The thickest part of the hide from the shoulder area of the cow. SIDE-Half a hide cut along the backbone. To shave, slice or divide, to peel into a thin layer. The grain surface is abraded with brushes, emery wheel or sandpaper. Leather is snuffed for the purpose of removing defective grain, or for sueding the surface of the leather.
Cheap leathers are sometimes pigmented splits with embossed imitation grain.
Term refers to the napping process, and is unrelated to the type of skin used. The application of dyestuff to leather with a brush, the leather being laid on a table. Also called brush coloring. The term intended to define genuine grain leather, as opposed to split leather which has been pigmented and embossed with a new grain. In reality, top-grain leather usually has had the original grain removed and an imitation grain embossed into the surface.