What is the natural vaquetilla?
The natural cowhide or commonly also called natural cowhide is the star item of artisans or workers dedicated to leather.
First of all, we are going to briefly explain what the natural cow is and why it receives that name, so let's get down to business.
This material comes from bovine. It is a leather that stands out for being tanned in a vegetable process, that is to say that it has been tanned using natural tannins such as bark, wood and other plants and even some type of fruit. It is not chrome tanning.
The cowhide or natural cowhide is one of the best-known and most widely used varieties of vegetable tanning throughout the world. It is a type of leather, whose thicknesses can vary from 1.5mm to 5.5mm and its use varies according to its thickness.
It is used in countless jobs, especially in crafts, embossed, engraved, pyrographed or tinted. It is also often used for belts, animal collars, horse accessories, bags, handles, leather goods, saddlery... but above all, what makes it so in demand is the great versatility that this leather offers. It is like a blank canvas with which you can do or draw whatever you want.
On our website you will find high quality natural cowhide leather ideal for all your work. You can see them at this link:
Why do they stain and how to store our natural calves correctly?
Now that we know what natural calves are, it's time to explain why they stain and how to store them correctly.
As we have said before, this article is like a blank canvas, with which you have to be careful and follow a few small guidelines so that it does not get damaged or stained. They are items that do not have any type of paint, lacquer or finish, so you can see all the imperfections that it has. You could say that you can see the entire life of the animal just by looking at the skin. In it we can see scars, veins, insect bites, livestock stamps, stretch marks, etc...
Many of our customers ask us why their natural cows get damaged, because the edges get stained or change color... Being such a natural product, it is very easy for it to get stained or damaged, so it is very important to follow these simple tips that we give you. next.
From La Tendeta del Cuero we are going to help you so that this does not happen to you and we are going to explain how you can properly store your skins.
How can you correctly store natural calves?
Sometimes, due to ignorance or haste, we leave our skins where they shouldn't or store them in any way, and over time they can get damaged.
Following these small guidelines, your skins will remain on your shelves as the first day:
1.- Rolled up:
The first and very important step is the winding. You must roll the natural calves correctly and for us, the best way to do it is with the hair on the outside, that is, the good part of the skin should always go on the inside.
Some recommend doing it the other way around, that is, with the good part out, so that the skin does not crack. In our opinion, it is not the best way since the good part of the leather is exposed to blows, scratches, dyes from other leathers that are together, etc... And unless the leather is of poor quality, it should not crack.
Roll up each skin one by one, without putting weight on it and making sure that there are no folds or marks as we roll them up.
Store on a shelf and place the skin horizontally, never vertically. If we place it in a vertical position over time it will take on a curved shape.
2.- Storage:
Once well rolled, always keep the skin protected from light or clarity. This type of skin is very sensitive to light, whether from the sun or light sources, over time it will change color, darkening its tone.
With a simple cloth, opaque paper or plastic completely covering the cowhide, it will remain as new.
Of course it is also important to remember that you have to protect them from moisture. A high degree of humidity can cause fungus or stains to appear on the leather. The ideal is a dry and dark place.
3.- Review:
And finally, it would be recommendable that from time to time we could unroll and stretch them to check that they are correct. In this way we can see if any skin is darkening or has any spots and take the appropriate measures in time before the disease worsens.
Natural cowhide, the best leather for handicrafts
We hope this article has been helpful to you and I am sure that from now on you will know how to correctly store your natural calves and keep them as they were on the first day.
If you want to discover more about natural cowhide, how the hides are tanned or the difference between vegetable or chrome tanning, you cannot miss this post, where we explain the entire leather tanning process in detail.
See article How is leather tanned? Differences between vegetable tanning and chrome tanning
Be sure to read all the articles we have on our blog, as they are very interesting and will surely help you with any questions you may have about skins, tools, and accessories.
Any questions you know where to find us, we will be happy to assist you.
Until next time, greetings!