New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-19
SPECIALISTS IN LEATHER.
HOW sHEEPsKINs ARE CURED, PICKLED
AND TANNED
From The Philadelphia Ledger.

The division Of labor in what the public IN
dersta,.ds as the leather trade" Is OF the mc4
varied description. There are many branches a
the busiQess, beginning with the men wool pull
ers who take the wool of the skin, or who re-
move the hair from the hides OF other animalA
passing on to the process-mtn, who buy the
pelts from the pullers and put them through .
manufacture called processing, and hnally pick
ling them on the tanners OF fnnumerable kinds
Of leather Many tanners are specialists, and
separately they are ofen familiar only with the
manipulatOns OF their own particular branch
hence we say the trade from the beginning 70
its numerous ends is widely divided.
Webster's International Dictionary describes
leather as follows: The skin OF an animal, O.
some part OF such skin, tanned, tawed, or other
wise dressed for use; also, dressed hides cob
lectivey." In the trade there Is unnnlsheA
lea her and undressed leather
The word "tawed" is defined az follows: TIE
dress and prepare" etc
At the recent hearing before United States
general appraisers in NewYork on what was
called the picked sheepskin case expert testi-
mony was given on leather in general and In
particular that proved OF great value even 70
those who have been in business over forty years
as specialists. All around the trade has been
benefited. One witness in particular, George
W. Adler, president of the Eureka Tannage Com
peny, Philadelphia, a man well versed In many
Of the branches, gave testimony that has been
commented upon through the entire country. In
an interview with Mr.. Adler on the subjects OF
picked skins, tawed skins and leather, Mr..
Adler said In effect The merchandise recog-
nized in trade as picked splits Is the one haf
OF a sheepskn which has been split by split
ting machine, one Of the halves being known az
a hesaer the other half as a split picked
sheepskn s one that has not been split, l. e.,
the whole skin. Neither picked sheepskns nor
splits and heshers are commercially known a.
raw skins.
The raw sheepskins after being soaked h
water, have their wool removed by pulling.
being treated 10 a sweating process, or a paint
ing on the flesh side with a suitable depiiatory
of
an application to take of hair, such as arsenic
combined with lime by shaking, slaked lime
forming paste or paint with water, solution
Of sodium sulphide etc After the wool Is 70
moved the skins are Immersed In a bath Of MIN
Of Time Dime and water OF suitable Density fR
period OF seven to ten days, according to con
ditfons, the skin being frequently handled dur
Ing the period of time required for lining IN the
above-named bath. A recent system, involving
the use OF q solution Of sodium suphde, admits
Of shortening the time to twenty four hours and
dispenses with handling after beam work The
lining system requires working OF the skin o.
both grain and flesh side, and an after batting a.
drenching Of the skin by means of, generally
bran fermentation. The bran drench ia com
posed Of water and bran of suitable density and
temperature. Skins treated by the lining SyS-
tenn as above involve the employment of skilled
labor or machinery. From the drench the skins
are usually again worked on the beam. In all
cases the skins should be thoroughly cleanseA
previous to picking, which consists OF treating
the skin to a solution of salt and sulphuric acid
ana wafer, In sucn proportions as 10 Strlke On
the skin sufficiently to render II -putresr
chile, and In a merchantable and comparatively
imperishable condition
From the picking bath the skins are drained
sorted, rolled into bundles OF a dozen each
packed In casks, when they are ready for map.
ket the endurance of transportation. The
picked state could not be called tanned but
is portion Of the tanning process, used In con-
junction with tan liquors (such as those mado
with vegetable astrngents, barks, sumac etc.l
and fully one-half of the work required to taA
and finish sheepskin for various purposes has
actually been done on a picked skin. There
are, however. many tannages employed In tan
ming sheepskins wherein the picking only Of tks
skin previous to the tanning Is dispensed WITH
In the Of such tannages, when picked
skins are used the pickle Is eliminated from ths
skin previous to tanning.
THE subject Is not merely interesting in ITSELF
II Is one Of considerable commercial Importance
since the tariff on imported skins is regulated b.
the amount of labor expended upon them toward
making them a finished product, In far this
can be expressed by such terms as picked and
tanned Tariff duties may be evaded or IN
Justly imposed according to the classified ton q
skins under the act, although even experts 6n4
some difficulty In reducing the several processes
TO the descriptive terms used In the act"