The classification of skin types, depending on the method of tanning, dressing and origin, is very extensive, and only technologists know it completely.
The difference between shabrack and uti, like, from chevret or nappa, is not necessary for the average consumer, but in each case, when choosing the right thing, you need to understand the quality criteria. A special kind of skin is shagreen leather. This is a very soft and pleasant to the touch material with a characteristic relief pattern.
Shagreen Country - North Africa
During the colonial campaigns in North Africa (at the beginning of the 19th century), French soldiers and officers, great connoisseurs of everything beautiful, were simply struck by an unknown kind of skin for them. The Arabs called it "shagry", which translates as "horse back." The conquerors began to pronounce this word in their own way - chagrin - in the Russian transcription "shagreen". This name has taken root throughout the world, and the technology of dressing has become widespread in all countries with developed livestock and leather production. The fine-grained surface structure gives any item a special chic, whether it be furniture, some other small household item, a notebook, a lighter, a cigarette-case, a handbag, a purse ... But there are not a few beautiful things in the design of which shagreen leather is quite appropriate !
Using the properties of shagreen skin
Unlike the Arab peoples, in Europe this kind of leather was used more often not for tailoring shoes or clothes, but for decorative purposes. Thin, soft and rough shagreen leather is an excellent material for upholstery of chairs and sofas. Looks great both books and special expensive albums bound with it, as well as cases for musical instruments or music folders in the design of which it is used. Its characteristic patterned drawing gave the name to the sort of paper imitating the relief in a special way dressed up as a donkey skin.
Shagreen leather has always been expensive; it is labor-intensive in production. Previously, it was imported from Asia Minor and Persia, then they learned to make it in other countries, and in Russia too.
Classical shagreen leather is made from donkey skins, but it is quite acceptable to make it from lamb, goat and almost any other, which gives a characteristic surface pattern with competent processing.
Sophisticated technology
To obtain the desired effect, the skin from the ridge of the animal should first be held in water, then put it on the frame, sprinkle with seeds of grass (usually quinoa) and cover with dense material. As a result, small pimples appear on the front surface, which are carefully cut with a knife. This procedure requires special care and qualifications. Then the semi-finished product is again soaked and tanned (alum or double). The border between dense and soft areas creates the very unique pattern for which shagreen leather is famous. This is truly exquisite leather - the perfect upholstery for luxury furniture.
Shagreen effect in home design.
The magical properties of shagreen leather do not give rest to designers involved in the design of residential and office premises. The effect of “shagreen leather” during painting is achieved by subsequent treatment with a solvent after drying of a thin layer.
Oddly enough, this technique arose as a result of studying an unpleasant phenomenon that occurred when not very skilled painters on the car body received small annoying bumps instead of a smooth surface. These unpleasant cases of marriage were carefully analyzed, and the conditions under which "shagreen leather" occurs were identified. Photos of enlarged microcracks clarified the picture: thanks to them, it became clear that a violation of the surface structure occurs due to uneven drying of the paint. Well, what is bad for the surface of a car can be very beautiful when applied to a wall.