About Leather - Leather Supremacy

Leather has been known and used by people for many centuries as it is durable, warm product with elegant look. But leather is not restricted to only jackets and bags as there’s a lot more than these 2 stuffs. In this guide, you’ll learn all about the different types of leather, some of the specialty and natural leather finishes, sewing styles, and proper care for leather to help maintain its beauty. Prepare yourself for the adventure of learning about leather where each item has a story of its own and only improves with age.

What is Leather?

In its most basic sense, leather is a strong thin material derived from the skin of animals. The raw hide is tanned, dyed and finally finished to form leather which is used for the manufacture of many articles. Leather has been used since early civilizations not only for warmth and protection but for its aesthetic value. It remains a popular material to this very day because of its beauty and durability and is used effectively and stylishly in things such as coats, shoes, bags and furniture.

Where is Leather Used?

Leather is durable and stylish that’s why it is commonly used for producing various goods. Here’s where you’ll typically find leather:

Fashion: jackets, clothing, wallets, belts, keychains
Home Furnishings: couches, sofas, and other furniture
Automotive: car seats and interiors
Accessories: gloves, aprons, shoes, and boots

Types of Leather:

There are many animals and every animals skin produce different textures, weight and quality leather. Here are some of the most common types:

Cowhide: Jackets, shoes and especially furniture are manufactured by using cowhide leather as it is the best and is greatly valued for the durability it brings with it.
Sheepskin leather: Sheepskin leather is used in clothing and accessories; like gloves, shoes, boots, etc. These accessories are made from sheepskin leather, which is soft, and has a very flexible feel
Goatskin: For making gloves and bags, goatskin leather is used. It has a textured grain and is known for its durability.
Calfskin: Luxury goods are made using calfskin leather which is obtained from young cows. It has a supple and smooth feel.
Lambskin: Lambskin leather is soft. Finished products of this leather is lambskin leather jacket and other accessories and this is why this is expensive material.
Buckskin and Deerskin: Thick and coarse, both buckskin and deerskin leather finds its way into outdoor and rustic leather goods.
Other Sources: Bullhide leather; thicker than cowhide and used for different purposes; pigskin leather; as the name implies, and this type of leather comes from pigs, cordovan leather; it comes from horse leather and elk leather, it is white and used for different uses.

Leather Grades

The grades of leather available vary considerably from each another, in terms of durability, quality and performance. Here’s a breakdown of the most common types:

Natural Grain: Original grain leather; shows natural textures and markings.
Full-Grain Leather: From the best hide and keeps all natural grain. It is the strongest and most durable leather.
Top-Grain Leather: Buffed a little to smooth imperfections, which makes it less durable, but smoother than full grain leather.
Split Grain: Split grain is followed by the layer beneath the top grain, used in suede or nubuck.
Genuine Leather: Less durable, usually less expensive, and real, but a lower-quality layer of leather.
Bonded Leather: It’s made of leather scraps that have been bonded with adhesive, so it has less real leather and is cheaper.
Altered Leather: The leather with its original surface removed and the new grain embossed.
Corrected Grain: Buffed to reduce scars and blemishes leather.
Gusset Leather: A common type of soft, flexible leather used for making shoes, bags and cases.
Harness Leather: Cowhide of thick, vegetable tanned quality, used for saddles and harnesses.
Lining Leather: Thin leather used for linings in items like jacket collars, bags, and shoes.
Naked Leather: It’s leather that can be considered to be unfinished and undyed — it shows its own natural grains.
Orthopedic Leather: Specially treated leather used for making artificial limbs or orthopedic items.
Production Run Leather: It is cheap and ungraded leather which is used by manufacturers.
Saddle Leather: Made for durability, flexible vegetable tanned leather used in saddles and harnesses.
Shearling: Soft and warm, this leather was made from sheared sheepskin.
Strap Leather: Leather used in belts and straps in such a way that is suited for industrial use.
Upholstery Leather: It is especially designed for furniture and also automotive use, this leather is durable and usually pigmented for color consistency.

Appearance: From Natural to Distressed

There is great variation in appearance, dependent on the treatment and finish. Some popular looks include:

Distressed Leather: Designed to have a vintage worn in look.
Crackled: It has a fine line network to simulate aging.
Rustic and Weathered: Soft, aged leather with natural, casually worn marks on it.
Embossed Leather: Soft, aged leather with natural, casually worn marks on it.

Leather Finishes

Leather

Each piece of article is given a unique look and feel by the leather finishes. Here’s a simple guide to the most common types of leather finishes:

Matte: Uniform finish with no shine to the smooth leather, giving it a classic understated look.
Shiny: Leather with a reflective shine, making it look nice and elegant.
Glossy: The shiny leather but with a little bit more shimmer when light hits it, making it seem vibrant and captivating.
Natural: The leather has not been finished, so you can see it in its true, unaltered state.
Burnished: This finish gives leather that slightly darkened look with the illusion of blackened veins for a rich, textured look.
Rub-off: Extraclear polished leather dyed into brighter colors, with a darker hue layered on to give an antique or vintage appearance.
Aniline: It is a finish used only on high quality leather, using soluble dyes to bring out the natural, soft texture of the leather without ruining it.
Semi-Aniline: This type of leather is lightly pigmented to keep it’s natural pores and character and give it some colour.
Oily Pull-Up: Aniline dyed leather which will scar over time when pulled, creating an interesting vintage look after wear.
Glazed Finish: Polishing the leather surface until it was smooth and shiny under strong pressure, as obtained.
Nap Finish: This finish gives leather a soft, fuzzy feel like suede, that is cozy and inviting.
Nude Finish: Dyed leather in vats with little protective coating permitting leather to exhibit its natural characteristics.

Leather Textures

Leather textures are wide ranging and each piece has its own feel and appearance. Here’s an easy guide to some of the most popular textures:

Suede: Suede is softer and more velvety and while it has a texture, it’s not as durable as full-grain leather resulting from the underside of the hide.
Nubuck: Made from the outer side of the hide this has a very soft, suede like feel (similar but not the same) but does feel slightly stronger.
Pigmented: Made of durable leather that gets pigmented coating to hide natural grain so it appears flat.
Buffered: Leather with a smooth buffed surface that has no or only low visible grain.
Natural: Leather with a granular, porous texture that keeps its natural imperfections, giving it an authentic, rugged look.
Latigo: This leather is tough and water resistant, and tanned twice for extra durability.
Smooth: Buffed to create a sleek, smooth appearance with little to no texture.
Hair Cells: Has a textured look that shows natural or artificial hair follicles.
Embossed: It is leather dyed with artificially added grain patterns to add a uniform look and to hide imperfections.
Tiny Pebble Grain: Its texture is slightly bolder than natural, with fine grain resembling tiny pebbles.
Medium Pebble Grain: One you can feel when you touch.
Large Pebble Grain: A very tactile one with distinct, bold grains which look very much like large pebbles.
Boardy: It’s stiff, inflexible leather that’s hard to bend.
Bridle Leather: Vegetable tanned, and infused with wax and oils, the leather is water resistant and slightly glossy and durable.

Types of Leather Stitching

Stitching helps make leathercraft both strong and stylish. Here’s a quick guide to the most common types of leather stitching:

Single Stitch: It uses only one thread which passes each hole. Perfect for lightweight items of leather and is simple and clean.
Saddle Stitch: This stitch means that the stitches are placed close together, making the stitch very strong and durable, and also perfect for heavy duty leather work.
Box Stitch: This stitch is designed for corner stitching and is great for creating boxes, or for giving bags a bit of structure.
Cross Stitch: Similar to a single stitch but with a twist—each stitch forms an “X” pattern, adding a decorative look.
Baseball Stitch: The stitch forms the base of a “V” that sits along the seam, making it look exactly like the stitching on a baseball. It’s eye-catching and has a strong hold.
Lock Stitch: Two threads used to lock together inside the material for a secure stitch that isn’t likely to unravel.

Leather Tanning Methods and Processes

Raw hides are transformed into durable leather affecting the look, feel, and quality of leather, depending on what raw hide is being used, and the method of tanning that the raw hide is put through. Here’s a breakdown of the main tanning types:

Chrome Tanned: Chromium sulfate yields a quick method producing leather with vibrant colors but also an acute odor.
Oil-Tanned: Oils added to leather give it a soft surface, make it water resistant, perfect for boots, and jackets.
Vegetable Tanned: A natural tannin derived from plants practice, which imparts leather with a firm texture and rich brown colours. Leather also develops a patina with time whether vegetable or bovine tanned.
Brain Tanned: Tanning by an old technique, usually with oils, of animal brains. It makes super soft leather that is often used on outdoor gear.
Blue (Wet Blue): Bluish same tanned hides, not yet dyed, extended.
Chrome Re-Tan: Vegetable and chrome tanning are combined to produce strength and flexibility and a natural looking leather.
Crust: Vegetable-tanned leather left without any final finishing coat, allowing for customization and additional treatments.
Currying: A technique where oils and waxes are incorporated in the leather to soften it, especially harness and saddlery leathers.
Deer-Tanned Cowhide: Skin of a cow that has been treated to possess the pliancy and softness of skin from deer.
Hair-on Leather: That type of leather where the hair of the animal is still attached and is used to make things like rugs and assorted leather garments.
Mineral Tanned: Incorporates minerals such as aluminum in the tanning of leather to enhance durability and heat resistance.
Oak Tannage: A traditional method of leather tanning that uses oak wood to tan the leather giving it a more rustic look and an organic feel.
Rawhide: Animal hide that has not been tanned; it is stiff in nature and is used for decorative craftwork, drumheads, etc.
Re-Tannage: Followed by the primary tanning process as modification additional to the basic tanning process to improve some features of the leather such as softness, color, or resilience.

Dyeing and Aftereffects

Dyeing leather gives it color, while additional effects can change how it looks and ages:

Drum Dyeing: Hides are dyed in a rotating drum, achieving even color and softness.
Vat Dyeing: The leather is soaked in vats for a deep color.
Patina: A beautiful, natural sheen that develops over time with use.
Cracking and Peeling: Can occur in lower-quality leathers as the surface layer deteriorates.

Measuring Leather: Thickness and Size

Leather measurements are vital in leathercraft to match the type and thickness to specific uses. The main units include:

Iron: Measures thickness; one iron equals 1/48th of an inch or about 0.53mm.
Ounces: Refers to leather weight, varying by nation; heavier ounces mean thicker leather.
Square Feet: Leather hides are measured in square feet, often used to price hides before processing.

Leather Care and Maintenance

Caring for leather is important to make it last and continuously look nice. Because leather derives from a natural base, it needs constant care to avoid situations where it may not face dryness, crack, or lose its finish. Herein come the ways to care for your leather items:

Cleaning: Minimal cleaning could be done with a soft, moist cloth to remove dust and dirt. Water cannot be used on raw or unfinished leather because it has the tendency to cause stains or watermarks.
Conditioning: Leather requires good moisturizing so that it stays supple. Generally, conditioning leather every three to six months, depending on the use or the climate, will help prevent it from cracking by smearing a leather conditioner.
Protection: Leather should not be exposed to direct sunlight or extreme heat, as this may cause fading, drying, and brittleness; stains can be guarded by different leather protectants.
Storage: Leather accessories store best in a cool, dry environment. Place dust bags on all handbags and boots for storage, and jackets retain shape best if kept on padded hangers.