Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-10-19
'Tl'HE WAY OF A GLOVE
FROM THE RAW SKIN TO THE DAM
~ FINISHED PRODUCT.

FROM THE RAW SKIN TO THE DAM
~ FINISHED PRODUCT.
1t Takes Much Time and Work and
Many Processes before the Cutters
and Sc.vcrs Begin Their Work-The
Telling Finishing Touchcs.
Relatively few buyers of gloves are
familiar with the many separate proc.
csses which IL glove must undergo be-
fore 1t is handed over the counter, and
this article aims to describe clearly
and simply how raw material is gath
cred and fashioned into the finished
article. All classes of skins are treated
differently. but for purposes of illustra-
ton let us take the mocha" or "un-
dressed kid" Mocha" is a CONNER
cial name, and the first known of mo
cha skins was when Il cargo of coffee
was shipped from Arabia. In the car
go were two bales of skins of an un-
known variety; hence the name was
adopted rs "mocha." This skin has
gained reputation for fineness of COL
or and finish and for durability. It is
an American production which foreign
tanners have vainly attempted to imi-
tate for several years. but owing to
climatic conditions they have never
succeeded. Mochas come from Ara
bia and are a species of haired sheep
growing short woolly hair. Tho
skins are taken off the animal by the
natives In a manner peculiarly their
own. They are opened at the back suf-
fciently. to get hold of the pelt, and
then the skin is turned and pulled Off
the animal without cut in the length
till the head is reached, when 1t is cut
of square at the neck. The skins are
stretched on sticks and hung up in the
sun to dry aud cure. They are then
poispned with arsenic to prevent worms
from breeding during their long voyage
to America, where upon arrival in bales
they are selected for weight and quail
ity and repacked in compressed bales
of 200 to 500 skins each, according to
the weight OF the skins. and are sold
to the dealers and tanners by the piece,
the weight of the skins ruling the price.
Onc,of the reasons why American leath-
cr drcssers have made such progress in
dressing these skins is that for many
years the American market has re-
ceivcd the entire product and by ham
ding them in such large quantities is
able to determine the style of tanning
and finishing for Which they are best
suited
When the skins arrive Mt the tam
merry they are counted and subdivided
by practiced hands. They are then put
into watts Of clear fresh water to soak
out the poison and other foreign sub
stances. They are usually kept In these
watts twenty -four hours and taken out
pnl drained and put back in clear
fresh water again for another day or
two, when they are removed and put
In the lime watts, where they remain
for three or four weeks, but are lifted
about every ten days in the interval.
They Ere then haired and fried and
after being thoroughly washed in plain
water and then in pure are put into
the tan WITS, where they stay about
week, Afterward they are hung up in
hot room to dry. When thoroughly
dried they are taken down ana stored
away in cool room to lie 'in the
crust" for three OF four weeks, when
they nre again handled to put the fin
ish on them. They now 60 to the glove
manufacturing department, where they
nre piled on latt;ced shelves, about
twelve dozen in pile. to allow them
to age. Care must be taken in piling
up the skins SO that cir Gun circulate
around and between I'LL bundles, and
1t is very important that the room be
kept thoroughly dry SO that the skins
do not gather moisture The skins
must be taken down and shaken out
frequently and changed about SO that
they get uniform amount Of fresh
mir. The skins should be kept in this
state for at least three months, and
six months would be much better
They are then turned over to the u.s.
sorters, who usually work at tables
facing the north light and examine ev-
cry skin minutely for quality, weight
and flneness and must determine for
what colors they are best adapted.
To inexperienced eyes this looks Ike
very easy task, but asserting skins
in tho white is ono OF the most difficult
and responsible positions IN glove
factory. 1t is on tho Judgment of these
men that large amounts Of money that
are invested in stock months in adj
vance Of actual donland arc lost or
made. After asserting for colors tho
skins are sent to the coloring depart
mentt where the surplus tan is washed
out. Then they are eggcd and when
dry ore finished ON fine bucktaIl
wheel Tho color is put on. after which
they are finished again on the bucktnil
and after being properly aired and
dried out nre ready for the assorters
In tho glove department. who assol+
the finished stock for the classes Of
gloves they nre best adapted to bo cut
into. al
When a cutter receives a batch of
skins his. first duty is to examine them
carefully and sec If he can produce the
quantity of gloves they are taxed TO
cut. lie then dampens them to prepare
them for "dowling," which is the term
used for removing the flesh from the
skins left on by the dresser. and also
to make the. skins us nearly uniform in
weight as possible. The skin is spread
bn marble slab to its fullest extent
In one direction, and the cutter shaves
Or pares off the flesh q little at time
with q broad, fiat knife, which is kept
Is sharp as razor, with steel applied
b the knife after nearly every stroke
When the skins IRE dowled they are
again dampened, then the cutter pro-
ceeds to measure of his gloves and
thumbs and after cutting them to tho
required sizes he takes them to man
who measures them with q redelc or
blue mark and returns them to the cut.
ter with the paper patterns of the re
uuired sizes. The cutter must then
l