Fig. 44.
The butts, after being treated as above described, are frequently oiled lightly on the grain, and are taken into the drying-lofts, where they are hung on poles till about half dry. They are then laid on the floor in piles, and covered up till they heat or "sweat" a little, which facilitates the succeeding operation of "striking." This is performed by laying the butt over a horizontal "beam" or "horse," and scraping its surface with a triangular pin, shown at D in [Fig. 25]. This pin has an even, though tolerably sharp, edge, and is so used that it stretches and smooths out the grain, without breaking it; and at the same time it removes a portion of the white deposit called "bloom," which has been mentioned. Common goods are frequently struck by the machine introduced by Priestman, of Preston Brook, shown in [Fig. 44]; but the work is not very uniform, and the leather is much compressed and stretched. For offal, the machine is a very useful one, and perfectly satisfactory.
Fig. 45.
Fig. 46.