Chapter XX: Section II: ), dried out and boarded to soften. If for straight grains

they are printed with a straight-grain roller, or grained neck to butt. After tooth rolling they are boarded, dried and glazed. They are softened down and "aired off" in a cool store.

Roller leather is a special class of sheepskin leather which is used to cover the rollers used in cotton spinning. The essential requirements are that a smooth plain finish should be given, and the leather must not stretch or be greasy. For this purpose small sheepskins with a fine small grain are chosen, such as those obtained from the Welsh mountain sheep. The pelts are machine fleshed, short haired and often puered, but the deliming is also brought about by organic acids also. The pelts are drenched in pits fitted with paddles, which are used to stir up the infusion occasionally. A thorough scudding is given. For the smooth-grain finish it is necessary to tan in weak liquors, and to give plenty of time so as to ensure complete penetration. An oak-bark tannage is preferred, but a little extract is usual to assist. The goods are coloured through in paddle, like basils, and are then degreased by hydraulic pressure. This should be as complete as possible, and a little heat is used to assist the escape of grease. The pressed skins, moreover, must be quite freed from creases, and this is attained first by paddling in warm water to remove sawdust, and then by drumming in fairly hot water, in which they are left overnight. The skins are tanned out in suspenders, taking about 3 weeks. The crust skins need careful sorting, and are soaked and hand shaved. They are sumached in drum, rinsed, struck out, sammed and set. The striking and setting should be thorough, in order to get rid of stretch. They are next "filled" by coating with linseed jelly or similar material, and dried out on boards in a thoroughly stretched condition. They are then trimmed, seasoned and rolled with a steel roller. They are then staked or perched, fluffed, reseasoned, dried and glazed. They are carefully short-haired, glazed again and finally ironed.

E.I. sheepskins are imported in a tanned condition. These are soaked back and the turwar bark tannage "stripped " as far as possible by drumming with soda for 20-30 minutes at 95° F.; after washing they are "soured" in weak (1/2 per cent.) sulphuric acid solution, and retanned with sumach paste for an hour, drumming at 100° F. They may then be finished for basils, moroccos or roller leather as described above, but are often finished as imitation glacé kid. In this case they are drum dyed, lightly fat-liquored (see Part III., Section IV.), struck out and dried. They are staked by machine, fluffed, seasoned and glazed. They may be re-staked and reglazed if desired.

REFERENCES.

A. Seymour Jones, "The Sheep and its Skin."

Bennett, "Manufacture of Leather," pp. 30, 85, 107, 208, 349-354,
385.

SECTION V.--CALFSKINS

Calfskins are the raw material for many classes of leather. The term itself is rather broad. A calfskin may be obtained from a very young animal and weigh only a very few pounds, or it may be anything just short of a kip. Goat, seal, and sheep skins are obtained from adult animals, but calfskins from the young of a large animal. Thus there are many grades of quality, according to age, and the material must be chosen with regard to the purpose in view. Some of these purposes have already been discussed. Heavy calf is treated much like kip as a curried leather for upper work. Even lighter skins are given the "waxed calf" and "satin calf" finishes, and make upper leather of excellent quality. To produce such leathers the treatment is much the same as described in