GLOSSARY.

ALLIGATOR -.a general term used for leather made from aquatic species having a grain similar to that of the american alligator

ALLIGATOR GRAINED LEATHER - a term used to distinguish the alligator effect embossed on various types of leather from genuine reptilian leather

ANILINE DYEING - a process for coloring leather with transparent dyes that allows the natural characteristics to show through,similar to the use of stain on wood.aniline dyed leather is usually topped with a protctive coating.

ANTELOPE - a fine soft leather made from antelope skin,velvety in texture and sheen.sueded on the flesh side.

BACK - the main area of the hide with both bellies removed.

BARK TANNING - a process that utilizes vegitable materials derived from certain plants and woods often called "bark tannins".

BATON - a hardwood or metal bat, usually made with a special handle.

BEND - the portion of the hide remaining after the head,shoulders and belly sections are removed.

BILLYCLUB - a term used to describe a rubber baton, usually with a internal air chamber.

BINDING - a strip of leather used to wrap around raw edges to protect them.

BLACKJACK - a term used  to describe a coiled spring of various lengths and diameters with lead ingots casted to one or both ends and wraped or weaved with leather

BOVINE - a cow,ox or related animal.

BUFFED COWHIDE - see nubuck.

BUFFING - the removal by abrasive of the top surface from the grain of a piece of leather to eliminate scars and surface scratches;also known as snuffing.

BUCKSKIN - a term generally applied to leather from deer.strictly speaking, only the outer cut of the skin from which the surface grain has been removed can be called "genuine buckskin".

CALFSKIN -made from the skin of younger cattle;usually 2½ to 3½ ounce in weight.

CALF SUEDE - suede made from the underneath or flesher side of the hides of younger cattle.

CARVING - the term used to describe the use of decorative cuts in the surface of damp leather,usually an outline of a pattern, which can be developed by modelling and tooling.

CASE HIDE - a firm hide prepared for luggage and bag makers.

CASING LEATHER - the process of adding water to the surface of vegitable tanned leather to faciltate carving and tooling.

CHROME TANNED - tanning of leather whith chroium compounds, sometimes with small amounts of another tanning agent.

CHROME RETAN - leather that has been first chrome tanned then re-tanned with vegitable or synthetic extracts.

CORRECTED GRAIN - see buffing.

COWHIDE - specifically, leather made from the hides of cows.the  term is usually used to designate leather tanned from the bovine species.

COWHIDE SPLITS - sueded leather made from horizontally sectioned layers of cowhide.usually both sides are sueded.

CRUSHED LEATHER - leather in which the natural grain is accentuated during manufacturing by plating,boarding or another process,the term also applies to leather that has been grained artifically.

DEEP BUFF - the first cut under the top grain or machine buffed.no traces of grain remain.

DEERSKIN - leather tanned from the skin of deer, with the surface grain intact.

DEERSKIN SPLITS - suede made from horizontally sectioned layers of deerskin,the surface is sueded on both sides.

DISTRESSED LEATHER - leather finshed by a tanning process that produces uneven coloration and markings to give a fasionable weathered look.

DOESKIN - light weight leather made from female deer.

ELK - soft leather similar to deerskin it has a courser grain and usually is too heavy to be sewn on a household machine.

EMBOSSED - the term used to describe an all over texture or pattern impressed into the surface of the leather.it is also used to describe the method of decorating leather when a design is made to stand out in relief by exerting pressure from the flesh side.

FINISH - an inclusive term refering to treatments that affect the apperance and hand of the leather,and which are applied after the inital dyeing and tanning

FLAT SAP - see sap.

FLESHER - the underneath split layers of sheepskin used to make chamois.

FULL GRAIN - the outer cut taken from the hair side of the hide from which nothing but the hair and associated epidermis have been removed.

GARMENT LEATHER - any light weight leather used to produce clothing. the term "napa leather" is sometimes used to refer to garment leather.

GARMENT SUEDE - usually refers to lambskin suede,sometimes cow or pig.

GLAZED FINISH - similar to an analine finish, but the leather is polihed by the action of rollers under high pressure.

GLOVE LEATHER - sheep,pig,deer and kid that has been tanned to produce soft strechy leather for dress gloves.work and garden gloves are made from cowhide splits,sheep,horse,pig, and goat also.

GOATSKIN - the skin or leather from a mature goat,sometimes called "kid".

GRAIN - the outer or hair side of a skin or hide."grain" also refers to the pattern of the outer surface after the hair or wool and epidermal tissue have been removed.

HAIRSHEEP - the skin from the brazilian sheep that have hair rather than wool.it is used to make cabretta leather.

HIDE - the whole pelt from larger animals(cow,ox,horse and so on).

HIP HOLSTER - a single layer of leather folded over on it self and sewn.usually with the belt loop attached,however the belt loop can sewn or rivetedon as a seperate piece.

HOLLYWOOD RIG - a term used to describe a fancy belt and holster combination,synonymous with 1940'sand 50's western movies.

INCISING - the process of cutting a design into the surface of damp leather;more commonly known as carving.

JACK - see blackjack.

KANGAROO - leather made from australian kangaroo or wallaby,it resembles glazed kid, but has a finer grain.it is one of the strongest leathers and is usually used for footwear.

KID - leather made from the skin of young goats.in the industry "kid" refers to any leather made from goat.

KIP OR KIPSKIN - skin from a bovine of intermediate size

LAMBSKIN - leather made from lamb or sheep,as the skins are identical after tanning.it is smooth,lightweight, and uniform,with a tight grain.

LAMBSKIN SUEDE - often refer to as "garment suede", this is a lamb skin that has been sueded.it comes in ¾ to 2 oz weights.

LEATHER - a general term for hide or skin with its original fibrous stucture more or less intact,tanned or treated to be imputrescible.the hair or wool may or may not have been removed.leather is also made from a hide or skin,which has been split or segmented before or after tanning.

MACHINE BUFF - the cut of the hide from which a portion of the grain has been removed,some of the grain remains as in nubuck.

MINERAL TANNED  - leather produced by the use of chromium salts,aluminum,or zirconium salts.

MODELLING - the term used to describe a form of surface decoration that impresses a design in low relief without cutting.

MOULDING - the process of manipulating wet leather,with or without the aid of moulds,to create three-dimensional forms or relief.

NAPA - commonly used as a synonym for "grain leather",or any smooth garment leather. tecnically the term refers to sheepskin tanned in such a way that the under side of the hide has the apperance of grain leather insted of suede.

NUBUCK - leather created by lightly buffing the top grain until it takes on a very fine nap with an apperance smoother than that of suede.

OIL TANNED - the process of tanning with animal oils is used in the manufacture of certain soft leathers,particulary chamois,and some kinds of buck skins.fish oils are generally used.

OSTRICH - leather made from ostrich skin.it has characteristic markings that result from the removal of the feathers from the skin.

OSTRICH GRAIN - a term used to distingush the ostrich grained effect embossed on various types of leather from gunuine ostrich leather.

OUNCE - a term used to express thickness in leather.in the u.s.a. leather thickness is mesured as weight per square foot of skin,in europe actual thickness in millimeters is used instead.

OZ - see ounce.

PANCAKE HOLSTER - two layers of thick leather sewn together,then moulded damp into the required shape.

PARING - the process of reducing the thickness of skin from the flesh side.

PATENT LEATHER - leather with a finish that is mirror like,flexible,and waterproof.

PELT -an untanned hide or skin with the hair in place.

PIGSKIN skin from pigs and hogs, usually made into suede.it has a grainy texture and characteristic pattern of markings where the bristles have been removed.

PIG SUEDE - synonymous with pigskin.

RAWHIDE - cattle hide that has been dehaired and limed,often stuffed or greased,but not tanned.

RETANNED LEATHER - leather that has been tanned a second time with similar or different tanning materials.

RUSSET - the name given to vegetable tanned hide that has been left in its natural state so that it can be used in decorative work.

SAP - a term used to describe a flat spring with a lead ingot casted to one end and covered with multiple layers of thick leather.

SEMI-ANALINE LEATHER - leather finished with a combination of analine dyes and pigments.this process evens out the shading.

SHEARLING - sheepskin finished with the wool left on.in garments, the wool may be inside or outside.the non wool side may have a suede or smooth finish.weight is detemined by pile depth.

SIDE - half of a whole hide that has been cut longitudinally.

SKIN - pelt from a young or small animal.

SKIRT HOLSTER - a single layer of leather folded over on itself and sewn,and has an enlarged and extended belt loop, with several methods of attaching to the lower portion of the holster.

SKIVER - thin splits of calf pig or sheep.or the aperatus to split thick leather.

SKIVING - the process of reducing the thickness of a hide over small area from the flesh side.

SNUFFED FINISH - grain leather with the hair removed,lightly buffed, also known as "corrected grain".

SPLIT - the under portion of a hide or skin that has been divided into two or more thicknesses.the top,or grain layer has been removed a split may be suded on both sides,or it can be pigment finished and embossed.

SPLITTING AND SHAVING - adjusting the thickness to that required in the end use.

STAMPING - the process of decorating the surface of vegitable tanned leather by impressing it with 'stamps'; also known as tooling.

STUFFED - this is a finish usually applied to heavier leather.wax or grease is worked into the substance of the leather for the purpose of water proofing and protection from ultraviolet light.leather processed this way is used for footwer and saddlery.

SUEDE - a finish produced by abrading the surface of leather to give it a nap.the grain side of leather may be suede finished, but the process is usually applied to the flesh side.the term denotes a finish not a type of leather.

TOOLING - another term for stamping.

TOP GRAIN - the top outer layer of a hide from which nothing has been removed exept the hair and related epidermis,in the apolstery industy top grain leather has been deeply buffed so no grain remains and is then pasted and re-surfaced to give a perfect finish to the entire hide.

VEGETABLE TANNED - leather that has been tanned using vegetable matter containing tannins, such as tree bark,leaves and other vegetable matter.

VELVET FINISH - see suede finish.

WASHABLE LEATHER - leather that can be laundered by standard methods and still remain its demension,color, and other physical characteristics.

WATER REPELLANT LEATHER - leather that has been treated with any of several chemical compounds to repel the absorption of external water.