A General Look At Some Of The Materials Used To Make Personalized Leather Bracelets

By Mallory Goodwin


The Industrial Revolution was characterized by an increasing use of machinery to produce goods, as opposed to production based on a mishmash of small cottage businesses. Items were standardized to make mass production possible, which in turn made things cheap to produce. Personalized leather bracelets are part of a trend that is a throwback to the days when small businesses dominated the scene.

This drive for customized items is being driven by consumers who want things that reflect their uniqueness. They provide a way to stand out. Such demands have presented special challenges to manufacturers and suppliers, but they have responded with aplomb. These goods allow them to do what many businesses have sought with limited success throughout history; the ability to sell things at high prices without losing customer loyalty.

Cattle, sheep, goat and pig skins are popular materials for making unique wristbands. The hide, of course, cannot be used in its raw form; it has to be worked to produce usable material. The results vary depending on the section used, and any extra treatments and coatings applied. Aniline is one product of such work.

This is a high grade material which is very pliable and soft. No coatings are applied to it; the hide simply goes through the normal treatment processes. It is valued for its looks and malleability. Aniline has to be made out of the best skins possible, as it does not hide scratches and other flaws very well. It is expensive, with prices hovering at around five hundred dollars a hide.

Semi-aniline skins are not as high quality, and are the result of relatively high grade leather being coated lightly with special materials in order to enhance its looks and improve resistance to abuse. The process also imbues it with a uniform appearance, which is highly valued in some applications. The coatings also give these hides the ability to resist stains.

Pigmented hides resist abuse very well, making them highly durable. For this reason, it is used in furniture and car upholstery among other uses where resistance to daily wear and tear is important. The material is made by applying a coating of polymers which also contain pigments; its thickness can be varied depending on its final use.

The material can be covered with the polymer without making any changes to the underlying skin. However, this is not common; the coating generally contains pigments to change the color and hide any flaws. Sometimes, the hide is abraded to remove significant blemishes, and then smothered with the synthetic covering. Patterns can also be embossed on the skin in order to give a unique appearance to the finished product.

Bycast is not a hide in the true sense of the word. It is made from some of by products of tanning process, which are ground and bonded with glue under terrific pressure. The end product is then coated with a polyurethane layer to enhance its strength and durability. End users have to take great care to avoid damaging that coating, as it will weaken the entire material. These are some of the products used to make personalized leather bracelets.




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