Posté le 28/11/2014 à 10:57:16            

How is leather goods produced?

The category of fine leather goods is large. It includes bags for ladies or men, pocket items (wallets, card cases, etc.), sports and travel goods (attaché cases, suitcases, cases,backpacks, etc.), saddlery-harness articles (saddles,harness, kneepads for riders, etc.), items for hunting and fishing (cartridge pouches, rifle-cases, baskets, etc.), and also belts, wrist-watches and pets' accessories.
These are the accessories most carried and worn in everyday life and yet few people are aware of the many operations involved in producing them.
Let’s take as an example the manufacture of a leather article with a lining made of synthetic material.

Discovering leather goods

The term "leather goods" covers a great variety of products.

Manufacture 

PATTERN CUTTING: The model is chosen from among a great number ofpatterns presented by various fashion coordinators.
The selection criteria are defined by the whims of fashion and the purpose for which the product is intended. The pattern- or model-maker creates the flat model, eithermanually or using CAD, that will be used in the making of the press-knives used for cutting.

STORE: The list of the materials required is given to the storekeeper in charge of putting them together (leather, textiles, reinforcements,etc.). The hides go through a rigorous selection procedure.
The panels are joined according to their position on the bag so as to give the same colour, same grain, etc.

CUTTING: Once any faults in the leather have been eliminated or carefully positioned the cutter starts cutting the pieces by hand, on a press, or by automatic cutting. He has to take into account the lending (direction of stretching) and choose the best position so as to get the most out of the available surface.

COLOURING: To conceal the raw edge of the leather each piece is covered with a layer of dye. Tests are carried out beforehand to determine the colouring that most closely matches that of the leather.

SPLITTING: Splitting is vital to obtain the ideal thickness and to allow components to be put together in the best way possible. If necessary, each piece of leather is divided in two horizontally.

PREPARING: Skiving, which consists in regularly thinning the edges either manually or mechanically, makes it easier to carry out edge turning and binding. A "turned edge" is the term used to describe an edge that has been covered with adhesive and turned over on itself. Creasing is used to thin a cut edge or underline a stitch. The filet is produced by hot pressing, manually or mechanically.

ASSEMBLING: Assembling pre-glued pieces calls for accuracy and skill from the operator; it remains a manual operation. Once the pieces have been super-imposed, an overcut tool is used to eliminate any excess material and to obtain sharp edges.

HAND SEWING: Hand-sewn seams provide certain products with a traditional appearance and reliability (long life, strength): using an awl, the leather is perforated to enable a needle with coated thread to sew the leather. This operation calls for skill from the operator: the stitches have to be as regular as if they were pricked by a machine. Nevertheless they have a special appearance which is difficult to obtain mechanically.

CLOSING AND LASTING: Straps, shoulder straps, gussets, canvas or PVC linings,zippers, edges, etc. are stitched using sewing machines.Whether the machine used is a flat bed machine, a cylinder bed machine or a post-bed machine, it allows for greater regularity in the stitches. Some articles may be machined in considerable quantities due to the special features of the various frames. For example, the gussets are assembled on the cylinder bed machine which facilitates sewing up.

FASTENING ACCESSORIES: The parts thus assembled turn flat, two-dimensional pieces into three-dimensional articles. The product is almost finished. Buckles, press buttons or clasps remain to be fastened. As in the field of personal adornment, the word "jewellery" is used to refer to accessories made of brushed metal, chromed metal or goldplated metal that decorate fine leather goods.

FINISHING: Finishing is a delicate operation requiring great skill. It gives the final touch to a product. The various parts are overlaid to create a section which has to be sanded between the layers of dye. The article is wrapped in canvas bags or tissue paper ready for delivery.

Types of binding

SADDLE STITCHING (saddlery)
Examples: belt, briefcase, harness
Upper and under element with raw edges

COMBINED CEMENT AND STITCHING BINDING (saddlery, leather goods)
Examples: assembly of gussets of ladies' bags, belts, small bags
Folded upper element Raw edge under element

TURNED EDGE BINDING (small leather articles)
Examples: wallet, purseUpper element folded onto lower part

FLAT BINDING (leather goods)
Examples: articles made of canvas and leather to give a nice finish
Upper and lower sections assembled by a flat binding

PASTED ASSEMBLY (leather goods)
Examples: evening bag – small luxury bag

ENGLISH BINDING ASSEMBLY (leather goods)
Examples: articles made of canvas

ASSEMBLY TURNED OVER WITHOUT EDGING, CALLED “ORDINARY” 
(leather goods, saddlery)
Examples: standard quality articles

TURNED-EDGE BINDING WITH WELT, CORD OR EDGING
(leather goods, saddlery)
Examples: large articles (travel bags) Emphasises the purity of the line; decorative

TURNED OVER BINDING ASSEMBLY CALLED “SEAM ANGLE” (saddlery)
Examples: hand-sewn or machine-sewn (cases, purses, jewel cases, etc.)

TURNED OVER BINDING, KNOWN ALSO AS "BETWEEN GRAIN AND FLESH SIDE" (saddlery)
Examples: dog collar, umbrella handle, riding-crop, cane, pipe

"A L’ALLEMANDE" ASSEMBLY (saddlery,
leather goods)
Example: allows the extension of a bag

Description of a shoulder bag

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"Discovering leather goods"

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