PATENT LEATHER.
Glazed, or, as it is more frequently called, patent leather is now
extensively used in the manufacture of harness, pads, gig saddles,
and winkers, they being seldom made of other kinds, while for
ornaments such as tabs, tug-ends, fronts, etc., it is deemed almost
indispensable; like plain leather, it is made both of good and poor
material, and finished to correspond.
The finest quality is made of well-assorted hides, tanned with young
oak bark, weak liquors being used at first, and gradually strengthened
each day until the proper degree is reached, ample time being given
to thoroughly tan the leather before it is removed from the vats. All
hides that are to be used for thin leather are then split.
The first split taken from the flesh side is small, and is known as the
“junior,” and is seldom finished in glazed stock; following this is one
or more full splits according to the thickness of the hide. The splits
are always finished smooth, the grain being largely used for enamel
leather, though it is also finished as grain, collar, binding, etc.
Running the hide through the splitting-machine has long been
acknowledged to be detrimental to the leather, owing to the severe
strain to which it is subjected, but the introduction of the belt-knife
machine for splitting removes much of this objection, as the hide is
split without being strained in the least. The processes of varnishing,
drying, and finishing, while determining the quality of the leather,
are foreign to the business of the harness maker; but there are points
which he should understand in order to be able to judge of the quality
of the leather. The first of these is the condition of the finished
surface, which should be smooth, the coat of color and varnish being of
sufficient thickness to give a pure color, while on skirting, winker,
and other heavy stock the varnish should be thicker than on light
leathers, as these are seldom bent while being worked. Light leather,
such as collar and binding, is always worked over round frames, and if
the glazed coat is too heavy it is liable to crack, thus defacing the
surface. This is particularly the case with collar-leathers, which in
too many cases are but the thinnest splits, selected without regard to
their adaptability to the required purpose, whereas they should be of
extra soft stock, coated as thinly as possible with the best grade of
varnish. The severe treatment it receives while being shaped to the
collar is sure to impair the surface even of the best. The grades of
leather known as grain winker, skirting, collar, etc., command a much
higher price than that known as splits. With the thinner qualities
there is some advantage in using the grain, as the surface preserves
its original appearance much better after being worked than does split
stock; for winker and skirting, however, the grain does not possess any
special merit, except what it may gain from not being put through the
splitting-machine, as thin hides are selected, and they are reduced to
a uniform thickness by the knife. The varnish is applied to the flesh
sides, and is therefore open to the same objections as to split stock.
The prejudice against the latter is a senseless one, and harness makers
pay dearly for yielding to it and selecting grain stock at higher rates.
Enamel leather is always made of the grain side, and its quality must
be determined by its softness to the touch, purity of color, and
fineness of finish. The prices of patent leather vary to an extent that
creates surprise in the minds of buyers who are unacquainted with the
causes.
These exist from the very commencement. In the first place, the hides
themselves may be of an inferior quality. When they are limed and
prepared for the tanner, they may be placed in strong hemlock liquors
and partially tanned, after which they are split and then retanned in
oak liquor for the purpose of producing a light color. They are also
submitted to various manipulations, unknown to any but the initiated,
for the purpose of giving a good appearance to the leather without
increasing the expense, which in no way improves the quality. After
being otherwise prepared for the varnish, the hides are placed upon a
frame, and by means of powerful jack-screws stretched to their utmost
extent, whereby an increased measurement of from five to seven feet is
given to each. They are then glazed and finished to look as well as
prime stock, and can be sold at a marked reduction in price compared
with the former; but the buyer who imagines he has saved two cents a
foot by purchasing these hides pays for five or seven feet of leather,
the greater part of which is sure to be lost, in a few months, by
shrinkage. The worst feature of this excessive stretching is that the
leather, being extended to its utmost capacity while wet, can not be
worked smooth when used over irregular shapes, as all the stretch is
taken out of it while being manufactured. This cheap stock therefore
costs nearly as much as the best qualities, is more difficult to
work, and is less durable when put to actual use. The care of patent
leather in stock in order to prevent loss is a matter of considerable
importance. When practicable, all thick stock should be hung up in a
cool, dry room, while thin stock, both enamelled and smooth, should be
rolled, thin paper being placed next to the glazed surface.
There is another matter that is well worthy the attention of
buyers—namely, the season in the year when the leather is made, this
having much to do with its durability.
The best leather is produced in cool weather, the poorest during the
hot months of July and August. The latter is somewhat less liable to
become sticky when exposed to the sun, but it is almost sure to crack
during cold weather, sometimes when not in use, and there are very few
leather-manufacturers who are willing to warrant stock not made in
cold weather. Harness-manufacturers should therefore look well to this
matter, as cracked patent leather destroys the appearance of their work.