Handicraft Simplified Procedure and Projects in Leather, Celluloid, Metal, Wood, Batik, Rope, Cordage, Yarn, Horsehair, Pottery, Weaving, Stone, Primitive Indian Craft. Lester Griswold
after wetting.
The first shoes made in America, other than moccasins constructed in the Indian manner, were made in 1628 from hides brought from England by the Plymouth Company, which also brought two shoemakers for this special task. In America, as in England, the crude tanning methods of the Hebrews continued to be used until about 1800 when other sources of tanning than oak bark were discovered, and a chemical process was developed which used chromium salts and resulted in a product more satisfactory for many purposes. Machinery was perfected to take the place of hand labor in the tanning processes and another machine was invented to split the heavy cowhide into several thicknesses, each of which could be utilized, in contrast to the old method of shaving the leather to the proper thickness, a process which wasted a large portion.
Today the finest leathers in the world are made in America from hides which come from all parts of the Western Hemisphere and to some extent from Europe, Australia, Africa and China. The materials now used in tanning are collected from many countries and the importation of vegetable extracts and chemicals for the tanning industry has become an important foreign trade.
Leather is classified in two ways, first by the name of the animal from which it is taken, and, second by the kind of tanning process to which it is subjected. A brief description of the domestic animal skins commercially used may be of interest.
Steer and cowhide are heavy coarse grained skins, used mostly for straps, cases and luggage. Many varieties of leather are also made from cowhide, besides the stiff, heavy strap leather with which we are familiar. In the original state, or after the preliminary tanning processes, cowhide is very thick and heavy, and in this state is finished mainly for saddles, harness, machine belting, shoe soles, etc. It may, however, be thinned or split into several layers. The grain surface is polished or glazed and used for belting, traveling bags, cases of various kinds, or. in lighter weights finished in a wide variety of grain effects in imitations of other skins for book binding and manufacturing many different articles. The sections split off are finished or buffed in different thicknesses or weights, dyed and used for slipper and moccasin soles, shoe linings, the palms of work gloves and the like. Selected splits are given a soft finish and are known as suede or velvet splits. These are used for bags and garments instead of sheep suede, as they are stronger and more durable.
Calfskins are fine grained, light weight and close textured, and are used more widely than any other leather for shoe uppers, purses, bags, book bindings, and art leather work. They are dyed many colors and finished in grains to imitate every other kind of animal or reptile skin. Beautiful cloth like effects and designs are secured by embossing, which is a process of running the skin between rollers with the design engraved on the upper roller which is steam heated.
Sheep skins are porous and open textured. They are finished mostly by buffing on the flesh side and are known as velvet or ooze sheep. Skivers are made of sheep skin using the grain surface, and from this also is made imitation Moroccos and the cheaper embossed leathers.
Goat skins are mostly imported from the Alpine countries or Ural Mountains. This is the toughest and tightest grained skin known, the texture being the result of the cold endured by the animal, or developed as a natural protection from icy winds. The Morocco leathers, highly prized by the early book binders and leather craftsmen of the 16th century were made from goat skins, and this is the leather used by the modern Spanish and Italian leather workers for the finest quality hand tooled and embossed articles.
Leathers are also classified by the three kinds of tanning methods used; chemical or chrome tanned, bark or vegetable tanned, and chamois or oil tanned.
Craftwork Leather
Until the beginning of the 20th Century the leather generally used for fine tooling was a calfskin known as Russia Calf, so called because it was said to have been first made in Russia by means of a vegetable tanning process, using white birch bark from which it received a characteristic odor. It was frequently dyed a rich red color with dye made from Brazil wood and this leather became especially popular for book bindings.
The term Russia Calf is still widely applied to vegetable tanned calfskin, both natural and dyed colors and in the tanning industry any natural or undyed leather is classed as “Russet.” Consequently there is some confusion as to the color indicated by this term. Throughout this book it will be used to designate the natural or undyed leather.
Spanish or Mission Steerhide is a vegetable tanned leather which has been developed in this Century. It is a beautiful and durable tooling leather and is available in the natural russet, also in a variety of shaded and two tone effects. It has a characteristic boarded or grained surface which contrasts effectively with smooth tooled or modeled areas and though it is somewhat more difficult to tool than the softer calfskin it is well worth the effort since the finished article will retain its beauty almost indefinitely.
LEATHER PROJECTS—TOOLING STEER AND CALFSKIN
The descriptions following should enable the craft worker to apply to many selected project the detailed procedure of decoration and assembly given in Sections G and H, Chapter II. Space limitations make it impractical to give dimensions or exact pattern outlines.
1.The group of Coin Purses shown in the illustration may be made of either Steer or Calfskin. Both may be used unlined but the inside finish of the Steer is neater if lined. A simple single coin purse as No. 1 involves less assembly detail than other purse projects and is desirable as a first attempt for beginners.
a.Single Coin Purse. (Calfskin.) Dampen, crease edges and transfer design as detailed on page 44.
b.Apply tooled decoration and permit the leather to dry.
c.Skive the edges which are to be united.
d.Cement the front and back together along the edges only and deepen the edge crease.
e.Start at one corner and punch the holes, using the gauge punch. Adjust spacing if necessary to bring the holes in the corners. The method is shown in A and B, page 64.
f.Lace, starting about three holes below one top edge of the front.
The same procedure is followed when steer hide is used except that the front edge is turned under at the top, see page 63. If a lining is used see a cementing of linings and method of holding to avoid folds in the lining, page 63.
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2.Double Coin Purses and Card Case Coin Purses are constructed in about the same way except for the insertion of the additional pocket or purse flap. These must be skived thin at the edges so that the combined thickness will not be out of proportion with the single flap. Cement carefully in position before punching, and trim if necessary to make all margins straight. Nos. 2 and 3, double coin purse and card case coin purse are made of Steer hide and the edges of fronts and pockets are turned under as shown. No. 4 is gusset type double coin purse with a folded pocket of the type described on page 76.
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