Even in the 21st Century, the manufacture of leather retains an air of the dark arts, still somewhat shrouded in the mysteries of a millennia old, craft based industry. Despite the best efforts of a few scientists over the last century or so, much of the understanding of the principles of tanning is still based on received wisdom and experience. Leather is made from (usually) the hides and skins of animals - large animals such as cattle have hides, small animals such as sheep have skins. The skin of any animal is largely composed of the protein collagen, so it is the chemistry of this fibrous protein and the properties it confers to the skin with which the tanner is most concerned. In addition, other components of the skin impact on processing, impact on the chemistry of the material and impact on the properties of the product, leather. Therefore, it is useful to understand the relationships between skin structure at the molecular and macro levels, the changes imposed by modifying the chemistry of the material and the eventual properties of the leather. This book aims to contribute to changing the thinking in the industry, to continue building a body of scientific understanding, aimed at enhancing the sustainability of an industry which produces a unique group of materials, derived from a natural source. The Science of Leather is the only current text on tanning science, and addresses the scientific principles which underpin the processes involved in making leather. It is concerned with the chemical modification of collagen, prior to tanning and the tanning reactions in particular. The subject is covered in the following order: collagen chemistry, collagen structure, skin structure, processing to prepare for tanning, the tanning processes and processing after tanning. The aim of the book is to provide leather scientists and technologists with an understanding of how the reactions work, the nature of their outcomes and how the processes can be controlled and changed. The objective is to synthesise a scientific view of leather making and to arrive at an understanding of the nature of tanning - how the wide range of chemistries employed in the art can change the properties of collagen, making leather with different properties, especially conferring different degrees of stabilisation as measured by the hydrothermal stability. Environmental issues are not treated as a separate theme - the impact of leather making on the environment is a thread running through the text, with the assumption that better understanding of the science of leather making will lead to improved processing. The book also reflects on the ways leather technology may develop in the future based on the foundation of understanding the scientific principles which can be exploited. It also includes a subject index, references and a glossary. The book provides the reader with insights into the role science plays in leather technology and provides fundamental understanding, which should be the basis for scientific and technological research and development for the benefit of the global leather industry. The book is aimed at students, leather scientists and technologists, in both academia and industry, in leather production and in chemical supply houses.

This title collected papers presented at the Archaeological Leather Group's 'Have We Got a Tannery? The Archaeology of the Skin Processing Industries' Conference.

Leather Industry has been one of the traditional industries operating at present. The hides and skins of animals are the source of leather and preserving hides and tanning them into leather has become an important industry. Leather-making is now a scientifically based industry, but still retains some of the charm and mystery of the original craft. Animal skin that has been processed to retain its flexibility, toughness, and waterproof nature is known as leather. "Leather tanning" is a general term for the numerous processing steps involved in converting animal hides or skins into finished leather. Tanning is the final process in turning hides and skins into leather. Tanning involves a complex combination of mechanical and chemical processes. The heart of the process is the tanning operation itself in which organic or inorganic materials become chemically bound to the protein structure of the hide and preserve it from deterioration. The main chemical processes carried out by the tanner are the unhairing, liming, tanning, neutralizing and dyeing. This indispensable handbook provides a detailed insight into the leather industry, leather processing and tanning technology with manufacturing of different forms of leather products. The book contains the manufacturing process of different forms and type of leather products like box and willow sides, glazed kid, sole leather, lace leather, belting and bag leather, chamois leather, upholstery leather, antique leather, light and fancy leather, etc. to name a few. This book will be very helpful to its readers, upcoming entrepreneurs, scientists, existing industries, technical institutions, technocrats, etc.