Full Grain Leather

This is the outermost layer of the hide, densely packed with fibres it will naturally display subtle variations in colour and scars from the animals’ life. Full grain is the strongest layer of the hide, compared to ‘genuine leather’ which is ground up scraps reformed into sheets  - think of this like a beautiful piece of Oak alongside some MDF or chipboard. 

‘Bloom’

The final process in creating oak-tanned bridle leather is for the tannery to apply a generous coating of their special dubbin. This feeds into the fibres to give the leather better durability, water resistance and a nice level finish. The white waxy coating will rub off whilst being worked on or can be buffed off with a soft bristled brush, such as would be used in shoe polishing. The photo here shows a couple of belt straps cut from a fresh hide with the brush strokes of dubbin clearly visable.

On most items I buff the coating away, but some customers prefer it kept on as an iconic feature of this special leather.

Leather Care

Your item of Hyde Wares will require conditioning at some point, and this all depends on how often you use it. For example, a wallet will absorb oils from your skin and retain some nourishment from that. If you find the leather becomes stiff or dry in places then it is time for a quick once over with some leather conditioner. I would recommend anything with a high content of natural ingredients such as animal fats and beeswax. Every item I make has been given a head start with a thorough coat of my home made leather balm, though at some point it will require further care from yourself.

If you are interested in the natural leather and want it to darken quicker then place in the sun for a few hours/days and you'll soon notice the difference.