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Alum Tanned: Leather
produced by alum, used in combination with salt, egg yolk, and
other substances. Before the invention of chrome tanning this
was the principle method of tanning with mineral agents. Note: This
process is still used in lace leather for quality gloves today.
Bend Leather: Superior
grade of leather. Upper backbone area of a hide away from
shoulders, neck, and belly. Note: Our
Custom Elite & Elite baseball gloves our cut from the bend area.
Belly: Is the
part of a hide from the under side of an animal, usually less
valuable than other parts of a hide because of its drawn grain.
Chrome Tannage: Leather
tanned in chromium salts, primarily basic chromium sulfate
resulting in soft, mellow hides receptive to excellent color
variety. Currently the most widely used tannage in the USA. Note: Chrome
tanned leather is currently the most widely used leather for
baseball gloves.
Crocking: Color
matter that sometimes rubs off leather.
Currying: Process
of incorporating oils and greases into the leather after tanning
and otherwise preparing it for the specific purpose for which it
may be intended.
Drawn Grain: Shrunken,
shriveled, or wrinkled grain surface of leather.
Grain:
A word used to describe the natural characteristics of the
surface of leather, such as its pores, wrinkles, markings, and
texture.
Hand: A
word used to describe the feel (i.e. softness or fullness) of
leather.
Kip: A
skin from an animal between the size of a calf and a mature
cow. Note: In
today’s cattle industry many hides fall into this category.
Milled Leather: Technique
of breaking down leather by putting it into a large drum and
letting it tumble until it becomes softer and obtains a pebbled
appearance. Note: Often
used in conjunction with oil tanning in order to produce softer
baseball glove leather.
Mineral Tanned: Leather
that has been tanned by any of several mineral substances,
notably the salts of chromium, aluminum, and zirconium.
Nap: Describes
the soft, "fuzzy" effect achieved in leather by buffing or
brushing.
Nubuck: Leather
whose surface has been buffed and brushed to create a soft,
velvety effect. Differs from suede in that while suede is
created from the split side of a hide, Nubuck is created using
the grain (outer) side, giving it added strength and durability.
Oil Tanned: Leather
that is tanned using oils to create a very soft, pliable finish.
Ounce: The
term used to identify the weight and substance of a hide. An
ounce is equivalent to 1/64th of
an inch in thickness.
Patina: The
aura or luster that develops in a quality piece of leather with
age.
Pull-up: Describes
the behavior of leather that has been treated with oils, waxes,
and dyes in such a way that when the leather is pulled or
stretched, the finish becomes lighter in the stretched areas.
Razorback: Supple lightweight leather tanned from pigs
and hogs, it is not as thick as cowhide or steerhide. Note: Glovesmith’s
G-Pro gloves are constructed from razorback leather.
Retan: Leathers
tanned with more than one tanning agent, such as a vegetable
tannage applied over chrome tannage, resulting in both softness
and body in the hides.
Side: Half
a hide cut along the backbone.
Split Leather: Leather
made from the inner layers of a hide that have been split away
from the upper, or top grain. Split leather is more fragile
than top grain or full grain leather.
Splitting: The
thinning or slicing of leather into two or more layers. Note:
Used to get the leather into a workable thickness.
Steerhide: Leather
from the hides of steers, usually heavier leather.
Top Grain: Leather that has the grain side left intact,
in contrast to split leather. The top grain of the hide is
where the strength of the leather comes from. Note: All
Glovesmith gloves are made from top grain leather.
Vegetable Tanning: A
method of tanning that utilizes materials from organic materials
such as bark instead of the traditional chemicals. Note: Vegetable
tanned leather has greater body and firmness than traditionally
chromium tanning.
Weight: A
term that describes the heaviness or thickness of leather.
Typically given in ounces.
Welting leather: The
leather used as the uniting material between each of the finger
pieces on the back of the glove. Also is used to attach the
palm of the glove to the back of the glove.
This
glossary was compiled with help from the Dictionary of Leather
Terminology. |
