Behind the Scenes

J & E Sedgwick produce all of the leather on site – leather that has been traditionally tanned in pits to provide the best start to the currying process.

There are three Quality Control checks in the production of our leather. These are vital to ensure that the leather and the final product are of an excellent standard.

1st Quality control - Leather on the Rounding Table is inspected for weight, open & flay damage and growth.

Leather is split & Shaved to required substance. Every piece of leather is tested for thickness.

After shaving the leather is surface cleaned then re-tanned. A special mixture of Tannins and Fatliquors ensures that the leather is supple and workable.

The Currying process’ most important part of leather manufacturing. The Currier hand-sets the leather to ensure that the grain is smooth, growth free as possible and obtains maximum yield. This process is rarely seen in any other leather processing. A Unique skill of the Currier

2nd Quality Control – Inspection and grading of leather for colour finishing. The leather is inspected for cleanliness of the flesh & grain to determine its final colour and finish.

The leather is fluffed on the flesh to aid the next process, which is the colouring of the flesh & grain. Fluffing ensures that the leather absorbs colour more intensely

The grain of the leather is hand stained. This again is a unique process where by hand staining the colour on the grain will be level and give a smoother aniline finish.

After staining the leather is allowed to dry naturally before a top finish colour and resins are applied. The experience of our colour matching personnel ensures that the leather is correctly coloured every time.

The final processing of the leather is the application of grease. A secret blend of fats, oils and waxes enables the leather to be ‘fed’. This application also gives Sedgwick’s leather the unique mirror finish, which is second to none.

3rd and final Quality Control – Inspection of the leather is always important. This enables the inspector to grade the leather for quality and feedback to the production team on possible improvements to the leather – where possible.