98 



LEATHER, CURRYING OP 



(sulphate of iron). That method is now exploded. The dry skins or pieces of leather 

 are laid on the shop-board : a brush is used to saturate the grain with urine, or, as is 

 now more common, a solution of soda in water, and a peculiar preparation of iron in 

 solution is afterwards laid over it, which blackens the surface. It may be observed 

 that in wax-leather a body of black is laid on, and rubbed into the flesh ; in grain- 

 leather the black is a stain. After the blackening, it is necessary to rub a small 

 quantity of oil or dubbing over the blackened surface, then turning the oiled grain 

 toward the table, a sharp slicker is used on the flesh side ; the leather sticks to the 

 table by means of the oil, and the slicker is driven so smartly over it, that it is stretched 

 on the table at the same time that the grease is removed. It is quite an important 

 point to take all the stretch out of the leather in this operation, after which it is turned 

 over ; the table is covered with a very thin coat of hard tallow, a roll of tallow being 

 rubbed over the table, for the purpose of keeping the leather fastened to it. A dull 

 slicker is used on the grain to remove remaining marks and wrinkles, or to smooth 

 any coarse appearance on the grain ; a sharp slicker removes all the grease, and a 

 thin coat of weak size, made of glue dissolved in water, is spread over it, and the pro- 

 cess, usually called seasoning, is completed. The next object is carefully to dry the 

 seasoned leather, and in this state it may be stored without injury. 



The next step is very similar to that described in the case of wax-leather, and called 

 whitening : it is then softened by means of a fine graining-board, or a board of the 

 same shape and size covered with cork, the grain side is placed next the table, and 

 the flesh doubled against the flesh, and thus driven forward and backward until the 

 required degree of suppleness is obtained. The loose particles of flesh are brushed off, 

 and a slicker carefully passed over the grain removes all marks of the last operation. 

 If a sufficiency of stuff has not been applied in the drying-loft, the deficiency is remedied 

 by a coat of tallow-dubbing now spread over the grain, and allowed to remain some hours. 

 As the leather absorbs the oily matter, a hardened coat of grease has to be removed 

 by the aid of the slicker. The leather is then sized, and a very thin coat of oil spread 

 over the size, completes the operation, 



In the preparation of various kinds of leather, or of leather for particular purposes, 

 the currier has particular appliances. Harness-leather is considerably dryer than 

 other kinds before stuffing, and is subjected to immense labour by the stock-stone and 

 slicker, to procure a smooth grain. It is blackened when dry like other ^ratw-leather, 

 but instead of the oiling and other processes described, the hardest tallow procurable 



is rubbed into it, stoned with 

 a fine pebble, slicked, and 

 tallow again rubbed into it 

 by the hand. When dry after 

 this operation, the grease is 

 slicked from the flesh side, 

 and a repetition of the tallow- 

 ing, stoning, and rubbing 

 finishes the work. 



Saddle - leather, which is 

 cut into comparatively small 

 pieces, after hardening in the 

 drying-loft, is passed through 

 a very different process from 

 any described previously. The 

 skin of the hog is much used 

 for certain parts of hackney 

 saddles, and the bristles, when 

 removed by the tanner, leave 

 indentations, or even holes in 

 the tanned skin. Probably it 

 was deemed desirable to ob- 

 tain some imitation for the 

 parts of 'the saddle where the 

 hog-skin was not suitable. 

 The skin of the dog-fish 

 (Scyllium, Cuv.), to some ox- 

 tent supplied the imitation, 

 having hard tubercles on its 

 surface. At first the skin 

 was laid on the leather, and 

 lustily pressed into it by rub- 

 bing it with a pebble or plate of glass ; at length a press was invented, and, more 



1374 



