SOLE LEATHER 63 



dry, preferably with sulphonated oil. After a short drying 

 to a suitable and even condition they are " rolled on/' and, 

 possibly after further drying, " rolled off " with greater 

 pressure, and then dried for a day or two with the help of 

 a little steam. Finally they are machine-brushed and sent 

 to the warehouse, where they are weighed and classified. 



The offal is often drum oiled. It needs more striking 

 and is more difficult to obtain in suitable condition for 

 striking, rolling. It is treated similarly to butts, but often 

 also goes for dressing leather, and may be split. It is of 

 some interest to compare the above processes with that 

 once very popular manufacture of " bloomed butts " in 

 the West of England from South American salted hides. 

 These receive a liming from 12-14 days, using 12-16 Ibs. 

 of lime per hide. They receive then a tannage of about 

 9 months, comprising 3 weeks in suspenders (20-40) 

 very sour and mellow liquors 4 weeks in handlers (40-55), 

 4 weeks in dusters (60) , 4 weeks in round made from hemlock 

 extract (60), and 20 weeks in six layers (6o-90) in which 

 they were dusted heavily with valonia. Oakwood extract 

 was used for the layers, which took 57 per cent, of the total 

 time. The butts were scoured in a much-dried condition, 

 so that only the loose and surface bloom was removed. No 

 bleaching was given in the modern sense. 



In the old oak-bark tannage of sole leather up to 12 

 months were taken for tanning, two-thirds to four-fifths of 

 which time the goods were in layers. The strongest liquor 

 rarely exceeded 50 even where valonia and gambier were 

 also used, and rather more than 30 if not. 



It will be understood from the above that the tendency 

 for many years has been to shorten the time and the labour 

 required for tanning. Drum tanning is obviously the next 

 stage in shortening the time. In one such process the butts 

 are put through suspenders (25-40) for 2 weeks, drummed 

 for 12 hour sin an 80 extract liquor, and finally in a neat extract 

 200 for 36 hours. Drum tanned sole leather, however, is 

 not as yet of good quality ; the grain is not smooth, and the 

 heavy weight finish (striking and rolling) needed to counteract 



