24.12.2014 8823

In the context of anti-Russian economic sanctions and actively rising jingoism, more and more people are talking about a ban on the import of foreign clothing and footwear in order to stimulate the development of domestic production. “Russia is shodding itself!” - written by users social networks, ignoring the insidious play on words. What is the real situation in the domestic leather and footwear industry and whether Russia, if necessary, will be able to shoe itself, Shoes Report tried to figure out, using materials provided to us by the Russian Union of Tanners and Shoemakers.

About the industry

The Russian leather industry is one of the oldest domestic industries; it originated in early XVIII century, even under Peter the Great (the reformer tsar in 1721 issued his Decree on the prohibition of the export of raw skins "... so that boots were sewn from Russian leather ..." and laid the foundation for the birth of industry).

This segment of the light industry is the only one that currently operates entirely on Russian raw materials, provides genuine leather th production of footwear (including for the Armed Forces), leather goods, furniture, automobiles; is socially significant, since enterprises located in many regions of the country are often city-forming.

Many enterprises have a long history and good traditions in the leather and footwear industry. Of course, the industry has undergone reconstruction several times, but over the past two decades it has made a breakthrough: enterprises built before 1990 are completely technically updated, a significant part of outdated equipment has been replaced with modern high-performance equipment that allows the production of competitive leather and footwear (up to 90% of the materials are for footwear). industry) that are in demand among the population and abroad (leather and footwear exports are about 20% and 10%, respectively). At present, we have a renewed domestic leather and footwear industry that produces high-quality, competitive products.

In terms of technology, tanneries involve the processing of a full cycle - from raw hides to finished leather. In Russia today there are more than three dozen leather enterprises that produce over 220 million square meters. m natural leather. Slightly more than half of the volume of raw materials is processed at two large plants, the rest is processed by medium and small enterprises. All tanneries are equipped with modern Italian, Czech and Spanish technological equipment.

Raw material issue

The raw materials for the leather industry are animal waste - the skins of cattle and small amounts of skins of pigs, goats and sheep. The skins of small cattle (goats, sheep) are little used in the world due to their small area, small thickness, specific properties and high processing costs, and blue skins have become more used in the food industry. Contrary to numerous proposals, it is not possible to replace cattle skins with other types of raw materials on an industry scale. Russia is not in the top ten in terms of livestock and skins processing, being in 12th-13th place.

In 2014, by a decree of the Government of Russia, raw hides and semi-finished products were included in the List of goods that are essential for the domestic market Russian Federation, along with milk, grain, etc. The reason for this decision was the high social and defense significance of the product.

Historically, Russian enterprises use only domestic raw materials. It is at a cost lower than the European one and this allows you to issue high-quality final product at a very reasonable price, in addition, the import of raw skins is limited by veterinary regulations, the specificity of the goods during transportation, as well as the introduction of export bans in many commodity countries. In 2001, at the insistence of tanneries, a high, almost prohibitive, duty was introduced on the export of raw skins from Russia, and over the next 10 years, the leather and footwear industry developed very actively, showing an annual increase in volumes from 13% to 17%. However, other processes were going on in parallel. The number of livestock is decreasing every year, borders with the countries of the Customs Union have opened, under the terms of the WTO, duties on the export of semi-finished leather products have decreased and are reduced annually on raw hides. All this led to an increase in the export of raw materials: raw hides through the borders of Kazakhstan and semi-finished leather products to the EU countries. There was an acute shortage of resources for domestic production. Abroad, Russian raw materials are in high demand for a low selling price (50-60% lower than American and European prices) and good quality.

sad statistics

According to the customs, in 2012, 23.8 thousand tons of semi-finished leather products were exported from Russia, in 2013 - already 27.4 thousand tons. In terms of raw materials, up to 30% of the best leather resources are exported, which leads to their shortage within the country. The main exporters of semi-finished products from Russia are commodity intermediary firms, simply put, resellers. Taking advantage of their position as holders of raw materials, they process it on a "tolling" basis at leather enterprises to a semi-finished product and export it, mainly to Italy (up to 80%).

The fewer resources become, the lower the production of leather and footwear in the country. During 2012-2013, the production of leather decreased by 13.4%, leather shoes - by 14.7%. There was no improvement in the situation in 2014. The current situation negatively affects the social aspect - employment in the industry. So, only one worker is needed to process a unit of raw materials to a semi-finished product, 6 people are needed to produce finished leather, and 24 more people are needed to produce finished shoes. Export of raw materials and semi-finished products leads to loss of jobs.

According to statistics, in 2012-2013 the number of employees employed in this industry decreased by 7 thousand people, which increased social tension in the regions and requires additional budgetary funds for unemployment benefits. According to a rough estimate, this amount is up to 490 million rubles annually.

Alternative paths

In this situation, the search for new sources of raw materials seems obvious, including importing raw materials from abroad. But here everything is also not simple. The use of European and American raw materials (raw hides and semi-finished products) is not possible for economic reasons: as mentioned above, Western prices are 50-60% higher than Russian ones. The share of raw materials in the cost of finished leather is approximately half, so its purchase at a price 50-60% higher than the Russian one will increase the cost of leather by 30%. With a profitability of a leather enterprise of approximately 5.5% and an increase in cost by 30%, production will be unprofitable. This will lead to mass bankruptcy of enterprises.

Import of resources from countries with raw materials is also not possible due to the introduction in these countries of restrictions and bans on the export of raw materials and semi-finished products (India, Uzbekistan, China, Argentina and other countries), as well as veterinary restrictions on imports to Russia.

Neighboring countries, members of the Customs Union, cannot be sources of resources for Russian enterprises. In Belarus and Kazakhstan, manufacturers themselves experience a shortage of raw hides and buy it in Russia, reducing its already small volumes in our domestic market. In addition, through Kazakhstan's open borders, Russian raw materials are massively exported for cash to Kyrgyzstan, and then to China, leaving without raw materials their own Kazakh enterprises that produce only semi-finished products and also export them through Kyrgyzstan to China.

emergency measures

In this situation, manufacturers of leather and footwear (RSKO) appealed to the Government of the Russian Federation with a demand to pay attention to the state of this segment of the light industry and take protective measures. In August 2014, a temporary ban was introduced (until April 1, 2015) on the export of semi-finished leather products from Russia. According to experts, the preservation of raw materials will help stabilize the leather market, increase the production of leather for domestic consumption and save about 2.3 billion rubles for the state budget.

Final product

Almost all Russian leather shoes are made from domestic raw materials. The export turnover of leather and footwear products in 2014 amounted to about 260 million dollars, which confirms the competitiveness of Russian goods. The annual production of leather goods in Russia is over 220 million square meters. Of these, you can make 80-90 million pairs of shoes. This, of course, is not enough to put shoes on the whole country. But recent market trends are such that leather shoes account for only a quarter of consumption.

Everything is determined by consumer demand. According to official data, Russia annually consumes about 455 million pairs of shoes. Of these, Russian production - 115 million pairs. Of the total volume of shoes consumed by Russians every year, leather shoes account for more than 100 million pairs, that is, a little more than 20%. The rest of the shoes are made of artificial, textile materials, plastic, rubber and felt. If textiles, rubber and felt are successfully produced in our country, then we do not have the production of artificial materials for the uppers of shoes and raw materials for the bottom of shoes. Therefore, manufacturers buy either these materials or blanks from them abroad: in China, Turkey and other countries.

The current situation in the Russian leather and footwear industry is complicated. The development of domestic production depends on various factors and has many different aspects, but there are only two main ones: the availability of raw materials and the creation of equal competition for all players in the Russian leather and footwear market.

The presence of imports on the Russian market is necessary, as this is competition and the movement forward of our own industry. But it is precisely the unequal competition that takes place long years, is the main brake on the development of Russian production. For example, for more than 10 years, finished leather has been imported into the country at the cost of raw materials (less than $5/sq.m), and the average contract price for imported shoes does not exceed $11 per pair, while the minimum retail prices have already exceeded 40 $50/pair. In such conditions, it is difficult for Russian enterprises to hold positions, constantly reducing their profitability.

In order for Russia to be able to shoe itself, the state needs to create equal competitive conditions for both imports and production, but for now, production in Russia is not economically efficient, so the situation requires active participation and support from the state.

Main tanneries in Russia

• Bogorodsk plant of chrome leather, Nizhny Novgorod region
• "VKP LT", Vyazma
• "Chevret", Volgograd
• Artex, Kirov
• Vakhrushi-Yuft, Kirov region
• Upper Volga Tannery, Ostashkov
• Raskom, Rasskazovo
• "Russian leather" Ryazan
• Rybinsk tannery, Yaroslavl region
• Serpukhov tannery "Trud", Moscow region
• Taganrog tannery, Rostov region
• Taldom tannery, Moscow region
• Chrome, Yaroslavl
• Spassky tannery, Ryazan region
• "Kozha", St. Petersburg
• Khromtan, Bogorodsk
• Bokoz, Nizhny Novgorod region
• "Chevro", Voronezh region
• "Laika", Krasnodar region
• Karista, Nalchik
• "Safyan", Kazan

In the context of anti-Russian economic sanctions and actively rising jingoism, they are increasingly talking about a ban on the import of foreign clothing and footwear in order to stimulate the development of domestic ...

Leather is a natural material made from the skins of various animals. Just as no two animals are the same, so there are no two identical pieces of skin. These natural features are not defects, but only add to the uniqueness of each finished product. This is especially true for exotic skins.

Leatherworking is perhaps one of the oldest crafts on earth. primitive people began to process the skins of animals many thousands of years ago. This process can be called the very first manufacturing industry. According to archaeologists, in ancient egypt the remains of leather clothes were found, which were made as early as the 13th century BC. Almost everything was made from leather. Ancient people used primitive shoes to protect their feet: they wrapped their feet with pieces of animal skins and fastened them with leather strips or veins. The very first human shoes were sandals, which instead of soles had a plank tied to the foot with leather straps.

Animals were hunted for their meat and fat, but the animal had to be skinned before food was used. For this, sharp pieces of flint were used, and later, flint knives. Further, the skins were used to warm the bodies of people and wrapped around the legs, representing the first type of boots. But raw skins soon began to decompose and rot. Drying the hides in the sun was observed to conserve them, but the result was a very hard, inflexible material, of little use for clothing. The skins needed to be softened. This was done by rubbing the hide to be prepared with various fats.

The fat also helped keep the hides from getting wet. This type of processing made animal skins soft and elastic. In addition, for the treatment of skins, water was used, to which different kinds bark and berries. It was found that after such treatment, the skins became significantly softer and could resist decay. Active substances contained in extracts from certain plants and producing such an effect on animal skins are called tannins. It was one of the first methods of tanning leather. Gradually, the technique of making things from leather improved, household items turned into real works of art.

Probably, all the peoples of the Earth were engaged in leatherworking, because in ancient times the skin was the most available material. Humanity learned to spin and weave much later. Ugrians (a group of Finnish peoples - Finno-Ugric language group) sewed boots from the skin of birds with plumage; many tribes decorated leather clothes and shoes with silk and gold embroidery, precious stones, painting, pearls. The Indians closed the seams on leather clothing with strips of colored prickly fish scales so that the seams would not let moisture through.

For the Slavs, leatherworking was also the oldest craft. Already in the VI-VII centuries in Rus' were known various ways leather dressing and processing. especially developed artistic processing skins in the North and Central Russia. So, for example, in the city of Torzhok they made multi-colored morocco, made pillows, belts, purses, pouches, shoes embroidered with silver, gold, silk from it. Before the First World War, these items were exported from Russia, as well as some types of leather, which were superior in quality to European counterparts.

Another thing to be noted is the widespread use of leather in book printing. For a long time, books were written on parchment - calfskin dried on a frame. In addition, book bindings themselves were made of leather.

The processes used to make leather today were invented by our ancestors many thousands of years ago. Since ancient times, leather has been made using the tanning process, which uses animal brains as a source of emulsified oils. This process is known as "Indian tanning" and the practice is still used by some people on a small scale. This tanning process is most often used for deer skins. This practice has given rise to the saying that "an animal has only the mental capacity to maintain its own skin, dead or alive.

The skin has not lost its relevance and modern world. With all the development of technology and the emergence of new synthetic materials, leather continues to attract more and more new supporters and admirers. Nowadays, genuine leather products are in great demand, despite their high price.

PRODUCTION OF GENUINE LEATHER

Leather processing

It is believed that the highest quality leather is made from the skins of cows (ox, calf). It is used for shoes, clothing, furniture upholstery, etc. Leather from sheep or goat skins (sheepskin, goat skin) is mainly used with hairline (like fur). Pigskin leather is elastic, but has a persistent characteristic odor, which is why it is valued lower than others. Skin from crocodile, python, stingray, ostrich and other exotic animals is used for the production of leather goods, clothing, footwear and other business areas.

There is a rule that the higher the quality of the skin, the fewer stages in the technological cycle of its processing to the finished skin. The task that is set when processing skins with good quality face (under the face is understood the upper layer of the skin), usually consists in the fact that the face is preserved and even emphasized. On the finished product, the natural pattern of the face is preserved - wrinkles and pores, which are present on the raw skin. Applying the palm to the surface of the skin with a natural face (fool grain) you get the feeling of a natural elastic product.

The skins of dairy calves (calves), having a smaller thickness compared to the skins of adult animals, can compete with them in terms of strength and wear resistance. This is due to the denser and denser fiber structure of the skins of dairy calves. The process of processing skins to finished leather can be simplified as a combination of three main stages:

Leather dressing.

Dressing is one of the most simple ways leather processing, at the same time the most ancient of them.

The production of finished leather is a rather laborious and lengthy process, which consists of three main stages leather production:

soaking-ash processes;

preparatory processes and tanning;

chemical finishing and dyeing and greasing processes.

1. Washing-ash processes

Raw skins: skins of cattle, mainly skins of bulls and cows, taking into account their origin and weight category. Raw skins are supplied from the south of Germany and Switzerland, as well as from other regions: skins of wild animals - from the USA, South America, Australia, New Zealand, etc., in some cases, water buffalo skins are used (India and Indonesia), less often - calf and pork skins.

Canning: If the delivery of the skin does not take much time and its immediate processing is provided, then the skin is simply frozen. For all cases, the supply of salted skins is considered normal.

Soaking: First stage of processing. The skins are soaked to remove dirt. They re-hydrate. Biological moisturizers are used for softening. First, preliminary softness is achieved, then the main one. After the skin is softened, the remaining meat can be removed.

Gilding: Removal of the upper stratum corneum of the skin and hairline. At this stage, the type of leather is determined, which serves as the basis for its further intended use. The applied chem. substances: lime and sodium sulfide, which are then neutralized with acid.

There are 4 main goals for this:

1) weaken the connection of the hair and epidermis with the dermis;

2) to carry out partial saponification of fatty substances;

3) to achieve sufficient swelling of the skin fibers;

4)bring the skin in chemical state required for tanning.

In addition, the conditions of gilding and ashing also affect such properties of the finished leather as tensile strength and moisture capacity. The strength of the skins subjected to the intense action of the ash pan is always less. This is due to the destruction of bonds in the main chain (intramolecular bonds) during such development.

The water resistance of the skins decreases with intensive treatment with an ash solution, which is associated with an increase in their porosity.

2. Preparatory process With.

Hair trim. It is produced on special hair-cutting machines. This operation is carried out after gilding, when the connection between the hair and the dermis is weakened. The semi-finished product after wool shearing is usually called pelt.

Mezdrenie: Removal of cuts of meat, tendons and subcutaneous fat layer (mesdra). Mezdra is used for the production of technical gelatin. Finished leathers are ready for tanning and are called “sheepskins”.

Face cleaning. This operation follows after mezdreniya. Cleaning is to remove short hair(podseda), as well as partly the breakdown products of proteins and fats.

Deashing and pickling: The skin is cleansed of ashing products by means of neutralization, defermentation is carried out - pickling. The skin is treated thoroughly and becomes smoother. The green pelt is in a state of gluttony - strong swelling and contains a large number of calcium compounds, both associated with collagen and deposited in the form of lime and lime salts.

Heaving: Serves as a preparation for the mineral tanning process. The hide is immersed in drums of brine and then treated with a weakly concentrated acid. The tannins added during this process cannot yet act actively, but evenly impregnate the skin.

Flushing. Washing is carried out with water to remove calcium salts and protein breakdown products. After washing, the fleece enters the tanning machines for tanning.

doublingWetblue: Doubling is subjected to the skin, obtained from large raw materials (bull-calf, bull-calf, bull-calf, etc.). When doubling, the fleece after gilding is sawn on splitting machines into two layers: the upper front layer and the lower bakhtarmy.

The fleece over the entire surface is cut in thickness into layers. The layer with traces of skin defects is cut evenly over the entire thickness. The remaining layers retain their natural thickness unevenness. The top layer is the future genuine leather / The lower layers after tanning are called splits. The top layer of leather used for the production of leather furniture is additionally gilded.

When sawing, they are set by the thickness of the front split, so it is obtained with the same thickness over the entire area. The upper split is usually used for the manufacture of more important parts of shoes, bahtarmyany for less important parts of shoes and haberdashery leather.

At the same time, it should be taken into account that the overall strength of splits is low compared to the original hide.

In addition to the above preparatory operations for some types of leather, doubling, shaping, softening, pickling are additionally used.

2. 2. Tanning

Tanning shop.

The resulting raw material is processed in special tanning drums, after which a wet blue semi-finished chrome product is obtained, which is ready for use.

The resulting nakedness is unsuitable for the manufacture of shoes and other products. When flooded, the fleece swells strongly, absorbing large amounts of moisture and greatly increasing in volume.

Drying of the hide is accompanied by a sharp decrease in its volume, gluing of its structural elements and a change in mechanical properties. Dried pelt becomes hard, horny and brittle. The fleece is not resistant to heat when wet, bacteria and enzymes. Thus, the form, stability of the material is lost. To get rid of these phenomena, the netting is tanned, that is, it is treated with tannins.

According to modern concepts, tanning is the process of bonding collagen molecules with tanning agent particles (cross-linking of molecules)

The skin obtained as a result of tanning differs from the skin in a whole range of properties:

♦moisture capacity decreases, as the ability to swell in water is lost;

♦ stiffness increases, because during tanning due to the formation of additional cross-links in the dermis, the mobility of skin collagen macromolecules is lost;

♦the strength of the structural elements of the track is increased. But it should be remembered that excessive tanning, on the contrary, reduces strength. This is explained by the fact that when tanning above a certain optimum, the strength decreases due to an increase in rigidity and a decrease in the ability to orient the structural elements of the skin;

♦increased elasticity and associated wear resistance;

♦ heat resistance increases. This is due to the increase in the number of cross chemical bonds and the welding temperature during tanning (Tcg);

♦porosity increases. This is due to the fact that tanning agents, penetrating (wedging) into the structure of the dermis, separate the elements of the structure and in the future this is fixed due to the formation of chemical cross-links;

♦ form stability increases. This is due to the fact that tanning agents, forming cross-links between collagen macromolecules, do not allow the dermis to swell and, moreover, do not allow them to come together and stick together;

♦increased chemical resistance. This is due to the fact that the functional groups of collagen in the dermis are blocked by tannins;

♦appearance improves;

♦ the thickness, area and angle of inclination of bundles of collagen fibers increase in the dermis after tanning. This already speaks of the economic efficiency of tanning and, in particular, the increase in the wear resistance of sole leathers.

The modern theory of tanning considers tanning as a process consisting of a number of physical and chemical phenomena and proceeding in two stages. The first stage is the diffusion of the tanning agent into the thickness of the skin, the second is the interaction of the tanning agent with collagen molecules. In this case, both processes occur simultaneously.

Tanning substances are classified into two groups:

1. Organic (tanides, aldehydes, fats).

2. Mineral (titanium, chromium, zirconium and aluminum compounds).

Basic tanning:

Chrome tanning is carried out with aqueous solutions of basic salts of trivalent chromium, which is not poisonous. Tannins penetrate deep into the skin, which helps to strengthen it and will not cause damage under normal use. Hexavalent chromium is not used for tanning, as it is poisonous. After the penetration of chromium into the treated skin, the acid residues are partially drawn out, and the chromium is fixed in the skin fibers and thus neutralized. Similarly, zirconium, aluminum and titanium tanning is carried out.

Plating and drying:

To set the tannins, the skin is laid out in layers and dried.

Folding (rolling):

Serves to even out the thickness of the skin.

Neutralization: The remaining acids in the skin are carefully neutralized with slaked lime. In subsequent processing steps, skin groups are established.

Final tanning: modification and development of leather properties using stronger tannins in combination with the main tanning. It can be combined with vegetable and/or synthetic tannins, with chromium and other minerals.

3. Chemical finishing and dye-greasing processes

At the final stage of chemical finishing, the following operations are performed:

retanning (chromium compounds, syntans, and other special agents are used); Dyeing: leathers are dyed in dye baths with permanent dyes that penetrate deep into the leather fibers. Only natural, non-toxic and environmentally friendly dyes are used. The paint penetrates deeply into the structure of the skin, fattening (fats, oils, emulsifiers, ammonia are used)

The end product of leather production is leather, i.e. the entire technological process of production is nothing more than the transformation of the skin into finished leather.

Vegetable (aldehyde) tanned leather is leather that is made using tanning bark (hence the name "tanning") and other ingredients obtained from plants, tree barks and similar sources. The result is an elastic material. Brown. The desired shade is achieved by varying the quantity and quality of the ingredients used and by selecting the color of the raw materials. Vegetable tanned leather is not waterproof. When exposed to moisture, it changes color, and if it absorbs liquid and then dries, it will decrease in size (“shrink”) and harden, become less elastic. In hot water, this type of leather “shrinks” strongly and becomes a hard, brittle material, which limits its use.

Alum-tanned leather, in the course of which aluminum salts are used, mixed with various binders and protein substances, for example, egg powder, etc. Purists argue that alum-tanned leather is technically rawhide, not tanned, as the resulting material will rot in water. This process results in leathers that are not saturated, but the resulting material is not as elastic as vegetable tanned leather.

Rawhide is made by scraping the hide, soaking it in lime, and then stretching it while drying. Like alum-tanned leather, rawhide is not technically a "leather" but is usually referred to along with other forms of leather. Rawhide is tougher and more brittle than other forms of leather and is used to make drums, as well as cords used for lacing or stitching.

Boiled leather - products made from leather (vegetable tanned leather), to increase strength, are immersed in hot water or boiling wax, or similar substances. Historically, such leather was used as armor due to its hardness and light weight, and was also used for book bindings.

Chrome-tanned leather, invented in 1858, uses chromium sulfate and other chromium salts to make leather. This form of leather is softer and more elastic than vegetable tanned leather. In addition, it does not change color and does not lose shape when exposed to water, like vegetable tanned leather.

Leather (usually vegetable tanned leather) can be lubricated with certain oily substances to improve its water resistance. This increases the amount of natural fats found directly in the skin, which are washed out during the operation of leather products, which can be exposed to intense moisture. Frequent lubrication of leather products with mink oil, refined oil or similar substances will keep the leather soft and prolong the life of the product.

Finished leather production.

The production of finished leather is a rather laborious and lengthy process that takes place in several stages.

Skin coloring.

The sorted leather is transferred to the dyeing shop, where the so-called Crust semi-finished product is obtained.

The semi-finished product is sorted and transferred to further dyeing, which is carried out using the latest technologies in special dyeing drums, which makes it possible to economically use chemistry and treat the skin delicately.

Before dyeing, the color of the skin depends on the tanning method (fat tanning - mustard yellow; chrome - light green color; iron - canary color, etc.).

Skins that do not have any defects, without spots and without masks, can be stained in various cysts; skin with spots turns black. For black coloration of the skin, after tanning and washing, it is dyed, then fattened and dried. For color dyeing, the skin is only dyed without being fattened, since the fat can leave stains.

For dyeing black, vegetable dyes and aniline dyes are used; for colored leathers, aniline dyes are now almost exclusively used.

Aniline dyes are divided into basic and acidic.

Perfectly smooth luxury leather this stage ready to go to the packing shop.

Leather, which for one reason or another is not smooth, is embossed.

Experts determine the quality of the leather and the type of embossing that will help hide minor imperfections in the surface of the leather.

A variety of types of embossing are used: from very small (the so-called pulverized plate) to very large (the so-called Tigina), as well as shagreen embossing, used for tailoring shoes for special purposes.

fine embossing

shagreen embossing

very fine embossing

very large embossing

large embossing

medium embossing

Before packing and sending to the warehouse of finished products, all leather undergoes final sorting and measurement.

When the skins, after the preservation process, reach the tannery, they are examined for signs of damage or poorly prepared and preserved hides. At this stage, the entire batch of skins can be rejected and returned to the manufacturer.

In turn, the skin is classified according to the method of coloring:

1. Immersion coloring. Two skins are folded with the inner side and immersed manually in a 40-50 ° dyeing bath; while the inner side is painted only very weakly. This method is used for dyeing small leathers (goats, sheep, calves, etc.), with a small amount of them.

2. Painting in a vat with wide rotating blades. The blades, when rotated together with the dyeing bath, turn and skin. With this method, which is especially suitable for large quantities of leathers, both sides of the leather are dyed.

3. Coloring in the washing drum, closed rotating vessel with hollow axes for adding the coloring solution. This method requires a very "short" dye bath, so that dyes can be used very well; this method is mainly used for chrome leather.

4. Applying paint with brushes produced mostly on large skins. The skin is spread on the table, the upper side is well wetted, and then the paint is applied.

5. Coloring substances. For dyeing leather tanned with vegetable oak substances, basic and acid dyes are used, less often substantive ones. When using basic dyes, add 1-2 g of acetic acid per 1 liter of dye mixture. For acid dyes, add 1-3 g of formic acid per 1 liter of water. Nothing is added to substantive dyes. In all cases, coloring is done at 45-50°.

6. Chrome leather finish. For chrome skin, acidic dyes are primarily used with the addition of acetic or sulfuric acid. Before adding the coloring matter, for better fixing of the color, the skin should be treated with quebracho extract. Basic dyes are also suitable for coloring chrome leather; the quebracho bath is enhanced accordingly. Acetic acid should be added to substantive dyes. The temperature of the dye baths can reach up to 50-60°.

7. Coloring of kid skin. Laika skin is dyed like chrome, but the temperature of the dye baths should be lower (40-45 °).

(Mainly acidic and basic dyes are used.)

8. Suede leather finish. When dyeing suede, basic paints are used (with Glauber's salt and acetic acid) and dyed at a temperature of 30 °. Acid dyes are used with the addition of Glauber's salt, at a dye bath temperature of 40-45 °.

9. Patent leather finish. a) In black. The skin that they want to varnish is fixed in a frame, placed on a smooth board and sanded on the front side with a piece of pumice until the skin is no longer rough. Next, they take a good oil varnish, mix it with Dutch soot and make a liquid paint from this, with which they smear the skin; then the latter is exposed to the sun to dry, and carefully protected from dust.

Having done this, they proceed as before, dry again, take pumice and polish; when the skin becomes smooth, it is dried for an hour, after which the paint that was applied is mixed with Dutch soot and smeared with liquid 2-3 more times.

When it is dry again, take felt and finely ground pumice stone and polish it until the leather is completely smooth.

Skin Configuration

In production, leather is cut and has various configurations.

Scraping is the division of the skin into topographic sections. Scraping is subjected to large raw materials, the topographic sections of which are most differentiated in thickness and microstructure.

According to the configuration of the skin there are: whole skin, semi-skin, kulat, semi-kulat, collar, saddle.

Types of leather according to the method of finishing

Smooth skins

They preserve the natural pattern as much as possible - measure, are not embossed at all, or a very small - "dust-like" embossing is applied to the front surface. The skins of this group are made from the highest quality raw materials using the most modern chemical materials.

Sanded leather

Grinding the fringed side and additional splitting make it possible to obtain "Velour", which is used for the production of sports, home and model shoes. However, there are leathers, the polishing of which is predetermined by the technology of their dressing - this is "Nubuk", which is indispensable for the manufacture of both men's and women's shoes. Colored nubuck inserts are widely used in the production of children's shoes.

Embossed leather

Leathers of the middle and lower price ranges are indispensable for inexpensive, work or uniform shoes. They differ in pattern and embossing depth. The finer the pattern and the depth of embossing, the less ability to hide defects this embossing has. All drawings can be divided into several categories:

Patent leather

Depending on the properties and color of the coating, the skin can acquire a wide variety of color and organoleptic properties. Such leather is very widely used in the production of both women's and men's model shoes. Patent leathers are represented by the articles "Orion", "Naplak". Patent leather can be embossed to obtain the desired pattern. Patent leather shoes look great and always attract attention.

splits

An artificial polymer "face" is applied to the split leather, imitating the natural front surface. The split leather production technology allows using inexpensive raw materials and obtaining an excellent solution for the production of inexpensive shoes with a quality close to the quality of genuine leather with a grain surface. The range of splits with an artificial front surface is represented by the article "Legend" with various options embossing. All options for embossing splits are identical to embossing leathers with a front coating, which allows you to combine them in the production of shoes (toe - front leathers, berets, bootlegs - split). Split splits without applying an artificial "face" are used for the manufacture of shoe lining material, sewing overalls.

Krasty

Semi-finished leather obtained after a drum-dyeing operation (no surface finish). It has a natural face pattern. The lack of surface finish avoids most of the flaws associated with exfoliation of the "face" - wrinkling and fragrance. Modern processing allows you to give the crust the property of hydrophobicity, and special dyeing - through paint. A well-dressed crust is difficult to distinguish from leathers with a smooth grain. Crusts are widely used by shoemakers for the production of shoes for a wide variety of purposes.

Leather substitutes.

We distinguish 4 main types of products we represent (3 types of artificial leather and PVC film):

Iskozha (leatherette) MF. This is a modern skin based on microfibers (Micro Fiber)

Iskozha (leatherette) PU. This is a modern type of artificial polyurethane leather

Iskozha (leatherette) PVC. Classic PVC leather

PVC film. PVC film

Today, artificial leather (leatherette) is a high-quality and environmentally friendly material that surpasses natural leather in some respects. At the request of the customer, in terms of aesthetic appearance, artificial leather is no different from natural leather, both from the front and reverse side. At the same time, it is possible to make artificial leather with a texture and color that is not characteristic of natural leather, which designers skillfully embody in their fashionable modern projects.

Nowadays, most types of leather are made from cow hides, but skins from other animals are also used. The skins of lambs and deer are used to produce soft leather, from which the most expensive clothes are sewn. Kangaroo skin is used as a raw material for the production of products that must be strong but flexible, such as leggings. Leather made from the skins of more exotic animals, in particular some types of reptiles, was very popular at one time. Products from it were considered the most beautiful and refined. For this reason, the hunting of certain species of snakes and crocodiles has become so widespread that it has put the above species of reptiles and cold-blooded animals on the brink of extinction.