Leather is occasionally dressed black on the grain,' or having the hair or grain side instead of the flesh side coloured. The currying operations in such a case are similar to those above described, but the finishing processes are somewhat modified. The leather is rubbed with a gritstone, to remove any wrinkles and smooth down the coarse grain. The grain is finally raised by repeatedly rubbing over the surface, in different directions, with the pommel or graining board.
Japanned Leather of various kinds is used in coach-making, harness-making, and for various other purposes. Patent Leather is covered with a coat of elastic japan, which gives a surface like polished glass, impermeable to water ; and hides prepared in a more perfectly elastic mode o' japanning, which will permit folding without cracking the surface, are called Enamelled Leather. Such leather has the japan annealed, something in the same mode as glass : the hides are laid between blankets, and subjected to the heat of an oven at a particular temperature during several hours.
In making Russia leather, the skins are freed from the hair or fleece by steeping them in an ash-lye, then rinced, fulled, fer mented, and cleaned. They are then soaked for forty-eight hours in a bath composed of water mixed with a paste of rye-flour. The skins, when taken out of the bath, are left in tubs for fifteen days, then washed, and im mersed in a boiler containing a hot decoction of willow bark, in which they are handled and pressed for half an hour. This manipulation is repeated twice a day for a week, after which the tanning infusion is renewed, and the process repeated on the same skins for another week, after which they are exposed to the air to dry, and are then dyed and curried.
Shagreen, a peculiar kind of leather, or rather of prepared skin, formerly much used for the covers of watch-cases, mathematical instrument cases, &c., is produced by soaking, scraping, rubbing, softening, salting, and dye ing. The unevenness of surface is produced in a singular way. The grain side of the skin is strewed with the hard round seeds of ithe Goose-Foot (Chenopodium album). A felt
being laid over these, they are trodden deeply into the' soft-yielding skin; and when dried, the seeds may be shaken out without violence, leaving the skin in a hard horny state, covered with deep indentations.
It has been recently stated that Dr. Burn land, of Vienna, has discovered a method of making leather out of certain refuse animal substances ; and that the substance is at one stage of its process in a state of fluidity, and can be cast into boots and shoes and other articles.
Leather-splitting machines, by which even very thin skins may be divided into two thick , nesses, each of which is capable of being dressed as a perfect skin, have called forth much ingenuity of contrivance. In one ma chine of this kind, the skin is drawn between two revolving rollers, and presented, as it emerges from their grasp, to the edge of a long and very sharp knife, which is kept con tinually moving a little backwards and forwards with great velocity As there are attempts now being made' to revive the beautiful art of carving, in its higher artistic branches ; so does the art of embossing and gilding leather seem likely to meet with some revival. Embossed leather, ornamented in gold, silver, and colours, was largely manufactured some centuries ago, first in Spain, Italy, and Flanders, and then in Germany, France, and England. Itwas much used as tapestry for rooms ; and some of our old English mansions still present specimens of it. The Alhambra in Spain still contains some very rich examples. The leathers so employed were made of calf, goat, and sheep. skins. Mr. Leake has recently introduced machinery which bids fair to produce embossed leathers in high relief, and presenting patterns of great beauty.
The untanned hides imported into this country in 1850 amounted to 591,920 cwts. The leather manufactures imported in the same year, comprised about 3,200,000 pairs of gloves, and about 780,000 pairs of boots, shoes, and boot fronts. The English-tanned leather, and English made leather goods exported in 1850, comprising saddles, harness, gloves, and other articles, had an aggregate value of 008,650/.