The Art of Leather-Making
There are a number of different stages in leather goods making, however the first stage is to use only the finest leather. We buy our leather, which is tanned and finished from a number of tanneries in the UK and overseas. The leather arrives in our factory from the tanneries in whole skins, which can be any size from 6 to 60 square feet. As they arrive from the tanneries the skins are ready to be cut up and be made into finished products and there are a number of processes, which take the product from start to finish:
Prior to making any leather item, samples have to be made which serve as the templates for factory production. Sample making is a skilled art and patterns are first produced on card and the leather hand cut until the sample is perfect. To go from a two dimensional design to a three dimensional functional object might consist of 20 or more different processes and requires many years of experience. Once the sample is perfect the product can be transferred into the factory.
Please scroll over the images for more details on the leathermaking process.
Cutting
The leather is cut into discrete shapes ready for assembling the various pieces. For small runs, products are often hand cut using special razor sharp knives. For larger runs a clicking press is used which presses specially made shaped knives into the leather.
Skiving & Splitting
Often the edges of the leather or the entire piece of leather need to be thinned prior to turning or working. This is carried out on a special skiving machine or splitter.
Assembling
Once all the leather is cut and skived, they are ready for assembly and stitching. A special bone is used to work the leather without damaging it and the whole process is carried out on flat stones.
Gluing & Stitching
Where necessary the leather is glued together and stitched using special sewing machines which are strong enough to work leather.
Finishing & Checking
Finally the finished piece is checked and polished prior to packing. The leather is usually blocked with our name and logo prior to this stage so that it is now ready to be sent out.
Packing
All Ettinger products are carefully packed in hand made branded boxes together with a small leaflet explaining how to look after your Ettinger product. They are then sent around the world!