National Clothesline

here are other natural conditions that can be found on the skins used to make suede and leather garments in addition to the scars and belly wrinkles described last month. Two other natural conditions are vein marks and weak thin skins.

Vein marks

Vein marks are commonly found in split cowhide suede. Cowhide skins are thick and must be split to make them thinner and lighter in weight so that they will be pliable enough for people to wear comfortably.

The cowhide skin contains veins and arteries which nourish the skin while the cow and its skin are still alive. Once the skin is removed and tanned, there is no longer any need for the veins and arteries, but they are there. When the skin is split, these blood vessels will also be split and exposed to view. They form a pattern that looks just like the blood vessels we see through our own skin — a lot of little blood vessels running into larger blood vessels which run into even larger blood vessels.

These vein marks should be pointed out to the customer at the time the garment is accepted for cleaning. The customer should be told what the vein marks are and how they got into the skin.

Then a customer release should be obtained to document that the customer understands what the vein marks are and that they will not go away when the item is cleaned. This release should be obtained before the customer leaves the store. This will again avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary claims after the item is cleaned.

Weak thin skins

Weak and thin skins are yet another skin condition to check for. Weak and thin skins usually come from the belly and flank areas of the animal. The best skins generally are obtained from the back and side areas of the animal. Weak skins are usually characterized by a longer, more ragged looking nap, and are thinner and less substantial looking skins that lack dimensional stability. These skins can vary in weight, nap and texture from one area to another on the same piece of skin.

Look for skins and skin areas that are chafed, rough looking and have an elongated nap. Some skins will also have small holes, which, if they are pulled in opposite directions with the fingers, may tear into larger holes.

This condition should be called to the customer’s attention at the counter when the garment is first brought in for cleaning. These areas may not be readily noticeable to the owner of the garment before cleaning because soil and oily deposits on the surface of the skin mat down the nap, disguising the weak skin condition.

However, after cleaning, these weak, thin areas will be readily apparent and small holes will become large tears‚ or the whole panel may disintegrate during cleaning.

The customer must be made aware of these weak and thin skins before they are cleaned and show up as problems and possible claims. The weak thin skins should be pointed out to the customer at the time the garment is accepted for cleaning. The customer should be told what the weak thin skins are and how they got that way. Then a customer release should be obtained to document that the customer understands that the garment contains weak thin skins and that they may become more pronounced, and even disintegrate, when the item is cleaned. This release should be obtained before the customer leaves the store. This will again avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary claims after the item is cleaned.

Frank Lucenta is president of Royaltone Co., Inc., a firm that manufacturers the products he developed to make it possible for any cleaner to safely AND profitably dryclean, wetclean and finish any suede, leather, fur and trimmed cloth garment. He also wrote related instruction books that document the process, entitled “Handling Leather and Suede” and “Cleaning and Finishing Leather and Suede.” He also teaches small groups of plant owners and managers how to identify, accept, spot, dryclean and wetclean, press and recolor suedes, leathers, and furs using his Royaltone procedures and products. The next Royaltone Leather training sessions are scheduled for Feb 6-7 and April 3-4 at the Royaltone Suedemate Leather Cleaning Center in Tulsa, OK. For more information on training sessions or on spotting charts in either English or Korean, call (800) 331-5506, (918) 622-6677, fax (918) 665-6017, or e-mail frank@royaltone.com. Information is also available on the Royaltone web site, www.royaltone.com.