TANNING ON THE PLANTATION. 



time. On this side lay an inch coat- 

 ing of bark, and on that another side, 

 and so on, with aheinate layers of 

 bark, unlil the vat is full, or the sides 

 all laid away. 



"In this, which is called the first 

 bark, the sides must lie four weeks ; 

 they are then drawn out, and the 

 spent bark taken out with a skimmer 

 or drainer. The sides are then re- 

 placed as before, with alternate lay- 

 ers of fresh bark in tiie same ooze, 

 which has acquired some additional 

 strength, notwithstandingthe amount 

 of tannin and extractive matter, con- 

 tained in the bark, that has become 

 intimately combined with the animal 

 fibre of the hide. In this second bark 

 they remain si.x weeks undisturbed, 

 when they receive a third bark in the 

 same w-ay, in which they are left an- 

 otiier six or eight weeks. Three barks 

 will suffice to tan deer, hog, calf, and 

 other small skins ; four barks will 

 make good sole leather, but five are 

 preferable. 



" The tanning process being com- 

 pleted, snlc leather is taken out of 

 the vat, rinsed effectually, and dried 

 in the shade, hanging the sides up by 

 two of their corners to joists, where 

 they may remain until wanted. Those 

 sides inlentled for upper and harness 

 leather (which are tliose of cows, 

 &c., the largest and thickest bullock 

 hides being used for sole leather), as 

 also deer, hog, and other small skins, 

 being thoroughly rinsed, are spread 

 out on a strong table, with the grain 

 or hair side up, and scoured with a 

 stifl" brush, like a very stiff horse- 

 brush, occasionally throwing on pure 

 water, until all the ooze is scoured 

 out. Tanners use the edge of a stone, 

 made smooth, to assist in rubbing out 

 the ooze, and all the water that can 

 possibly be rubbed out. They also 

 use what they call a slicker, being a 

 dull edge of cojiper of about six or 

 seven inches long, set in a piece of 

 wood to serve as a handle. 



" After they are all served thus, 

 and rubbed as dry as possible, the ta- 

 ble iscleaned off, andtheskinstbrown 

 back upon it, grain side up, and are 

 rubbed with tanner's oil (codfish oil) 



as long as the leather will receive it. 

 Harness leather must be completely 

 saturated. As they are oiled, fold 

 them up and lay them aside. When 

 they are all gone over, lay one on the 

 table at a tinn;, Jlesh side up, and with 

 a rag rub on all the dubbing that the 

 leather will absorb. Thin hides re- 

 quire but a small quantity. Harness 

 leather must have a heavy coating. 



"Dubbing, which consists of equal 

 parts of tar and tallow, melted to- 

 gether, and well mixed, must be made 

 the day previous to being used. Lard 

 may be used in place of tallow, but 

 will require a less proportion of it. 

 Each side of leather is then hung up 

 by two corners to joists, there to re- 

 main until dry, or until wanted. 



" If iron or steel touches a hide du- 

 ring the process of tanning, when in 

 the least wet, or even moist, it will 

 discolour it, forming an indelible black 

 mark. 



" I'o blacken harness or other leath- 

 er, take the skin when completely 

 dried, and if any greasy spots ap- 

 pear, showing that more oil or dub- 

 bing has been applied than the leath- 

 er could absorb, wet the spots with a 

 little strong ooze, and scrub them 

 out with the brush ; then apply a good 

 coat of copperas (sul|j|iate of iron), 

 dissolved m ouze, until the leather 

 has a good colour all over. After 

 this, when dry, put on another good 

 coat of oil. The leather may then 

 be smoothed off with a rounding edge 

 of polished steel, or glass, or stone." 



A discovery has recently been 

 made which seems likely to revolu- 

 tionize the tanning traile. By means 

 of a tanning machine, or pair of hori- 

 zontal rollers, fixed over a tan-pit, 

 between which is fixed a band or lielt 

 of iiides attached by ligatures to each 

 other, to the number of .')0 to 100, 

 and by which the rollers are con- 

 stantly fed or supplied, the hides are 

 lifted out of the pit on one side of the 

 machine. As they pass between the 

 rollers, the exhausted ooze or tan- 

 ning liquid is pressed out of them, 

 and they are deposited in folds in the 

 pit on the other side of the machine, 

 where they absorb another supply of 



• ■ 779 



