What is Leather?
It is a great natural medium which can be cut, molded, dyed, tooled, embossed, pressed, braided, engraved, sewn, burned, painted, stained and much more.It can be crafted by anybody from a skilled craftsman. It can be made into items that are functional, such as clothing, furniture, luggage, bags, purses, wallets, shoes, boots, belts and etc.
Why do some people prefer to use Leather?
- Leathers has properties that make it superior to other materials such as fabrics.
- Leather has an exceptionally long useful life that usually lasts about 5 times longer than fabric.
- Leather will not tear easily and is much stronger than other fabrics that is why Bikers wear leather to protect them in case of a fall.
- Leather is more fire resistant than other fabrics.
- Leather will retain its shape and will not crack and peel.
- Leather breathes making it comfortable equally in hot or cold temperatures unlike many fabrics.
- Leather resists heat and sun damage.
- Leather ages well and will retain its good look for many years.
Need tips for choosing your Leather?
- Make sure it looks natural, smell good and has a soft hand. The way Leather feels to the touch is called the hand, feel or hand-feel. The softer the hand or feel of the leather item the better its quality.
- Inspect your Leather carefully. There are many influencing factors that can affect the quality of leather and in what type of product it may be used. In relation to the animal's genetic makeup, environment and food supply every hide has unique variations in texture and colour. These various colours, indentations, wrinkles and marks on the outside of a particular hide or skin are part of its natural beauty and uniqueness.
Do you know the different types of hides and skins used for Leather?
- Alligator skin: is an exotic leather made from the belly skin of an alligator. This is top quality Leather that is commonly used for shoes, gun cases, purses, wallets and belts.
- Buffalo hide: It is used in fine small leather goods, men's dress shoes, women's shoes and western boots. Buffalo leather has a unique, natural grain character. It is valued for its long-lasting durability.
- Cow hide: The most common leather used in the leather manufacturing industry. Not because of its nice wearable properties, strength and durability in the United States and in Western Europe the hides are very plentiful. This affordable and functional leather will continue to offer fashion, style and value for many generations to come. The average thickness of a cowhide is 5mm before it is split.
- Deer skin: it is the best leather because it can be wet and dried over and over and will always conform back to its original condition. It can be used for almost any garment because of its soft supple properties. Deerskin's leather fibers make it abrasion resistance and give it high shear strength. Deerskin leather is very comfortable for any temperature; it becomes cooler in warm weather and warmer in cold weather.
- Elkskin; and moose skin is one of the heaviest leather available. Its properties are much the same as deerskin except the hides are usually thicker and needs to be shaved down or split to be used.
- Equine hides: includes hide from horses, donkeys and mules. These leathers have a lot of the characteristics of cowhide leather but are more durable. Is commonly used in rugs as well as for leather.
- Goatskin: is almost as nice as deerskin. Used for dress shoes, boots and smaller leather products.
- Lambskin: it is a very soft and luxurious leather, because of its natural lightweight layers that give it a distinctive velvety touch. Lambskin is very wearable and with proper care will give you many years of wear.
- Moose skin: and the elk skin is one of the heaviest leather available. Its properties are much the same as deerskin except the hides are usually thicker and needs to be shaved down or split to be used.
- Ostrich skin: is an exotic leather, known by its telltale pattern of quill sockets. Since ostrich leather is full of natural oils it resists drying, cracking and stiffness. This leather is flexible, pliable, durable, tough and yet soft to touch making it an idea material for most manufactures of leather goods.
- Pigskin: has a natural, lightweight structure that produces delicate patterns, textures and soft naps. Pigskin is a very versatile leather that is easily transformed into many of today's fashion.
- Shearling: refers to hides from lambs that are generally much softer to the touch and lighter in weight than its sheepskin cousin even though it is similar in appearance. Although they may be lighter than sheepskin, coats made from shearling are just as warm.
- Sheepskin: refers to the hide of a sheep used with the wool still attached. The wool side can face into the garment or accessory to produce a wool lining. The wool can also be made to face outside giving the coat a fur-like appearance. The wool faces sheepskin is the warmest leather available.
What are the types of Leather available?
- Full Grain or Full Top Grain Leather: To be considered a full grain leather, it cannot have been buffed or sanded on the top. So, when the full natural grain is retained throughout the tanning process it is called Full Grain Leather.
- Top Grain Leather: is the outside or topside of the hide which has the grain. Top Grain is known as Full Grain when the natural grain remains, but when the natural grain is sanded away and an imitation grain is pressed or embossed into the surface it is known as Top Grain.
- Napa Leather: refereed to only sheepskin. However in recent years, the word Napa has become one of the softest leathers in the market today. if it looks good and feels good, it probably is, but it's not always a better or more expensive grade of leather like true Napa is.
- Patched Leather: after the hides are tanned, dyed and finished as desired, then skilled craftsmen carefully select leather that match in colour and texture. Each leather hide is then cut by hand into various size pieces and then it is sewn into mosaic type patterns making a final product that is one of a kind.
- Patent Leather: when cowhide is treated with protective finishes such as acrylic paints or waterproofing to produce an extremely shiny finish.
- Naked or Nude Leather: a leather that is tanned and dyed but has little or no protective finish.
- Suede Leather: when leather is finished by buffing with an emery wheel to produce a napped surface. Suede is made from layers split off from the top grain portion of the hide.
- Pulled up Leather: it produces a burst of colour when the leather is pulled tight. This leather uses a full aniline dye and in addition has an oil and/or wax application, which separates causing the colour to become lighter as the leather is pulled.
How do people clean their Leather Products?
- If your leather must be cleaned, try mild soap and cold water with a sponge. Make sure to dry the leather immediately with a soft towel. Do not rub continuously over one spot as this will create a non-uniform appearance. Then use a commercial leather-moisturizing product (lanolin based) on sealed leather to remoisten and make it supple again. On non-sealed leathers (like naked leather) do not use any moisturizer that might seal its grain.
- Another way is to send your leather products to the professional leather cleaner as they will have the proper tools to clean and recondition your leather product. Do not attempt to wash as normal clothing item and dry clean yourself. Always follow the instructions on the garment label before cleaning.
How do people care for their Leather Products?
- Avoid getting leather products overly wet and do not store them until they have had ample time to air dry.
- Do not store leathers in sunlight.
- Do not store leathers in a damp area or you risk a mildew problem.
- Store leather products in a cool closet with low humidity.
- Never store leather clothing in a closed plastic bag.
- Hang your leather clothes using Wooden or Broad Plastic Hangers or carefully fold them.
- Avoid storing near to or using chemicals, solvents and paints on or near leather products.
Wow.. as i was sharing this information that i have read somewhere, i also get to know more about Leather Products. I hope you will enjoy reading it too. Do check out our Leather Products at www.foraverblissful.com and www.manthatcare.com . I am sure you can find information on our Leather products from this information that i have shared.
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