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The process of leather production involves several stages, providing a comprehensive

understanding of how leather is made. At El Montaza, we are passionate about leather

manufacturing and aim to educate others on the intricate details of this craft.

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Leather Production: A Step-by-Step Explanation

The general process of making leather involves these basic steps:

1.Prepare Raw Materials

The process begins with raw animal hides, typically obtained from commercial leather-making suppliers. Hides are
preserved in rock salt for up to 30 days, and later, the salt is removed through tumbling and hammering. Soaking
drums rehydrate the
hides, removing salt and grime. Hides are treated to remove hair and flesh, followed by slicing into two layers: the
reticular segment for inferior leathers and the papillary segment for high-quality full-grain leathers.

2.Tanning

Hides are placed in drums with chromium salts or vegetable tanning agents for approximately eight hours. This halts
decoposition and preserves the hide, softening it in the process. Sammying, or moisture removal through pressure,
follows, along with sorting and shaving for uniform thickness.

3. Re-Tanning

The leather undergoes re-tanning to modify its features for specific uses. A combination of vegetable matter
and chromium salts is applied, and hides are machine-dried to remove moisture. Mechanical softening enhances
suppleness.

4. Dyeing

Hides are dyed in drums, ensuring saturation by 100% of the dye. After dyeing, hides are air or vacuum dried. Different
types of leather may require specific color dyes, such as vegetable-tanned leather with its unique color.

GET EDUCATED ABOUT LEATHER MAKING

How to Make Leather: Automation vs. By Hand

The process of making leather has evolved with technological advancements. Automation in modern tanneries has

significantly expedited the leather-making process. However, traditional handcrafting methods still exist, involving

steps like soaking, scraping, de-hairing, drying, tanning, cleaning, sleaking, and smoking.

How Leather is Made: Top Grain, Split, and Bonded Leather Leather falls into three main categories: top grain, split, and bonded.

Top-Grain Leather: Contains the outer layer or grain, with types like full-grain, corrected grain, and nubuck. Split Leather: Derived from the corium after separating the top grain, resulting in suede, bicast leather, and patent leather. Bonded Leather: Utilizes leather scraps bonded with latex or polyurethane onto a fiber net.

What is Leather Made From?

Leather can be made from the hide of various animals, with Sheep, Buffalo, Baby Buffalo and cowhide being the most common. Other sources include a minimal percentage from exotic animals. The leather industry often utilizes by-products from the meat and dairy industries.

GET EDUCATED ABOUT LEATHER MAKING

Making Leather: Environmental Impact

While the leather-making process raises environmental concerns, leather products’ durability can offset the impact.
The Leather Working Group assesses tanneries for their environmental practices. Additionally, synthetic alternatives
like vegan leather have their own environmental drawbacks, such as plastic usage and shorter lifespan

The Leather Process

The leather-making process varies worldwide, with Egypt, China, Brazil, India, Italy, Korea, and Russia being major producers. Curing, an early preservation step, prevents hide deterioration. The finishing stage, though optional, allows for unique effects, including the insertion of mother of pearl or embossing. Hides are commonly sourced from animals in these nations and are subsequently transported for processing. A luxury designer in France might procure leather from China, transporting it to Italy, renowned for its tanning techniques. The finished leather is then re-imported to France for the production of handbags or shoes.

The leather-making process involves numerous steps and approaches. Curing is a crucial phase, irrespective of

other processes, and leather finishing offers a creative space for achieving distinctive outcomes.

How to Preserve Leather

Leather preservation occurs at the initial stages of the tanning process. This is vital as raw hides and skins must be shielded from deterioration or rotting before commencing the leather-making process. Preservation methods include salting, chilling, freezing, and the use of biocides. Curing serves to prevent bacterial growth on the hide and significantly reduces its moisture content. An effective method is wet-salting, involving heavy salting and tightly packing the hide for up to 30 days. Another approach is curing through soaking in salt water

Achieving the Final Look: Leather Finishing

While not all leathers undergo finishing, exploring how to finish leather is intriguing due to the potential for creating beautiful and unique effects. For example, introducing the mother of pearl can yield a distinctive pearlescent finish. Techniques such as embossing, textural alterations, or grain patterns can also be applied.

Most full-grain leathers typically skip the finishing stage and proceed directly to ironing. Ironing, utilizing heat and

pressure, is a process that imparts varying levels of sheen to the leather.

Should you have inquiries regarding the leather-making process or seek specific styles or
finishes, reach out to El Montaza today for assistance.

GET EDUCATED ABOUT LEATHER MAKING

Difference Between Chrome Tanning - Vegetable Tanning - Chrome-Free Tanning

Chrome Tanned Leather:

Approximately 75% of the leather produced today undergoes chrome tanning, a process that employs trivalent chromium (Cr III). This substance is not only safe but also constitutes a crucial element in our diet, often found in daily supplements.

Contrary to some misconceptions about the leather industry, chrome tanning does not involve hexavalent chrome,
specifically chromium VI (Cr VI), which is known to be carcinogenic.

Leather Working Group guidelines effectively ensure the prevention of chromium VI formation in leather post-tanning

Continuous improvements in the chrome tanning process focus on enhanced uptake, reduced chemical usage, extensive
recycling, minimized water consumption, and meticulous waste management. Chrome tanning adheres to
best practices, utilizing half the chemicals required by alternative methods and maintaining effluent content below
legal thresholds. The result is consistent leather with enduring properties, suitable for use or wear over multiple
years.

Vegetable Tanned Leather

Vegetable tanning stands as the oldest method in the tanning repertoire, employing extracts from the wood and nuts of trees and shrubs. Responsible suppliers ensure that these sources are sustainable. While this method generally takes a longer time for leather tanning, the outcome is a leather with a distinct aesthetic and feel, aging gracefully over time.

While the name and materials used in vegetable tanning might suggest a more environmentally friendly approach,
a comprehensive assessment of the entire process is necessary for a meaningful comparison with other methods.
For instance, vegetable tanning uses several times more tannins than chrome-tanned leathers, and the effluent produced
requires additional treatment before discharge. Nevertheless, it offers the advantage of utilizing natural,
sustainable, and renewable raw materials.

Chrome Free Tanned Leather

Chrome-free tanning is a process that excludes chromium from the tanning process, eliminating harmful chemicals. The resulting hides are often referred to as "wet white" due to the leather's white coloring after processing. This method utilizes the same manufacturing equipment as chrome tanneries, ensuring that the durability and resilience of the leather are comparable to chrome-tanned leather. Notably, chrome-free leathers exhibit a smaller environmental footprint compared to chrome leather.

Chrome-free leathers offer a diverse range of colors, making them suitable for pastel shades. They are softer, exhibit
high performance, and using chrome-free tanning maintains the quality of the leather. However, it’s worth
noting some drawbacks, such as a higher production cost, although ongoing advancements in techniques are helping
to mitigate this. Chrome-free leather

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We’re always excited to hear about new projects, email us at info@elmontaza.org or give us a call on (+20) 128 292 0184