The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-01-20
NOTHING LIKE LEATHER.
How Sheep Skins are Cured. Picked
and Tanned.

How Sheep Skins are Cured, Picked
and Tanned.
The division of labor in what the public
understand as the ''leather trade is of
the most varied description. There are
very many branches of the business, be-
ginning with the men wool pullers, who
take the wool off of the skin, or who re-
move the hair from the hides of other
animals, passing on to the process men,
who buy the pelts from the pullers and put
them through manufacture called pro-
cessing, and finally picking them on the
tanners of innumerable kinds Of leather.
Many tanners are specialists, and separately
they are often familiar only with the ma
nipulations of their own particular branch,
hence we say the trade from the beginning
to its numerous ends is widely divided.
Webster's 5 international dictionary de-
scribes leather as follows ''The skin of
an animal, or some part of such skin,
tanned, tawed, or otherwise dressed for
use; also, dressed hides, collectively. In
the trade there is unfinished leather and
undressed leather.
The word sstawed' is defined as follows:
ssTo dress and prepare, etc.
At the recent hearing before United
States General Appraisers in New York on
|. what was called the picked sheepskin
case," expert testimony was given on
leather in general and in particular that
proved of great value even to those who
have been in business over forty years as
specialists. All around the trade has been
benefited One witness in particular, Geo.
w. Adler, President of the Eureka Tan
mage Company, Philadelphia, a man well
versed in many of the branches, gave tes-
timony that has been commented upon
through the entire country. In an inter-
view with Mr.. Adler on the subjects of
picked skins, tawed skins and leather, MIR.
Adler said in effect 'sThe merchandise
recognized in trade as 'pickled splits is
the one-half of sheepskin which has been
split by splitting machine, one of the
halves being known as 'fesher the other
half as a split. A picked sheepskin is
| one that has not been split. e., the
whole skin. Neither picked sheepskins
nor splits and feshers are commercially
known as raw skins.
stThe raw sheep skins, after being soaked
in water, have their wool removed by pull
ing, being treated to sweating process, or
painting on the flesh side with suitable
depilatory (having the quality or power of
removing hair, an application to take off
hair), such as arsenic combined with lime
by shaking, slaked lime forming paste or
paint with water, solution of sodium sui
phide, etc. After the wool is removed the
skins are immersed in bath of milk of
lime (lime and water of suitable density)
for period of seven to ten days, according
to conditions, the skin being frequently
handled during the period of time required
for lining in the above named bath. A
recent system, involving the use of solu-
ton of sodium sulphide, admits of shorten
ing the time to twenty y-four hours, and dis
penses with handling after beam work.
The lining system requires working OF
the skin on both grain and flesh side, and
an after batting or drenching of the skin by
means of, generally, bran fermentation.
The bran drench is composed Of water and
bran of suitable density and temperature.
Skins treated by the Inning system as above
involve the employment of skilled labor or
machinery. From the drench the skins