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Tanning Leather

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Chippintuff:
I'm not sure whether this is the correct forum for these questions. If it is not, please move this topic.

I know generally about different types of leather, but I don't know how each type is produced.

1. What does tanning do to leather? I know it can make it softer and more flexible, but does it do anything else to the leather?
2. What makes the difference between tooling leather and soft leather? What about delicately soft leather?
3. Does tanning make leather more durable? If so, is the extended durability caused by the greater flexibility or something else?
4. Does tanning neutralize (or remove) the hide glue?

WA

Pappy:
Before tanning what ever kind of tanning you do, all you have is rawhide not leather.  ;)
 Pappy

Pat B:
Like Pappy said, tanning turns rawhide into leather. Tanning is a type of preservative. There are different types of tanning for different types of leather. Some, like vegetable tanning(bark tan, oak tan) which makes leather harder for tooling or for making shoe soles, belts and harnesses and other tanning(oil tanned, and others for softer tanning for cloths, etc.

---GUTSHOT--->:
Tanning turns the raw hide to leather. If your wanting to have a stiff leather then just tan it and it will be like a board after it dries.  If your looking for a plyable leather then  24 hrs after the tan has been applied you need to work the hide and break the fibers down in it. I use steel to work mine over until it's dry. Good luck

High-Desert:
The key to soft leather, is work, lots of work. You have to continuously work the leather as it dries, or it will be very stiff. Vegetable tanning is what is used for tooling leather, and is "true" tanning, in other words, uses tannen from tree bark. It makes a tough leather and does well with moist environments. The process is long, and can take as long as a year in the bark bath.

Eric

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