Leather

aniline Leather

General
Aniline is a colorless, toxic and oily substance.  It is an intermediate originating from benzene (which originates from coal tar distillation).  Frequently aniline is employed to make resins, varnishes, rubber and compounds to make medicinal drugs.  Generally, color pigments and man-made dyes were in the past termed aniline colors as a result of the first man-made dyes and several other dyes being created from aniline colors.  However, colors created with aniline are often not permanent; this has caused a negative connotation to be associated with it.  Nowadays, the term synthetic organic pigment is used to refer to colors made from substances taken from coal tar.  The term aniline may also refer to a type of delicate leather that is worked on in order to improve the natural appearance of the hide.  The leather is frequently dyed.  Since it does not contain a protective coating, staining happens frequently on aniline and the stains are permanent.  

 

 

Debossing Leather

Technical

A finish that gives a decorative touch.  It is often created using uniform designs from a machine or using special tools.   The design is heat-pressed onto the surface of leather.  The result is the creation of a series of depressions (as opposed to raised marks in embossing) that add up to form the design.  

Embossing Leather

Technical

A finish that gives a decorative touch.  It is often created using uniform designs from a machine or using special tools.   The design is heat-pressed onto the surface of leather.  The result is the creation of a series of raised marks (as opposed to depression marks used in debossing) that make up the form of the design. 

Exotics Leather

General

A term referring to the types of leathers from reptiles such as snakes, lizards, and crocodiles.  Exotics can be purchased in smaller quantities than hides made into leather made available through the meat industry. 

 

 

Finishing Leather

Technical

There are numerous kinds of ways in which the surface of leather can be finished after tanning.  Finishing lends an original appearance to a piece of hide, hides blemishes, changes the surface color and protects the hide from wear.  The lower the quality of a hide, the more finishing is needed to create a decent leather. 

Grain (Leather) Leather

General

The grain is a term relating to the degree of quality of a piece of leather.  Several factors determine the quality grade, including the level and condition of any marking exposure after the removal of any hair folllicles, and any damage on the leather's surface.  A leather contains a better grain if it was taken from a younger animal. 

Hair-on-hide Leather

General

A term referring to the hair follicles not removed from a piece of leather in order to create a 'wild' effect.  Every hide contains an original pattern and color. 

Imitation Leather Leather

Product

A type of synthetic leather frequently made from vinyl.  Imitation leather does not contain as many of the usual characteristics and natural blemishes from real leather. 

Laser-cut Leather

Technical

A process done by a machine that cuts complex platterns into a piece of leather. 

Leather Leather

General

A broad term referring to all skins and hides that have been tanned.  Leather is a natural product; most leather is made available as a by-product of the meat industry.  Leather from cows, sheep, pigs and goats are the typical sources of leather.  Other types of leather from sources such as crocodiles and snakes are not as readily available, but they can be purchased in small quantities. 

Nubuck Leather

General

A very fine sueded finish.

Plated Leather

Technical

A type of special effect that improves the natural grain of leather. 

Split Leather

Technical

Because most hides are too thick for the majority of applications, hides are "split" to create a uniform thickness.  The process is done by a series of machine-cut layers which are then shaved to create uniform skins. 

Suede Leather

Product

A soft, velvety appearance of a leather surface usually created by buffing a split of good quality. 

Tanning Leather

Technical

The process of preparing and preserving the structure of a hide.  Hides are prepared through sanitation, a cleaning process and then worked on in order to create a quality consistent product.