The two best-known grades are the Hodieda and the Benghazi. They derive their designations from the exporting cities. Hodieda is located in the southwestern part of Arabia on the Red Sea, while Benghazi is in Barca, one of the provinces of Tripoli.
Other goatskins are produced in India and Russia, and millions of skins are exported annually from Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. These skins are not brought direct to America, but are transshipped at Marseilles or London.
The jobbers in Europe or India occupy rather a unique position, for according to their practice it is almost impossible for them to suffer financial losses in dealing with an American tanner. The latter, when he wishes to arrange for his year’s supply of raw material, negotiates with an agent in Boston, with whom he signs a contract for so many skins. Then it is necessary for the tanner to either purchase with money equal to the face value or secure by loans letters of credit from Boston banking houses which have European connections.
Before the skins are exported, the jobber has his money from the European banking concerns and the bills of lading are forwarded to the Boston bankers, who turn them over to the tanners, and, when the occasion requires, obtain from the tanners what is known as a deed of trust.
All goatskins are tanned by the same chrome tanning process, whether the finish is to be glazed or mat. The proportions of chemicals vary according to the texture of the skin, and according to the grain.
The process of tanning is quicker than the tanning of heavier hides, and all varieties of tannage are used, the chrome methods having come into very general use. There are many kinds of finish given, such as glazed, dull, mat, patent, etc. One quality that distinguishes goat leather, the “kid” of shoemaking, is the fact that the fibers of the skin are interlaced and interlocked in all directions. The finished skins as they come from the tannery, by whatever process they may be put through, are sorted for size and quality, a number of grades being made. Instead of ripping straight through, like a piece of cloth, or splitting apart in layers, as sheepskin will do when made into leather, the kid holds together firmly in all directions.
Glazed kid is colored after it is tanned by submerging it in the color, a very important process. The glossy surface is obtained by “striking” or burnishing on the grain side. It is made in black and colors, particularly tan, and is known by about as many names as there are manufacturers of it.
Glazed kid is used in the uppers of shoes, making a fine, soft shoe that is particularly comfortable in warm weather, and is said to prevent cold feet in winter, owing to unrestricted circulation.
Mat kid is a soft, dull black kid, the softness being the result of treatment with beeswax or olive oil. It is finished on the grain side the same as glazed kid, and is used principally for shoe toppings. It is very similar in appearance to mat calf and is often used in preference to it, as it is of much lighter weight, and about as strong.
Suede kid is not tanned, but is subjected to a feeding process in an egg solution, called “tawing,” to make it soft and pliable. The skin is stretched and the color is applied by “brushing” (with a brush). The color does not permeate the skin, but is merely on the surface. Suedes are made from carbarettas and split sheepskins. Suedes are used very extensively in making slippers, and come in a great variety of colors.