Procedure of Vegetable tanning leather is describe below :

1. Pre Tanning

The first step, prepare the skin that need to be tanned. Usually it will take several days to go through the rehydration process. Clean the skin from the remaining fat and hair, then cut this skin into two pieces which called sides.

 

2.Tanning

Second step, put the skin into large barrel ( usually made of Oak Wood ) which contained with tannin ingredients.   This natural tannin powder is obtained from extracts of Tree Barks, leaves, seeds, or fruit.The skin will need several weeks for this soaking process and make sure that all parts are well submerged so that the tannin really absorbs completely into the skin.                                                                                                                                                               Remove the skin from barrel then remove the moistures, and cut into pieces according to desired thickness.

This process is actually almost complete if the skin itself does not want to be coloured.

But if you want to do the colouring then after this process, the skin will be dyed to create a rich colour character and make the the skin’s characteristics more unique.

 

3. Dyeing, Hot Stuffing, Drying

Third step skin will go through process : Dyeing, Hot Stuff-ing, and Drying.

The colour dyeing process is carried out in a large barrel containing dyes and water. In this process barrel usually rotates slowly and constantly so that the colors are really evenly.

After Dyeing process, the skin enters the Hot Stuffed process. Which uses hot oil or waxes to completely absorb. This aims to make the skin texture become softer, with hot stuff-ing process also will make the colors richer, solid, and long lasting.

Then the skin enters the Drying process. The skin will be hang until the water content and moistures gone.

 

4. Finishing

Final step, the skin will be sprayed once again using wax as a natural protector the skin itself.

Estimation time for all this procedure will take 6 ( six ) weeks. Of course the time needed is longer compared to chrome tanning that can be done in few days only.

But the waste generated by this process ( vegetable tanning process ) is much more safe than chrome tanning.