Oak Bark Belt
Size:32"
Quantity:
Following on from our popular Oak Bark Collars we have asked our saddlers to produce a limited edition Oak Bark Belt, handmade to the same high standards, using our signature red stitching and brass buckle with stainless steel tongue - a classic belt that will last a lifetime.
Oak Bark leather has been tanned at Baker’s Tannery, on the banks of the River Coly in Colton since Roman times, and the process has changed very little.
The traditional oak bark tannage method is a long tannage. After liming the raw hides to loosen the hair, the hides are initially soaked in very weak tan liquors in pits called handlers, because for the first two or three months these hides are regularly handled, to allow the tan to strike evenly all over the hide.
Having passed through the handler pits the hides are now layered flat on top of each other in a stronger oak bark liquor. The hides will stay in these layer pits for about nine months until they are ready for drying and rolling. The Oak Bark tanning process is ideal for saddlery. The natural weave of the fibres in the hide, that is preserved by the process, gives the leather a very high tensile strength.
The carrying or dressing of the leather is all done by hand using traditional tools for sewing, whitening and staining. The dressing is done using the traditional fish oils and mutton tallow. All saddlery leathers are heavily dressed giving the fibres a good coating of oils and greases, which not only gives a softer, more supple leather, but also improves waterproofing and the strength of the leather.
Oak Bark leather has been tanned at Baker’s Tannery, on the banks of the River Coly in Colton since Roman times, and the process has changed very little.
The traditional oak bark tannage method is a long tannage. After liming the raw hides to loosen the hair, the hides are initially soaked in very weak tan liquors in pits called handlers, because for the first two or three months these hides are regularly handled, to allow the tan to strike evenly all over the hide.
Having passed through the handler pits the hides are now layered flat on top of each other in a stronger oak bark liquor. The hides will stay in these layer pits for about nine months until they are ready for drying and rolling. The Oak Bark tanning process is ideal for saddlery. The natural weave of the fibres in the hide, that is preserved by the process, gives the leather a very high tensile strength.
The carrying or dressing of the leather is all done by hand using traditional tools for sewing, whitening and staining. The dressing is done using the traditional fish oils and mutton tallow. All saddlery leathers are heavily dressed giving the fibres a good coating of oils and greases, which not only gives a softer, more supple leather, but also improves waterproofing and the strength of the leather.