil, and shaken over the skins in different places, so as to 

 impart enough of it to imbue the whole surface slightly, by friction witn the palms of 

 the hands. It is to the outside or grain that the oil is applied. The skins are folded 

 four together, so as to form balls of the size of a hog's bladder, and thrown into the 

 trough of the fulling mill, to the number of twelve dozen at once. Here they remain 

 exposed to the beater for two, three, or four hours, according to their nature and the 

 state of the weather. They are taken out, aired, oiled, and again fulled. The airing 

 and fulling are repeated several times, with more or less frequent oilings. Any cheap 

 animal oil is employed. 



After these operations, the skins require to be subjected to a fermenting process, to 

 dilate their pores, and to facilitate their combination with the oil. This is performed 

 in a chamber only 6 feet high and 10 or 12 feet square. Poles are suspended hori- 

 zontally a few inches from the ceiling, with hooks fixed in them to which the skins are 

 attached. A somewhat elevated temperature is maintained, and by a stove if need be. 

 This operation requires great skill and experience. 



The remainder of the epidermis is next removed by a blunt 9oncave knife and the 

 horse ; whereby the surface is not cut, but rather forcibly scraped. 



The skins are now scoured to carry off the redundant oil ; which is effected by a 

 potash-lye, at 2 Baum6, heated no hotter than the hand can bear. In this they are 

 stirred briskly, steeped for an hour, and lastly wrung at the peg. The soapy liquor 

 thus expelled is used for inferior purposes. The clean skins after being dried are 

 finished first on the stretcher-iron, and then on the horse or stretching frame. 



Leather of Hungary. This is manufactured by impregnating strong hides with alum, 

 common salt, and suet ; by a rapid process which is usually completed in the space 

 of two months. The workshop is divided into two parts : 1. A shed on the side of a 

 stream, furnished with wooden horses, fleshing knives, and other small tools. In one 

 corner is a furnace with a boiler for dissolving the alum, a vat for immersing the hides 

 in the solution, and several subsidiary tubs. 2. A chamber, 6 feet high, by 15 feet 

 square, capable of being made very tight, for preserving the heat. In one corner is a 

 copper boiler, of sufficient size to contain 170 Ibs. of tallow. In the middle of the 

 stove is a square stone slab, upon which an iron grate is placed about a yard square. 

 This is covered with charcoal. At each side of the stove are large tables, which occupy 

 its whole length, and on which the leather is spread to receive the grease. The upper 

 part below the ceiling is filled with poles for hanging the leather upon to be heated. 

 The door is made to shut perfectly close. 



The first operations are analogous to those of tanning and tawing ; the skins being 

 washed, cut in halves, shaved, and steeped for 24 hours in the river. They are 

 then cleaned with 5 or 6 Ibs. of alum, and 3 Ibs. of salt, for a piece of hide 

 which weighs from 70 to 80 Ibs. The common salt softens the effect of the alum, 

 attracts the moisture of the air, and preserves the suppleness of the skin. When the 

 alum and salt are dissolved, hot water is poured upon the hides placed in a vat, and 

 they are trampled upon by a workman walking repeatedly from one end of the vat to 

 the other. They arc then transferred into a similar vat containing some hot water, 

 and similarly trampled upon. They are next steeped for eight days in alum-water. 

 The same round of operations is repeated a second time. 



The skins are now dried either in the air, or in a stove-room ; but before being quite 

 dry, they are doubled together, well stretched to take out the wrinkles, and piled up. 

 When dry, they are again trampled to open the pores as well as to render the skin 

 pliant, after which they are whitened by exposure to the sun. 



Tallow of inferior quality is employed for greasing the leather. With this view the 

 hides are hung upon the poles in the close stove-room, then laid upon the tablo, and 

 besmeared with the tallow melted till it begins to crackle. This piece is laid on 

 another table, is there covered with a second, similarly greased, and so forth. Three 

 pounds of fat are commonly employed for one piece of leather. 



When the thirty strips, or fifteen hides passed through the grease in one operation 

 are completed, two workmen take the first piece in their hands, and stretch it over tho 

 burning charcoal on the grate for a minute, with the flesh-side to the fire. The rest 

 are passed over the flame in like manner. After flaming, tho pieces are successively 

 laid on an inclined table exposed to tho fire, where they are covered with a cloth. 

 They are finally hung upon poles in the air to dry ; and if the weather be warm, they 

 are suspended only during the night, so as to favour the hardening of the grease. 

 Instead of the alum-bath, M. Curaudau has employed with advantage a steep of dilute 

 wlphuric acid. 



