How Cowhide Rugs Are Produced: From Start to Finish
When developing cowhide rugs, the procedure used is unknown by many. Because of this, we want to provide our viewers with a detailed step-by-step guide that showcases the magnificent processes which go into developing a cowhide. To develop a comprehensive understanding of this, we recommend you become familiar with our start-to-finish explanation below:
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Selection – The first step of developing a cowhide rug is selecting cows. Currently, more than 250 breeds of cattle withhold different hide attributes. Additionally, the rug-maker will also identify the health of the cattle. Here they can begin to visualize how “premium” their hide will be, the colours, etc. Once the hide selection is confirmed, the slaughterhouse will cut the hide during their processes and deliver the rawhide to the manufacturer.
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Fleshing – When the cowhide rug manufacturer receives the hide, it’ll be covered in unwanted membrane (such as skin and fat), which isn’t needed on the rug for hygiene reasons. Therefore, it’ll be processed through a fleshing procedure. During this, most tanners will remove all membranes with a fleshing tool. Once they’ve accomplished these processes and are happy with the result, it’ll be passed through to the tanning section.
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Tanning – Now, they undergo the tanning process. It must be treated with degreasing, desalting chemicals and water to preserve a cowhide. It completely alters the protein structure of the skin, making it less likely to decompose. While this occurs, more bacteria’s are removed, making the cowhide rug safer for the human environment.
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Stretching – After tanning, the cowhide is dried and stretched over a few days. Here manufacturers make the cowhide larger, meaning they can make more rugs. Additionally, it allows them to evaluate the quality before it develops into a final product. Depending on the hide quality, they might add oils to enhance the hide’s brightness and softness.
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Trimming – This process it’s self-explanatory. Not all cowhides are made equal. Because of this uniqueness, they must be trimmed down into high market demand sizes—for example, 3’x5′, 5’x8’, 8’x10′, 9’x12′ and 12’x15′. When the trimming process occurs, they might also have “special” or “one-off” orders to which they need to trim specific measurements.
- The final product – Before the product is released onto the market, it’ll go through the makeup and detailing process. As mentioned, not all cowhides are developed the same. Because of this, fixing natural defects is regularly an occurrence.
After reading the above, you should better understand the processes used to develop the raw material cowhide into a rug. The most significant step is making it suitable for a human environment. This means that all the natural bacteria’s need to be removed, otherwise it’ll decompose quickly, or worse, cause harmful effects to the people surrounding the rug continuously.
The cowhide rug industry is undoubtedly unique in its practices. So, now you understand the procedure of making cowhide rugs, will you be considering the investment?
