The record-union., 1893-07-14
HOW GLOVES ARE MADE
An Elaborate Process Through Which
the Skin Goes.

An Elaborate Process Through Which
the Skin Goes.
The United States Consul at Prague, in
recent report, gives some interesting
details respecting the manufacture of
gloves in that city, which is the center of
the lam Dskin glove industry. Prague
contains l2O glove manufacturers. en-
pIoying 200 wOrkmen and 800 appren
tees, and turning out annually about
100000 dozen pairs of gloves, valued at
S,C00000h. Glove makers nowhere else
work for such small wages. The ma
terial used is almost exclusively lamb
skin. The skin OF the lamb killed when
but few months old is the first grade;
the skin of the more matured lamb,
which. however, is not full-grown, the
second; and the skin of the full-grown
lamb the third grade. The second grade
skin is the best adapted TO the manu-
facture OF gloves, and is mostly used.
The supply Of skins comes from the
East and the Danube provinces, Servia,
Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Turkey and
Russia sending large quantities. Vienna
is the market for the skins, which are
brought mostly in dry state, but small
portion are in a sailed condition. TO pre-
pare the skins for glove leather they are
placed in a cemenUed pit, soft river water
being poured upon them, and they are
allowed to stand for twelve TO eighteen
hours, when they are taken out, once
more placed in the pit and subjected to
the same softening process for a similar
length of time. After the skin is sufli-
GENTLY sottened, the tleshy side is smeared
with white lime, and it is placed in the
pit and covered with water, being ready
for depilation after ten or fourteen days.
a mixture Of sulphide Of sodium with
the white lime shOrtens this time and
tends to improve the quality of the
leather. AS soon as the skins are ready
for depilatiOn they are washed in run
ming water to remove the lime, and then
placed upon a stand and deplled with
dull instrument. The hard portions are
cut off with "a sharp knife, and the heshy
side of the skin is loosened. After this is
done the skins are placed IN solution OF
manure, or, according to the old method,
III bran-dye bath. This has a decom-
posing effect upon the impurities con-
tanned in the pores and fibers of the skin.
After the skins have remained in this
ooze from two to twelve hours, they are
taken out and both sides are carefully
gone over TO open the pores and to re-
move the dirt. Ihereupon the skins are
again allowed to stand in a bran-dye oath,
when they are ready for treatment with
tannin. The skins are tulled for Two
hours in a tannln mixture and then taken
out and dried. They are again mOistened
"lN uAOSSO1' NHC " hOAO pAONSoo " 0eah llhS
taking about three weeks. Before dye
ing the supertuous tannin is removed by
tuIling the skins in soft water, and they
are also fullCd again with egg-yolk. They
are dyed with a decoction made from
dye-woods, and are again dressed. The
prices OF the skins vary, according to size
and quality, from 9Uh to l6Oh per 100
skins, and the cost Of tanning adds from
I4h to 20h to this amount. The manu-
tacture Of gloN es in Prague is done on the
French method prevalent in all glove
making countries. The cutting is done
by means of metal dies, and the sewing
and silking with machines which are OF
German and Austrian make. Metal but
tons of Bohemian manufacture are the
kinds most commonly used, on account
of their cheapness. English and French
buttons of superior quality and finish
are used when specially ordered.