![]() ![]() Ancient civilizations used leather for water-skins, bags, harnesses, boats, armour, belts and harnesses, armour sheaths, boots and sandals. Leather was very important raw material to be ignored. Tanning has always been a noxious process, conducted beyond the precincts of the town. The English word tannin derives from an old German word tannum for oak or fir trees. Traditionally, tanning was done, using a natural acidic chemical compound, the tannin. Leather tanning craft was protected and patronized by local powers with exclusive licenses to practice leather tanning. ![]() Many artisans closely guarded their secrets within the family or community. Till middle ages Tanning processes were experimental, each type of hide was treated by several tanning processes. ![]() Wherever, tanning was not done perfectly well, other methods of preservation, such as smoking, liming, grease or oil dousing were used. In every region of the world the craft of tanning emerged, using local sources of natural tannic acid, such as the tree-barks. The tannic acid displaces water from the interstices of the hide’s protein fibres, and cements these fibres together. Tanning permanently changes, the proteins in the hides, to make the perishable hide into a stable and non-decaying material, Leather. Wet rawhide has been used as a means of torture. Rawhide is susceptible to water than leather, and it softens and stretches in wet state. Now these are used for lampshades and chew toys for dogs. Raw-hides were used for tying straps, drum tops, and abrasion resistance (speed breaks). Whereas, tanned leather remains flexible in spite of several cycles of wetting-drying, and will not putrefy. The difference between a rawhide and a tanned leather is that the former dries to hard horny stuff, which on re-wetting begins to putrefy. Rawhide once cleaned, are fairly stable, durable and stronger, than any processed (tanned) leather. Raw hides, are processed by removing the flesh, fat and hair with a lime solution (liming), or by rubbing in wood ash (lye) (bucking). The hides need several days of sun exposure, shaving of surface hair, scrapping for a surface thickness leveling and than most important process of tanning. Raw hides must be washed with water and scrapped to remove fats, tissues and blood. Detaching and cleaning of hides is very labourious and time-consuming activity. In tropical and warm climates this period occurs even before the hunt has been cooked and served as meal. A hide of a dead or hunted animal needs to be removed and cleaned within hours, to prevent decadence, foul smell and attack by vultures and scavengers. ![]()
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