Rawhide is used for a great many purposes. After the side of leather has been trimmed of the portions that cannot be used, it is sold to the lace maker. He measures the same in a machine.
The trimmings from the side of the hide may be used for a mallet head or other tools made of leather. The most common products of the strong section of rawhide strings are shoe strings, belting laces, and parts of harnesses. It is also made into leather shoe strings that are used in the logging camps.
When the hide is selected for the rawhide purposes, it is first passed to a de-hairing machine, where all the hair is removed. It is then fleshed; that is, all loose membrane and any flesh that may have adhered to the hide are removed from the flesh side. The rawhide is then placed in a special bath for the purpose of opening the pores, before the oils and greases are added to it. After this bath, it is dried thoroughly in a hot box and then put into wheels which mill the greases into the hide.
The hide, which is made hard by this drying process, is put through breakers, where it is thoroughly worked into soft and pliable form.
The hide is next passed to the setting-out machine, which finishes all forms of leather—by condensing and strengthening the fibers. Special oils are applied to both the grain and flesh side of the hide. It is finished by hand and cut into laces. This hand finishing is usually done in order to reject all parts that are not perfect.
Haired leather is tanned by acid—a quicker method. The hide is split into sides and tanned with the belly stock on them, which is used for car straps, cowbell straps, trunk straps, and riding bridles.
The By-products of a Leather Belting Factory
There are a great many by-products in a leather belting factory, all of which are used. The finest strips are used for whip lashes, small pieces are used for the French heel, and the extremely small pieces are used in leather mats.
The by-product from the belting bull, which is about fifty per cent, is used for shoe leather and leather straps. There is considerable leather taken from the belting bull for certain harness work. The belly is thick and porous though not tough, and is used for halters, cow bridles, and other parts of harness where the strain is not great.