84 ANIMAL PROTEINS 



splitting to the required substance, they are bleached in a 

 weak and warm solution of oxalic acid, and drum-sumached 

 at 110 F. After slicking well out they are hand-stuffed on 

 the grain with dubbin and water, or merely oiled, and hung 

 up to samm. They are then set-out flesh and grain. If 

 the grain be coarse, it is buffed and reset. After drying 

 out the flesh is fluffed and the grain dusted with French 

 chalk. 



In this section may be conveniently discussed the 

 manufacture of legging leather. Whilst in many respects 

 a typical dressing leather there are some rather important 

 differences from the average upper leather. Broadly 

 speaking, the differences are that legging leather needs a 

 smooth grain, greater firmness and more thorough tannage 

 on account of the absence of stuffing. 



The liming and bating are somewhat similar to dressing 

 leather, though a shorter liming with sulphides and a 

 milder bating would be in order. The tannage is mellow, 

 but not so much as is usual for upper leather. Thus gam bier 

 is used, but more valonia and myrabs are employed, and 

 the liquors may be strengthened with chestnut and que- 

 bracho extracts. The hides are rounded before tanning 

 into long butts or backs, and the tannage is commenced in 

 suspenders (i8-4O), which are kept acid by the addition of 

 lactic or acetic acid, in order to obtain the required firmness ; 

 the goods are three weeks in these liquors. The backs next 

 go through rounds of dusters (40-5o), in which they are put 

 down with oak bark and Natal bark. They are six weeks 

 in this section, and then pass to the layers. Three layers are 

 given, first 50 for one week; second 55 for two weeks; 

 and third 60 for two weeks. The tannage thus takes 

 fourteen weeks. 



In finishing, the goods are soaked and split, and then 

 scoured flesh and grain. They are heavily sumached, 

 slicked out thoroughly, oiled up with linseed oil and dried 

 out. They are then next damped back, stoned and flatted. 

 After further wetting and tempering they are dressed with 

 Irish moss and tallow on the flesh, and with gum tragacanth 



