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Show LEATHER ONE OF BIG FACTORS IN MAKING HIGH-GRADE AUTOS The processes through which a hide goes in its transformation into leather suitable for upholstering the modern motor car are complicated and not generally understood. Some few points stand out clearly, however, and give an idea of the skill required and the expense entailed in making good upholstery leather. To be successful for this use a hide must be so treated that It will bo flex iblo and soft, take a good finish and hold it without cracking, fold without with-out cracking, wear well, and be waterproof. water-proof. These really severe requirements require-ments make tho use of only the best hides and the best treatments possl-blc. possl-blc. Cattle hides make up the great bulk of our leatuers. although pigskin is occasionally used for upholstery in a car. Tanning, buffing, spmting, embossing, em-bossing, and dyeing, painting or enameling enam-eling are the steps through which each hide must go. The tanning substances used are always al-ways strongly astringent, the object beinn to draw the fibers of the skin as closely together as possible io secure se-cure compactness and toughness Vegetables and mineral substances are both usod. tho former enjoying the greater popularity. A new departure is the use of the chrorue-tauniug process the same as used in tanning uppers of the best shoes tho chromium suits imparling! great flexibility and toughness to the-j hide. The one great drawback is the! expense, as the percentage of loss due to shrinkage la abnormally large. When tanning is about half fini6h-tbe fini6h-tbe hides are split A half-tanned cattle hide la about three-eighths of an inch thick and the splitting process separates it into several layers, the number depending upon the use to which the leather is to bo put. Natural Grains of Leather. Both side layers, hand buffed and machine buffed, are used for uphols-tery, uphols-tery, although the former Is much superior su-perior to the latter, as it carries the natural grain of the leather with its fcreat flexibility and wearing qualities. Beneath these is the deep buffed layer, lay-er, which has to be treated wiUi a filler and binder in order to make it usable. Imitation leather is replacing it largely, aa it is not satisfactory. The remaining layers are impossible for upholstering purposes Only the highest high-est grade leather is baml buffed to clay, machine bulling being used by the majority of leather manufacturers The haud butting process smooths off the natural grain of the leather without with-out injuring it, while machine bulling removes practically all the grain After splitting and bulling comes tho surfacing process. The natural way of raising the grain for a finish is by hand boarding, and can bo ap J plied only to hand buffed hides. The boarding is done at an angle to the natural grain. Varying the anerle and ifLe number of applications gives the arious straight and pebble grain effects. ef-fects. Use Electrotype Process Machine embossing by an electrotype electro-type process similar to that used In printing on machine buffed leather and splits. Leather manufacturers have always found it difficult to paint or enamel hides successfully. In cold weather especially there is danger of the coating cracking. In dyeing the skin the difficulty has been to hold colors fast so they I will not crack. The finish of tho 'chrome tanned leather has been per- Bl fected so it prevents cracking. The I result la a leather of great softness land flexibility, exceptional wearing qualities and perfect freedom from I cracking, a combination that canno'. be found otherwise. Chrome leather will be in greater demand for upholstery uphols-tery when the buyer of the high grade car learns more abcut its superior H I qualities. |
