A leather skin also contains different leather fibre structures. All this must be considered by the tanner when selecting the raw material, and in the production process , in order to provide leather of good quality. The tanned leather skins, which have not yet been cut to size , are called hides.
The hair of the animal can be removed or still be present on hides. Hides with very soft hair are called furs. Tanned leather hides with and without hair. It is important to point out that the difference between hides and skins is not about one being better than the other.
The two just have different characteristics that make them suitable for different uses and also distinct experiences for the end-users. It is also important to point out that, aside from whether it is skin or hide, there many other factors that determine how a piece of leather turns.
In particular, the process of tanning can hugely influence the quality of your leather. Vegetable-tanned leather looks, feels and behaves very different from one that is tanned through the chromium chemicals. How the skins and hides are also handled from the point of harvesting to the point of tanning is also very critical to the quality of the leather.
For more content about this particular topic, read my previous post; Where Does Leather Come from Exactly? Where Does Leather Come from Exactly? The two words are often used interchangeably as synonyms in every day English language usage. The blurred line in the difference between hides and skins There are a few situations where it is difficult to tell whether what you have is a hide or a skin.
The line between hides and skins is not clear cut. Hide and skin is processed by flaying, pre-tanning, tanning, post tanning, and dying optional and these processes turn the raw skin and hide into the leather.
There are various tanning methods such as chrome tanning, vegetable tanning, oil tanning, mineral tanning, combination tanning but the most popular is chrome tanning while the best tanning method is vegetable tanning.
Vegetable tanning is one of the several ways of turning hides and skins into leather. It is the oldest method for turning hides and skins into leather. Vegetable tanning is done using plant extracts such as seeds, pods, fruits, roots, and tree backs to treat animal skins and hides into a material that will not decay or decompose. Its usage dates back to prehistoric times and has been around ever since till today. It is considered the most environmentally friendly method of tanning as only materials from plants is used.
The only downside to vegetable tanning is that it takes a longer period, which is 60 — 90 days for the tanning process to be complete. Chrome tanning is another tanning method for tanning leather. It is the most common method. It employs chemicals such as chromium salts to turn hides and skins into the leather over a very short period.
Contrary to vegetable tanning chrome tanning is less environmentally friendly due to the chemicals used for the process. The chrome tanning process in addition to its rapidity is also very economical thus profit for tanneries is high. How do you preserve hide or skin? To preserve hide and skin, remove fats, blood, and flesh substances from the flesh side of the hide or skin with a fleshing knife. The hide or skin is then processed by the tanning process.
The hide or skin can also be prevented from decay using a generous layer of non-iodized salt called curing. The hide is divided in different sections: Shoulder, belly and butt.
Shoulder: The shoulder is a softer area of the hide. Belly: The belly is a stretchy soft leather of varying thickness. A hide or skin is an animal skin treated for human use. The word " hide " is related to the German word "Haut" which means skin. The industry defines hides as " skins " of large animals e. Common commercial hides include leather from cattle and other livestock animals, buckskin, alligator skin and snake skin.
Cowhide is the natural, unbleached skin and hair of a cow. It retains the original coloring of the animal. Cowhides are a product of the food industry from cattle.
Cowhide is frequently processed into leather. C: When it comes to the selection of hide for bags, if you are looking for something that is going to last lifetime then its full grain cowhide leather bag you should choose from. Firstly, cowhide is more durable than goatskin. The durability of cowhide can be attributed to its thickness.
Full grain leather is often considered to be the highest quality leather whilst bonded leather and genuine leather are considered to be the lowest quality.
Cowhide is the most popular leather , and therefore more expensive than cheaper alternatives such as goat and buffalo. Leather itself is not well mixed with water. If the leather doesn't dry quickly enough, it could even start to rot.
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