How leathers are made hasn’t really changed much over the past several years, only it’s
been modernized to the point that it requires more machine work than humans.
There is a reason why real leather can cost you your three months salary. It doesn’t
come off directly looking like that shinny jacket you have in your closet.
The whole process of making your beloved leather isn’t an easy one, it takes more than 20
steps to get the job done. Today we are taking a trip to the leather
hides factory and learning in-depth procedures of making leather, from farms to your closet.
But before we get started, don’t forget to like and subscribe to our channel for more
videos like this! The first step begins with the farms, where
the cows are nursed and taken care of for the entirety of their life.
But now it is time for the cows to begin their final journey to the slaughterhouse.
They arrive at the slaughterhouse and are tested by the vet for any form of disease
or illness when they are proven to be healthy. The process of production began, in the first
step, they are slaughtered and skinned. While one part of the cows contribute to the
world food requirement, the other half goes to clothing them.
The skins extracted from the cows, also known as cowhides, are sent to the leather production
factory, where they begin the process of turning the cowhide into usable leather.
The First phase is the tanning process which is again divided into different parts.
The first phase of this process focuses mainly on taking the raw cowhides and preparing them
for the tanning process. Given that it's rawhide, and would probably
decompose within 5 to 6 hours due to build-up bacteria if left as it is, the hides first
needs to be preserved. It is important to halt this natural process and in big factories,
it is done by wet salting. Wet Salting involves the hide being dipped
in an excess amount of saltwater solution. As it is dipped in the water, the salt works
its magic and draws out as much moisture from it.
Once salting is done, there no more risk of bacteria build-up and the hide responds better
to the upcoming tanning process. The hide is now ready for the removal of undesired
parts. Here the hide is de-haired using rollers and then fleshed. The final product now looks
more like real leather. Moving on to the Sorting and Trimming Process:
In this process, hides are sorted differently for a few factors like weight and quality.
Here they check that the hide is of top-notch quality and will meet the requirement.
Excess fats and damaged parts are trimmed here before the hides move further into the
processing. Next enters the Tanning phase, where the majority
of work takes place. This phase focuses mainly on the prepared hides and turning them into
shippable leather pieces. Earlier tanning processes involved using very
harsh and smelly substances to prepare and tan leathers. This is made simpler by big
drums that rotate and soften the leather inside them.
All the work is done inside the drum that contains chromium water inside. The chromium
binds the collagen in raw hides and even increases the space between them making it more stretchable.
It also prevents the leather from shrinking in hot water.
A chemical bath is equally important for the preparation of leather. This process is a
lengthy one and it takes nearly a day to finish. There are other methods of tanning available
as well, but this is the easiest and time-saving method of production.
During the tanning the hides are dipped over and over again, meaning they had collected
a significant amount of moisture in them. Now it is important to rid the product of
its water, so it’s time for the drying and wringing process to begin.
This step requires a huge rolling machine to wring the water out of the hide. Manually
the hide is passed into the machine, which then does its job and rid the hide of excess
moisture. This process can also be done via vacuum suction,
where you place the hide on a large steel plate, setup in specialized machinery, and
let the automatic vacuum dry it for you. Now that the hide is dry, it is moved to the
next step of splitting. The hide contains several naturals layers.
This is where the leather is thinned, this varies according to the demand, some orders
require thinner leather for the production of gloves and other things.
Here the thickness of the leather is adjusted according to the requirement.
Moving on to the shaving area; This area is operated manually.
This is the area where the hide is given proper shape depending on its intended use. The whole
piece of hides arrives here and the skin that is ultra-thin on the side and cannot be used
with the final product is cut off. All the cut pieces are either recycled and
used to make products like belts, straps, and wallets or discarded entirely.
Back to square one again, the newly treated and refined hides arrive into the retanning
area. You might protest – but the leather was
just tanned! After the first tanning was done, the leather
had already gone through several phases of production. It is important to re-tan the
leather so that the main characteristic of the leather remains intact.
This step helps the product maintain its softness, flexibility, density, and color.
The process is done by rotating the hides in the big drums a few times until the leather
really began to have that finishing shine. The leather now has a blue hue to it, ready
to be dyed. In order to provide different variety of leather,
the leather is dyed, colored, or bleached into various colors.
In big production houses, they generally use the water-soluble dyes because it penetrates
the material better and goes deeper into the fibers making it more durable.
This process can also be done using oil-soluble, the use of dying products depends completely
on the demand. Up until this point, the leather has made
a whole journey to the place where it now looks like the final product but going through
so many stages can also leave the leather stiff and dry and so another layer of lubricant
is used to make the leather more flexible and strong.
This adds a certain shine to the leather. The next process is letting the leather settle
into the finishing state. Here the leather is hanged and is left for air drying. This
takes a while and has to be done accurately in order to get the desired result.
During this process, the hides are stretched using a machine that allows all areas of the
hide to be available for airflow. After this process comes proper drying, this
step is done by big machines with hot and heavy rollers that press the hide and dry
it completely. The process of Drying can also be done by Vacuum suction.
Now the hides have entered the finishing process, a few final steps and the leather are ready
for shipping. These last few steps focus mainly on refining
the leather with more specific qualities for its intended use.
In the next step, conditioner is applied to the leather, it helps them retain their moisture
and oils that will keep the leather healthy and flexible.
It also adds more shine to it. The next step is staking or also known as
dry milling. This process is to soften the texture of the
leather. The leather is mechanically beaten to soften its texture. This step helps turn
it smoother and gives it the feel of the leather that is available in the market.
In order to give the leather its final shine and smooth texture, it is buffed. Buffing
is performed with a sanding drum, which leaves one side of the surface smooth to touch.
We are nearing the end of the whole procedure. This next step is where the leather takes
a different look and feel. During this step, the leather is passed through heavy machine
rollers. The leather is pressed and this stage is also where the leather is given a different
pattern if required. After this step, the leather now has the appearance
of a texture on one side. Surely it’s done now? No, not really it
still has a few steps to go. The process like surface finishing is where
it’s changed for the last time. This process takes things to a whole new level, refining
the product to its permanent state. This is also where important finishes are
added to make the quality and the durability of the leather better. For the items that
are to be used on a daily basis this step is a great way to extend their life.
Now that the leather is finished and good to go, it’s time for testing the quality
of the material. The leather is sent to a lab where series
of quality tester work their magic and approve the leather for trade. This step can also
be done by the machines. Once they get the okay sign from the grading
they move on to measuring and categorizing the leather for sale.
Once the leather is all rolled up and ready for shipping, it is shipped to their designated
area. Which is where the leather is shaped into
the product you find in the market. So if you have ever wondered why things made
of leathers are so expensive, now you know. That was it for today guys, thank you for
watching. We hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more videos like this.