 Leather Definitions: DRUM-DYED : A dyeing process in which leather is immersed in dye and tumbled in a rotating drum, allowing maximum dye penetration. BISON: (BUFFALO LEATHER) No leather imparts a sense of the ruggedness and beauty of the American West as well as that of genuine American bison. The sturdy hides we use from free-range bison undergo a vegetable tanning to create a deep bourbon patina, enhance the natural grain, and develop a supple hand. We pass over a lot of hides to find just those with the most singular, handsome grain patterns. Each hides unique character makes for a one-of-a-kind leather garment. These rugged garments feature genuine buffalo- leather. PATINA: A luster that develops with time and use. AN·A·LINE: A colorless, oily, benzene derivative, Analine leather is tumbled in vats so the dye is completely absorbed by the skin. There is no other coloring agent or process, thus the finished leather tends to look and feel more "natural NAKED LEATHER: (also called Ultra Leather) Naked Leather is the softest, but heaviest and warmest leather you can wear, other than Lambskin which is super soft and beaitiful but lightweight. Naked Leather (being without addition, concealment, disguise, or embellishment) A leather with no surface, impregnated treatment of finish (other than dye) which might mask or alter the natural state of the leather. FULL GRAIN OR PREMIUM LEATHER: A term describing hides with a minimal amount of scars or blemishes, usually less than 5% of all hides. TOP GRAIN LEATHER : "Top grain", is the definition that is generally used when the grain is not genuine: when the real grain is sanded away and an imitation grain is stamped into the leather. When the genuine grain remains, the leather is called, "full grain", or "full top grain", not simply "top grain." Top grain is a generally regarded as a economy leather! GOATSKIN: During WW II the Type A-2 Flight Jacket was made in chrome-tanned, drum-dyed HORSEHIDE and GOATSKIN (only). Most were Horsehide, but if Horsehide was unavailable contractors could and did make many in Goatskin. In fact Goatskin examples appear from the beginning, in the 1930s. In a prewar 1941 flight magazine Aero Leather -- which would become the biggest WW II A-2 contractor -- advertised genuine surplus government Goatskin A-2s for $10.00. As with Horsehide, Goatskin A-2s came in different shades of Russet, Chestnut and Seal Brown depending on the contractor and what hides were available. (Contract Nos. had nothing to do with color.) To satisfy customers who prefered a darker jacket, they were made in Seal Brown Goatskin is as strong as Horsehide but initially far, far suppler, with a super-fine, muted pebble-like grain. Goatskin is famed for its weight, granular consistency, rich deep color and hand. It needs no break-in; put it on, it's buttery, but thick and strong. Peerless hide. We have nearly as many enthusiasts for our Goatskin as our Horsehide. The drama is all there, but it's so much more once a customer gets to wear it. We pay a lot more for our Goatskin than others, but the bottom line is -- we have to, because quality and specification are what's important. Wear it in the drenching rain to appreciate its natural water repellency. Our hides thrive on and in bad weather. FINISHED SPLIT LEATHER: The middle or lower section of a hide with a polymer coating applied and embossed to mimic grain leather. | 
