A little bit about leather -

Everyone knows that leather is made from animal hides, and just about every creature with a pliable skin has been use for leather at some time.  Leather has been use for clothing, shelter, weapons, footwear, utensils, and in communication and transportation since prehistoric times.  Today, leather is still a major component in many industries with millions of hides being tanned each year.

 Leather tanning is a complex art, and the number of tanneries in the US has dropped from hundreds to just a handful over the last century.   This decrease in facilities is due to the rise of synthetics  (plastic, nylon, rubber, etc) and the ever-increasing regulations regarding air and water pollution.

 Leather is tanned basically two ways - vegetable (or oak) tanned and chromium (or chemically) tanned.  Which process is used depends on how the resulting leather is to be used.  Some hides are processed both ways.

 Vegetable tanning is a process in which the hides, once stripped of hair and fat, are submersed in a vat filled with tannin made from oak bark.  Hides are left in vats for up to three months to fully tan, then dried, trimmed and sized.

Vegetable tanned leather is use for tooled leather goods, saddles and tack, some shoes (particularly orthopedics) and artwork because it can be tooled, embossed or molded.   Some veg-tan leather is reprocessed with tallows to increase strength of leather and is used for harnesses or safety belts.

 Chromium tanning is done with chromium powder and other chemicals, and the processing time is considerably shorter - about three days.  Chrome tanned leather is used for clothing, upholstery, luggage, shoes, etc., because it is a softer, more pliable leather.  While it can be embossed with a design, it does not lend itself to tooling or molding.

 Some leathers are put through both processes or re-tanned.  Latigo is an example of retanned leather.

Leather is one of the most durable materials we have if properly cared for. 

Museums and libraries are full of examples of centuries old leather items and books.  When you consider paying the extra cost for genuine leather, consider it an investment in something that will last a lifetime.

 A word about Synthetics:

 Since the advent of extracting plastics from oils, we have been inundated with synthetic "leathers".  Touted as superior in one regard or another, synthetics have been used for just about all leather applications excepted hand tooled goods.  Naugahyde was probably the first to hit the market as a cheap substitute for leather upholstery.  Ultrasuede is a nylon based suede wannabe that is supposedly machine washable. However due to the cost of ultrasuede, most people opt to have their garments dry-cleaned.  Biothane is a plastic-coated nylon being used for cheap tack, along with cordura, another nylon product, being used for saddlery.  The chief selling point of these synthetics is that they are easily cleaned, but for whatever their advertised superiority, these synthetics will always fall short of the quality, look and durability of genuine leather.

 Some terminology you may encounter when looking for leather goods:

 Top grain (or full-grain) leather.  This is the top layer of the hide and is the most durable, consequently the most expensive part of the hide. 

 Suede  (or rough-out) leather.  This is the under layer of hide after top grain is removed.  Natural hides can be very thick and thickness can vary, with back and butt areas of hide being thickest.  In order to get uniform thickness in leather, the hide is split horizontally resulting in a top grain piece and a suede split that is the same size and shape as the top grain.  Depending on thickness wanted, suede split may be split again.  A hide may end up being split horizontally into several pieces, with each split becoming less durable and usually smaller after the top grain and initial split have been removed.

 Natural grain.  This is the top grain of the hide in its originally tanned finish, with stretch marks, bug bite, scratch and brand scars.  Hides normally have fat stretch lines in the neck and belly areas.

  Corrected grain.  This is a process where the hide is put through a mechanical embosser to imprint the hide with an even finish.  The embossing allows areas with scars or stretch marks to have a uniform leather pattern, thereby making more of the surface useable.

 Pattern Embossed.  This process, like corrected grain, uses a mechanical embosser to imprint a pattern over the entire hide, such as a western floral design, or an alligator or snake skin pattern.  Most commercial made belts and purses that have an embossed design in the leather are made this way.

 Remanufactured (or Automotive) leather.  This is a process where the cheaper, less durable suede splits are coated with a binding agent and then embossed with a leather grain pattern to simulate top grain leather.  This process has allowed auto manufacturers to advertise leather seats in their cars and trucks at a fraction of what top grain leather seats would cost, since a hide has only one top grain but can have several suede splits.

 Embossed versus Tooled leather.  Embossing is the process of imprinting a design on the leather by a mechanical embossing press.  This is done with pressure and the surface of the leather is not cut.  Embossing can be done on either vegetable or chemically tanned leather. 

Tooled leather is done by hand and only on vegetable tanned leather.  Since this leather has a firm surface, the design is cut into the surface and then worked with various hand tools to allow the design to stand out.  Tooling is used on saddles, holsters, purses, wallets and other leather goods and allows a unique or custom design to be put on the items.