Plain Round Leather Cord – Leather By India

Leather crafting Techniques

Leather crafting or simply Leathercraft is the practice of making leather into craft objects or works of art, using shaping techniques, coloring techniques or both.

Techniques

Dyeing

Leather dyeing usually involves the use of spirit- or alcohol-based dyes where alcohol quickly gets absorbed into moistened leather, carrying the pigment deep into the surface. “Hi-liters” and “Antiquing” stains can be used to add more definition to patterns. These have pigments that will break away from the higher points of a tooled piece and so pooling in the background areas give nice contrasts. Leaving parts unstained also provides a type of contrast.

Alternatives to spirit stains might include a number of options. Shoe polish can be used to dye and preserve leather. Oils such as neatsfoot or linseed can be applied to preserve leather but darkens them. A wax paste more often than not serves as the final coat.

Sweat and grime will also stain and ‘antique’ leather over time. Gun holsters, saddlebags, wallets and canteens used by cowboys and buckaroos were rarely colored in the Old West. The red, brown, and black tones develop naturally through handling and as the oiled leathers absorb the rays of the desert sun.

Due to changing environmental laws, alcohol-based dyes are soon to be unavailable. There are currently water-based alternatives available, although they tend not to work as well.

Painting

Leather painting differs from leather dyeing in that paint remains only on the surface while dyes are absorbed into the leather. Due to this difference, leather painting techniques are generally not used on items that can or must bend nor on items that receive friction, such as belts and wallets because under these conditions, the paint is likely to crack and flake off. However, latex paints can be used to paint such flexible leather items. In the main though, a flat piece of leather, backed with a stiff board is ideal and common, though three-dimensional forms are possible so long as the painted surface remains secured.

Acrylic paint is a common medium, often painted on tooled leather pictures, backed with wood or cardboard, and then framed. Unlike photographs, leather paintings are displayed without a glass cover, to prevent mold.

Carving

Leather carving entails using metal implements to compress moistened leather in such a way as to give a three-dimensional appearance to a two-dimensional surface. The surface of the leather is not intended to be cut through, as would be done in filigree.

The main tools used to “carve” leather include: swivel knife, veiner, beveler, pear shader, seeder, cam, and background tool. The swivel knife is held similar to pencil and drawn along the leather to outline patterns. The other tools are punch-type implements struck with a wooden, nylon or rawhide mallet. The object is to add further definition with them to the cut lines made by the swivel knife.

In the United States and Mexico, the western floral style, known as “Sheridan Style”, of carving leather predominates. Usually, these are stylized pictures of acanthis or roses. California, Texas, and a few other styles are common. By far the most preeminent carver in the United States was Al Stohlman. His patterns and methods have been embraced by many hobbyists, scout troops, reenacters, and craftsmen.

Stamping

Leather stamping involves the use of shaped implements (stamps) to create an imprint onto a leather surface, often by striking the stamps with a mallet.

Commercial stamps are available in various designs, typically geometric or representative of animals. Most stamping is performed on vegetable tanned leather that has been dampened with water, as the water makes the leather softer and able to be compressed by the design being pressed or stamped into it using a press. After the leather has been stamped, the design stays on the leather as it dries out, but it can fade if the leather becomes wet and is flexed. To make the impressions last longer, the leather is conditioned with oils and fats to make it waterproof and prevent the fibers from deforming.

Molding/Shaping

Leather shaping or molding consists of soaking a piece of leather in hot or room temperature water to greatly increase pliability and then shaping it by hand or with the use of objects or even molds as forms. As the leather dries it stiffens and holds its shape. Carving and stamping may be done prior to molding. Dying however must take place after molding, as the water soak will remove much of the color. Molding has become popular among hobbyists whose crafts are related to fantasy, goth/steampunk culture and cosplay.

Laser cutting/etching

Carbon dioxide lasers cut through leather very smoothly, and at low power a laser cutter can etch detailed designs into leather to any desired depth.

Source:Wikipedia

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Raw material for Leather industry-series-post 6

Expected future trends

It is already clear that the global demand for meat will need to find a balance with supply problems arising from a wide range of issues. In addition to the studies already mentioned, an FAO study on agriculture (Bruinsma, ed., 2003), notes that: “Livestock production is the world’s largest user of land, either directly through grazing or indirectly through consumption of fodder and feed-grains. Globally, livestock production currently accounts for some 40% of the gross value of agricultural production. In industrial countries, this share is more than half. In developing countries, where it accounts for one-third, its share is rising quickly; livestock production is increasing rapidly as a result of growth in population and incomes and changes in lifestyles and dietary habits.”

Land use issues are already apparent in China, where some restrictions on development have been put in place and pig farming has increasingly become industrialized. In the case of Brazil, a number of papers (e.g., Caviglia-Harris, 2005) have demonstrated that demand for ranching land for small and medium-size farms has been a reason for deforestation in the Amazon, as it has been the need for crop land, or the value of timber. The more recent development of interest in crops for bio-fuels can only increase the pressure on land use.

These changes raise a number of issues related to health, food safety, environment, and poverty alleviation. Several trends have started to become apparent and are identified in the FAO report:

An increasing proportion of livestock production will originate in warm, humid, and more disease-prone environments;
There will be a change in livestock production practices, from a local multipurpose activity to a more intensive, market-oriented and increasingly integrated process;
Pressure on and competition for common property resources such as grazing land and water will increase;
There will be more large-scale industrial production, located close to urban centres, with associated environmental and public health risks;
There will be a substantial rise in the use of cereal-based feeds.

These trends raise numerous issues for the leather industry:

What further help can be given to increase the efficiency of farming in Africa in order to improve the off-take and collection of hides and skins?
What needs to be done to improve and manage the quality of raw material at all stages – farming, slaughter, and tanning?
Africa appears to be one place where land remains available; is the continent suitable for herd

Growth to make up for lack of land elsewhere?

Hides and skins from camels, kangaroo, deer, yak and other less mainstream animals are likely to expand their presence in the leather supply chain; the industry needs to learn how to manage both the technical issues and the potential environmental problems arising from the use of these materials;
Final product design for footwear, bags, automobile seats, etc. will need to accommodate hides and skins with surface damage which are otherwise of excellent quality.

Overall, those involved in all aspects of the leather industry can be expected to spend more time ensuring that they have secure raw material supplies.

Raw material for Leather industry-series-post 4

This is an area of great controversy that brings the livestock industry into a heated dialogue with development agencies, climate scientists, conservationists, and pressure groups. One of several important papers written on this subject, Livestock’s Long Shadow, was published jointly in 2006 by LEAD (Livestock, Environment and Development Initiative) and FAO. The key points made in this study can be summarized as follows:*

8 % of water used by humans goes to livestock production;

18 % of global greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the livestock sector;

20 % of terrestrial animal biomass is livestock;

20 % of pastures and rangelands are degraded by livestock;

26 % of ice-free land is occupied by livestock;

30 % of land once home to wildlife is now occupied by livestock;

33 % of cropland produces feed for livestock;

37 % of anthropogenic emissions are generated by the livestock sector;

37 % of pesticides are used in livestock production;

50 % of antibiotics are used in livestock production;

55 % of anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions are generated by the livestock sector;

70 % of agricultural land is occupied by livestock;

70 % of deforested land is converted to pastures.

Livestock’s Long Shadow has had a great deal of influence on the public sector and it has been widely publicized in support of a number of causes. There is doubt about some of the numbers and calculations in the report and the debate continues. It would appear that, due to errors in the calculations on deforestation, the 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions would more correctly be 12%. In Latin America, grazing on land cleared from rainforests creates soil erosion and further deforestation. In semi-arid environments, overstocking during dry periods frequently involves desertification risks.

Slower population growth in the developing world, along with obesity and food safety concerns after incidents of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), will slow down the growth in meat consumption. This is also due to the fact that a relatively high level of meat consumption has already been reached. Over the last decade, meat consumption has risen by only 1.3% a year in the industrial countries. This is in contrast with the developing countries, where demand for meat has grown by 5.6% a year over the last two decades.

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Future Trends in the World Leather, Leather Products Industry and Trade-series-post 2

At the same time, animals such as pigs and poultry are increasingly bred in factory-like a facility, which entails a higher danger of diseases and epidemics, such as the blue-ear pig disease in China. These issues could have dramatic effects on supply and demand, as well as on prices.

Historically, the tanning industry was characterized by small or medium-size family businesses. The trend has been for the manufacture of leather products to move to where labor is cheapest, and for tanneries to follow. Very often, the countries with the fastest growing leather industries – such as the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia and Vietnam – have been hindered by shortcomings in raw material supply and had to import large quantities of hides and skins. Now, new tanneries are being set up in these countries in order to meet the growing demand for leather, while most tanners in Europe, Japan and the USA have closed down their facilities. This trend seems likely to continue. Tanneries that have remained viable in the developed world, in countries like Italy and Spain, have built clever business models, some of them entering into lucrative international alliances and others becoming what might be called “boutique units” with very high levels of creativity and quality.

On the other hand, many footwear businesses, even very small ones, have been able to adapt to the steep decline of shoe manufacturing in the developed countries by changing their structure and resorting to outsourcing or joint ventures. An important development has been the growing power of major brands and retailers, which makes the industry more demand-led than supply-driven. It has also been the case that countries with good raw material supplies, such as India and Brazil, have continued to grow their industries successfully all the way to the finished product stage.

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Future Trends in the World Leather ,Leather Products Industry and Trade-series-post 1

Leather is one of the most widely traded commodities in the world. The leather and leather products industry plays a prominent role in the world’s economy, with an estimated global trade value of approximately US$100 billion per year.

World population grew dramatically in the 20th century and it continues to grow at present. This growing population and the general increase in wealth have led to increases in the demand for meat, which in turn have kept the supply of leather raw material fairly constant. The current predictions are that the supply of leather raw material will continue to grow in step with population growth, but that higher costs and a decreasing availability of land for raising cattle and for growing grains to feed the cattle, as well as an increase in pork and poultry consumption in Asia and Africa are now becoming apparent. At some stage, these developments may generate tighter traditional supplies and raise the importance of such non-mainstream sources of raw material as camel, kangaroo and deer.

Leather raw materials have increasingly become available in the developing world, while in the developed countries, a declining per capita consumption of red meat has reduced the supply of hides and skins. Now, more than half of the world supply of leather raw material comes from the developing world and, increasingly, those countries with large supplies are seeking to process them through to finished leather articles.

About 65% of all leather comes from bovine material. Climate and adequate husbandry account for the fact that the best bovine raw material generally comes from the developed countries. The shift in raw material origins has prompted the industry to use more hides with surface defects or other structural deficiencies. This trend is expected to continue. It has already led to changes in finishing techniques to disguise defects, and to greater efforts to explain to consumers that some defect types are natural and should be accepted. The demand for high-quality hides for products such as automobile upholstery has helped, at least until now, to retain highly efficient upholstery leather tanning in the developed world. Pigskin accounts for over 10% of all leather made currently in the world. China is now by far the dominant producer of pigskins and pigskin leather. Although this material may become important for the industry in the future, the structure and fat content of pigskin makes it very difficult to process. Moreover, of all leather raw materials, pigskin is the one most closely connected with the food industry. Consequently, for cultural or cost reasons, the skin is often left on the carcass or used in the production of gelatine.

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IMAGES OF Leather cords,wax cotton cords and metal clasps

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Wax Cotton Cords-series-post2

In the mid-1920s, three companies co-operated to create paraffin-impregnated cotton, which produced a highly water resistant cloth, breathable, but without the stiffness in the cold or yellowing with age. Woven by Webster’s, it was taken to Lancashire for dyeing (black or olive green), and then to London for cupro–ammonia treatment. The cloth was then returned to Lancashire for waxing, and then back to Webster’s for storage, sales and distribution.

Webster’s were cautious about disrupting their home market, and so sent the new product to another part of the British Empire with similar climatic conditions and a love of sailing for testing: New Zealand. Given the local name Japara, as the material proved a weather and sales success, it was adopted as the trademark by Webster’s.

Waxed cotton became an instant success with the commercial shipping industry, and Webster’s as primary manufacturers turned to thinking of alternate markets that the product could be used in.

One of the early adopters was J. Barbour & Sons in the outdoor industry, producing waxed jackets for farmers and gamekeepers, and as motorcycling was then the predominant form of personal transport, the new company of Belstaff also developed clothing.Waxed cotton came in either black, or an inconsistent dark olive. Colors was controlled by the amount of copper left from the cupro-ammonia treatment, and because of variability of the olive a complementary dark brown corduroy collar was placed on dark olive jackets.

Barbour’s entered the motorcycling market from the early 1930s, with the Barbour International motorcycle suit, developing their market presence through sponsorship of the British competitions and teams in motorcycle trials. Barbour International suits were worn by virtually every British International team from 1936 to 1977, and in the 1964 International Six Days Trial, actor Steve McQueen and the rest of the American team.

Adopted as the first choice waterproof clothing for the British armed forces during World War II, uses of waxed cotton escalated in the late 1940s and 1950s as spare material and army-surplus was sold off cheaply.

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Wax Cotton Cords-series-post1

Waxed cotton is, as the name suggests, cotton impregnated with a paraffin based wax, woven into a cloth. Widely used from the mid-19th century to the mid-1950s, the product, which originated in the sailing industry in England and Scotland, became widely used by many for waterproofing. It is now replaced by more modern materials but is still used by the country sports community. Early mariners noticed that wet sails were more efficient than dry sails, but due to their weight slowed the vessel down. From the 15th century, mariners applied fish oils and grease to their heavy sailcloth, out of the worn remnants of which they cut waterproof capes to keep themselves dry, the forerunner of the fisherman’s slicker. The result was efficient sails in dry weather, lighter sails in wet weather, and drier sailors throughout. From 1795, Arbroath-based sail maker Francis Webster Ltd had perfected the art of adding Linseed oil to flax sails, creating oiled flax. Lighter than wet sailcloth, these started to be used by the Royal Navy and the early tea clippers. As the tea races increased in competition, the clipper designers and captains looked for weight reductions. As the clippers were often used to ship cotton from Egypt, experiments were started with this lighter material. The first waxed cotton products of Egyptian cotton with linseed oil applied, started to appear from the mid-1850s. Tea clipper sails were made from strong two-ply yarns in both warp and weft, which provided lighter cloth with extra strength for the larger sails. The recipe for waxing each cloth remained unique to that cloth, but all cloths suffered the same problems: stiffness in the cold; and a tendency to turn a shade of yellow towards that of pure linseed oil, creating the early yellow of fisherman’s clothing.

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