Leather is a material, which is won from the skin by animals (cattle, calf, goat, pig, crocodile, horse etc.) by Gerben. In the Middle Ages also dog and cat skin were used. Also in recent time often unmarked leather from the Far East arrives to Europe, which comes from dogs and cats.

By imitation leather, a Lederimitat, one understands the group about textilem fabric with a coating from plastic. Here it concerns natural fiber fabrics or artificial fibers, which are coated with a soft PVC layer. These coatings can be implemented depending upon application compactly or foamed. In all rule the surfaces are still grained, so that they correspond to a leather structure. Sample applications for imitation leathers are shoes, bags or automobiles of folded slab roofs.

Processing

After slaughtering the raw skins are trimmed (cut). Here parts, which are not suitable for the leather production, are removed. Afterwards the skin must be conserved as fast as possible, in order to stop the organic purge and avoid qualitative damage. This happens mostly through salts. In regions, where the distances and the delivery chains permit it, the skins are short time-conserved also by cooling and thus without salt do. In some regions, in which salt is limited and it permits the climate, skins and skins are also still dried.

With the Gerbung the skin is first eingeweicht, in order to remove salt, dirt etc. One inserts the skin some weeks into (in former times usually lime milk), until the "hair casualness" begins, then the skin is enthaart (scars). If the subcutaneous connective tissue were not already removed before that then the skin released in their whole surface of this laminate now. For soft leathers the must be still pickled (in former times with vergorenem dog excrement, today with partially synthetic enzymes). Subsequently, the skins are treated with animal, mineral or vegetable Gerbstoffen and made durable thus and changed in their technical characteristics. Thick leather is split. For most applications it e.g. requires still various surface treatments, like a painting, coining/shaping, perforating.

The scars marks the original skin surface, the smooth side, which shows the kind-typical surface texture. In addition, the artificial apply a texture as scars one designates.

Colored leather is surface-colored either or. leather one calls colored leather also aniline. Anilin dyes were the first synthetically manufactured, water-soluble coloring materials. These became in 19. Century with aniline from coal tar synthesizes for the first time. Completely aniline colored leather has on the upper and the lower surface the the same color, scratch or wear is noticeable thereby less. Semi aniline colored leather was sprayed with color on aniline basis, which something penetrates into the surface. Surface-colored leather (or leather also pigmented) is painted with a coloring material.

Fundamental leather types

Depending upon design and origin one differentiates different leather types:

• Like that Nappaleder is the smooth, upper side of the gap leather, the so-called "Vachette". This can as pure aniline without surface protection, when Semi aniline with weak surface treatment or as covered leather with protective varnish are acted.

• Of Nubukleder one speaks, if the surface is ground, so that a fine, aufgeraute structure develops.

• Common in the clothe range the Veloursleder, which one receives or by "upturns anti-clockwise from the thinner, lower layers after splitting the skin "from thinner smooth leathers, is far. Veloursleder can be from heavier, very good quality, which the case is however rare. Often falsely of game leather one speaks. That therefore agitates that Velours exhibits a similar surface as leathers of deer or similar game animals.

• Chicken leather is won from the skins of young sheep and goats.

• Game leather is won among other things from deer, moose, deer, or It has a blunt, including-like condition, is water permeable and not very firm. Game leather is used for example for the production of shoes, jackets and also trousers!

Use

Use finds leathers particularly in shoe production and the clothing industry/mode (as jackets, coats, trousers, shoes, belts, (hand) bags and motorcycle or protective clothing), in the furniture industry as (purchase of furniture, sofas in the sport to the coat of balls (football) or sport devices. Products from leather are called leather goods or portfolios. Beyond that leather has meaning and use in the Fetischszene.

There are numerous different leather-processing skilled trades like the Gerber, Riemer, upholsterers or the shoemaker.

An increasing range of application is the technology or vehicle industry. Leather for transmission belt o became already early. used. Today the use takes as interior or steering wheel lining as well as for leather seats too (see in addition also: Fahrzeugtuning).

Image

While leather applies to shoes for a long time as the usual material, leather for other kinds of the everyday life clothing (jackets, trousers) became societyable only in the past three decades. For a long time leather jackets became and - trousers with different kinds of function clothes predominantly uses (e.g. flier jackets, motorcycle clothes, etc.). Leather adhered therefore a breath of adventure desire and hard maleness. Different youth cultures 20. These availed themselves clothes of century in the everyday life unetablierten around their and their protest to articulate. Also in the Fetischszene are beside the Materialfetischismus these images of importance. The Fetisch association lends an additionally easily image to leather. The fashion ties for more than three decades to these different images, so that e.g. leather jackets lost the mittlerweise status of youth clothing and among the firmly established spectrum of the everyday life clothes to rank, partially even as prestige object apply.

Kinds of leather

Aalleder, aniline leather, Cordovan, Galuchat (skate leather), chicken leather, shark fish leather, Juchtenleder, crocodile leather, Nappaleder, Nubukleder, Saffian, Vacheleder, Vachetteleder, Veloursleder, white leather, game leather

See also

Kirn, Pergament, Chagrin, Bandalier, Lineapelle, German leather museum (in open brook at the Main) Rhabarberleder will receive by Gerbung with excerpts of the Rhabarberwurzel. By brushes of vegetable and/or one receives to synthetically gegerbtem leather with iron salt solutions (blacknesses). Shoemakers, upholsterers and Goldschmiede availed themselves for repairing of blackened leathers rust, which formed in a glass water at

Related links

• German leather museum open brook
• Preparing the Juchtenleders from the year 1807
• History of the leather in the net appearance of the federation of Swiss tanneries

Articles in category "Leather"

We found here 32 articles.