Aldehyde leather

Description

Leather tanned with the use of aldehydes, such as Formaldehyde. Aldehydes react with the proteins in a hide to form insoluble, stable compounds that are resistant to putrefaction. The use of formaldehyde is a standard tanning method for washable skins from sheep or lamb. It produces a strong, white, pliable, leather that is resistant to water (Kuhn 1986).

Resources and Citations

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

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