Oak bark tanned leather

Description

Oak bark was once used extensively for tanning, especially in England. The concentration of tannins in oak bark is relatively low (about 14%) and it takes about 6 months of soaking for the tannins to penetrate the skins. The long slow oak tannage process produced a fine grade of leather. Currently, oak bark tannins are blended with other tanning agents for faster processing.

Synonyms and Related Terms

oak extract; curtido con corteza de roble (Esp.); cuir tanné à l'écorce de chêne (Fr.); pele curtida com casca de carvalho

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 557

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Marjory L. Joseph, Introductory Textile Science, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Fort Worth, TX, 1986

• American Leather Chemists Association Glossary at www.leatherchemists.org