Kip

Description

Small, untanned hides from adolescent cattle. Kips are obtained when the calves are two to five years old - too old for the hides to be called calfskins, but still of a finer quality than is obtained from fully mature, aged cattle. Kips generally make a fine textured Leather that is soft and pliable.

Synonyms and Related Terms

kipskin; kip calf; cuero de vaquilla (Esp.)

Resources and Citations

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

• Edward Reich, Carlton J. Siegler, Consumer Goods: How to Know and Use Them, American Book Company, New York City, 1937

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

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998