How Leather Is "Boarded"

Although this printing process is necessary on all split leather, the buff layer has its natural grain, as mentioned, hut in an undeveloped state. The mean of bringing this out seems ridiculously simple, but like many things requiring dexterous hand manipulation, demands a great amount of skill and experience on the part of the operator. It is almost exclusively a hand operation. The hide is laid upon a smooth surface or table with the grain side up. It is then folded over on itself and the workman rubs it hack and fourth, hearing heavily on the fold with a curved board fastened on his forearm, something like the shields worn by ancient warriors. It is from this "board" that the process is termed "boarding." Numerous patterns may be produced in this way, depending on the number of times the skin is boarded in different directions. Thus one boarding would produce a surface of little creases or corrugations all running one way. By shifting the skin slightly and repeating the operation, another set of creases is produced at a sharp angle to the first, making what is known as "long grain." If the second creasing had been at a right angle to the first, little squares would result, called "box grain." The so-called morocco grain is produced by boarding at a sharp angle which makes the characteristic diamond-shaped grain. The "round grain," which is generally used for upholstery purposes, is produced by boarding in several (usually six) directions. By taking a piece of smooth leather and rubbing the creases under the hand on a table, these grains may be readily produced, although not permanently.

Spanish Leather

Spanish leather, which has become popular of late years, has several distinctive points. Most of what is now sold as Spanish leather is produced upon "splits" by the printing process described above, in imitation of the real Spanish leather, which is really an "antique material," like the antique tapestries which are now in favor. The real Spanish leather was made in medieval times, before modern processes were dreamed of, and its reproduction demands a return to the crude methods of the time. Its typical surface, deep, irregular creases surrounding comparatively smooth areas, is largely a result of the tanning, rather than the finishing. Modern hide are tanned by placing them in weak tannin- solutions first, gradually increasing the strength in order that the skin may be gently and thoroughly permeated by the tannic acid. The ancient craftsmen were unacquainted with this refinement, and dumped their hides unceremoniously into the strongest tanning liquor they could make. This strongly astringent solution naturally attacked the outer surface at once, making it tough, uneven and full of creases and wrinkles. When it came to finishing the hide, the tanner was unable to smooth out these wrinkles and they thus became characteristic of this type of leather. The coloring also was done in a crude manner. Several hatches of coloring material, differing more or less in shade, were "sloshed" on the surface and scrubbed around or wiped off. The result was an uneven coloring, darkest in the creases, of course, and almost defying imitation by modern methods. Real Spanish leather, produced by the old methods, is probably un-equaled for upholstery use. The imitation, printed on splits is neither better nor worse than any other finish of this class.