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4 Steps for Perfectly Conditioned Leather
Consider yourself a leather buff? This list might surprise you. (We know it surprised us.) Here it is: the alphabet according to Leather Rescue.
A
Altered Leather
Leather that's had its original—usually imperfect—surface removed, and a new grain applied.
B
Breathability
Ever notice how full grain leather always keeps its cool? Well, that's thanks to its intact grain and pore structure's ability to breathe. It adjusts to temperature and wicks away moisture and body heat. Which leads us to wonder: why the shortage of leather athletic wear?
C
Chaps
An interesting fashion choice.
D
Drum Dyeing
A process of immersing leather in a drum of dye, and tumbling to allow full dye coverage and penetration. Think: the opposite of washing machine.
E
Embossing
A pattern applied to leather using a press and extreme pressure. Embossing is used to create unique designs, or to imitate full grain or another type of leather, like alligator.
F
Fat Wrinkle
Fat wrinkles are wrinkles caused by fat deposits in the animal that create beauty in the leather. We suspect whoever coined this term actually meant phat wrinkle—phat being the nineties slang term meaning highly attractive.
G
Grain
We love quinoa, too, but we're talking about leather, people. The grain is the outside of the hide. It consists of pores, (phat) wrinkles, and other characteristics that make up the natural texture of the leather.
H
Hand
A leather industry term used to describe the feel of upholstery leather. Sort of like how "nose" is used to describe whether you're a wine snob or not.
I
Idea
Here's one: using "ear" to describe how squeaky a pair of leather pants is.
J
Jealous
How the other materials in your life are going to feel when you start giving your leather more TLC.
K
Kip
The hide from a grass-fed bovine. Which means it's both gluten-free and paleo. Hooray!
L
Leatherette
A manufactured product that imitates leather. (That's the definition. We're not throwing shade.)
M
Milling
A process in which tanned hides are tumbled in drums, and treated with heat and misting water to soften and enhance their grain.
N
Naked Leather
Another name for that cowboy that hangs out in Times Square.
O
Oak Tanned
Almost all leather was once tanned using oak bark. The term can also be used to describe leather tanned with a blend containing oak tannin.
P
Patina
The beautiful sheen and character leather takes on over time, and with use of a leather product.
Q
Quite
A hard letter to find a word for, to be honest.
R
Rawhide
Refers to untanned or partially-tanned cattle hide. Also, the preferred chew of dogs everywhere.
S
Saturation
Important when adjusting pics for Instagram, but also essential in the production of high quality leathers—saturation refers to the brightness or intensity of dyed leather.
T
Tannin
An astringent substance of plant origin used in tanning leather. You'll also find tannins in wine. But any wine snob already "nose" that.
U
Unfinished Leather
Normally defines naked leathers with no additional finish, color, or treatment intended. Also defines a jacket that just doesn't want to call it a night.
V
Vegetable Tanning
A process in which vegetable tannins are used to convert rawhide to leather. Also, a great source of fiber.
W
Weight
The weight of leather is measured in ounces per square foot. Imagine that.
X
X
Kindly refer to Q.
Y
Yes
Do we like leather? Yes. Do you like leather? Yes. What's that? You don't like leather? Oh. Are we confused why you're reading this, if you don't like leather? Yes.
Z
Zipper
You didn't think we could do it, did you?