Is This Correct? Chrome Vs Vegetable Tanning

[Shagbark]

Chrome tan- Best for anything soft: "Bag-Style" purses, Fannypacks, Clothing, Pouches, furniture any other "soft" product.

Well, it's still a long ways from the softness of brain tanned leather.

[ChuckBurrows]

FWIW - anyone who thinks large scale or even small scale veg tanning is "natural" needs to talk tot he folks at the tanneries and found out how fun it is to deal with the EPA and having to update their tooling and methods causing many in the USA to close their doors forever.

Yes tannins are "natural" but that doesn't mean they are good for the environment especially on an industrial scale. Read the history and you will find most tanneries were situated from the public when possible due to the odor and rivers and streams were so heavily polluted that the fish were killed off. Even in a natural setting such as a cedar swamp the water can become so bad due to the tannic acids that critters, even most bugs, can't live off it - drink some and you will think you sucked in a lemon.

And FWIW - chrome tan (albeit in many countries chrome tannin is and has been being phased out by using aldehydes rather than chrome salts) can take on an awesome patina when it's full grain, pullup is just one type of chrome tan full grain that gets an awesome patina over time and is often used on very high end furniture and for high end car seats.

And while seeking out natural products is generally a good thing and admirable, but please be aware that tanning is only one part of the process, and when it comes to the butchering, dehairing, removal of flesh, etc. are common all types of tanning (veg, chrome, brain, oil, etc.) and produce thousands of pounds of industrial waste, so tanning on any level is all that "natural" when it comes to possible damage to the environment. FWIW - in over 50 years of running my own leather business and also being a small business adviser for 35 years I found the number one thing is to be honest. And as noted above their is some not so good info out there one glaring example is one of the leather waterproofing sites, which states oils are bad for leather since all oils are eliminated during the tanning process which is true, BUT oils, fats, etc. are re-introduced during the currying stage, the stage where the leather is thinned/split, top finished if need be, dyed, oiled, softened, etc.