This section is from the book "The English And American Mechanic", by B. Frank Van Cleve. Also available from Amazon: The English And American Mechanic.
The astringent liquor is composed of water, 17 gals.; Aleppo galls, ½ lb.; Bengal cateohu, 1 ½ oz. and 5 lbs. of tormentil, or sept foil root. Powder the ingredients, and boil in the water 1 hour; when cool, put in the skins (which must be prepared by being plunged into a preparation of bran and water for 2 days previously); handle them frequently during the first 3 days, let them alone the next 3 days, then handle 3 or 4 times in one day: let them lie undisturbed for 25 days more, when the process will be complete.
The Canadians make 4 liquors in using the japonica.
The Ftrst liquor is made by dissolving, for 20 sides of upper, 15 lbs. of terra japonica in sufficient water to cover the upper being tanned. The Second liquor contains the same amount of japonica. and 8 lbs. of saltpetre also. The Third contains 20 lbs. of japonica, and 4½ lbs. of alum. The Fourth liquor contains only 15 lbs. of japonica, and 1 ½ lbs. of sulphuric acid; and the leather remains 4 days in each liquor for upper; and for sole the quantities and time are both doubled. They count 50 calf skins in place of 20 sides of upper, but let them lie in each liquor only 3 days.
Remove the legs and useless parts, soak the skin soft, and then remove the fleshy substances, and soak it in warm water one hour. Now take for each skin borax, saltpetre, and Glauber-salt, of each ½ oz. and dissolve or wet with soft water sufficient to allow it to be spread on the flesh side of the skin. Put it on with a brush, thickest in centre or the thickest part of the skin, and double the skin together, flesh side in; keeping it in a cool place for 24 hours, not allowing it to freeze. Then wash the skin clean, and take sal-soda, 1 oz.; borax, ½ oz.; refined soap, 2 oz.; melt them slowly together, being careful not to allow them to boll, and apply the mixture to the flesh side as at first. Boil up again, and keep in a warm place for 24 hours; then wash the skin clean again, as above, and have saleratus, 2 oz.; dissolved in hot rain water sufficient to well saturate the skin; then take alum, 4 oz.; salt, 8 oz.; and dissolve also in hot rain water; when sufficiently cool to allow the handling of it Without scalding, put in the skin lor 19 hours; then wring out the water, and hang up for 12 hours more to dry. Repeal this last soaking and drying two or three times, according to the desired softness of the skin when finished. Lastly, finish by pulling and working, and finally by rubbing with a piece of pumice atone and fine sand paper. This works like a charm on sheep skins, fur skins, dog, wolf, bear skins, etc.
Mix 2 pints best vinegar with 1 pt soft water; stir into it ¼ lb. glue, broken up, ½ lb. logwood chips, ¼ oz. of finely powdered indigo, ¼ oz. of the best soft soap, ¼ oz. of isinglass; put the mixture over the lire, and let it boil ten minutes or more; then strain, bottle and cork. When cold, it is lit for use. Apply with a sponge.
 
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