Hides:
We start by selecting the finest full grain skirting leather which is Analine dyed. This produces a beautiful finished product, that gets better with use and wear. These may have some natural marking from scars, veins, etc but nothing that will compromise quality in any way. We use full sides of hide for our saddles in the 13/15 Oz weight. This hide is preferred for tooling and shapes perfectly for saddlery and absorbs oil evenly.
Tanning:
We use the best cowhide from a top tannery that still tans hides in tumbler’s to produce an evenly tanned hide, soft and supple yet sturdy. We have used this tanner for the last 20 years because of their superior product. The hide is hand cut and hand formed to shape, then is passed to craftsmen who hand tool the artwork on the saddle. Combining this hide with our tree we have a saddle that passes through two quality control inspectors before we release your new saddle.
Vegetable tanning is perhaps the oldest method of tanning, using tannins from organic matter such as tree bark, leaves, and nuts, it is now a specialty type of tanning. In years past, it could take up to a year for each individual hide to be processed, but modern vegetable tanning takes between one and three months.
After tanning, some leathers are tumbled in a dye bath to produce a desired color. If not, the hide is taken to a drying room, a ventilated area where the hide is stretched, tacked to panels and hung until dry. Once the hide has dried, it is run through a skiving machine, which trims off bumps and blemishes in an effort to achieve the maximum uniform thickness throughout the hide. The final step in the leather-making process is referred to as currying or slicking, and it is done to create a smooth finish.