Booklet 7.

08

Global Action Programme on Education for All

Youth Project

Leather
Learning and Working
Motivating for Skills Development:
A Campaign Package
Version February 2006

1 Campaign Package Overview

2 Campaign Flyer
3 Information for Stakeholders
4 Guide to being a Successful Facilitator
5 Activity Check List
6 Videos ‘Learning and Working’
7 Booklets for each of the Videos
8 CD-ROM with print files of above documents
Page 1 Leather Page 1

Booklet 7.08 - LEATHER

This booklet complements the video clip on “Leather” on DVD 2. It gives a short summary of the content of
the video and contains illustrations followed by technical texts, which will make it easier to understand
and recall the activities shown in the video. The booklet can be copied and handed out to participants, so
that they can make notes on them or use them as a reference for later.

A transcript of the soundtrack of the video is included at the back of the booklet. Whenever the locally
spoken language is different from the language used in the video, the facilitator may wish to use this text
transcript as a basis for comments and explanations in the local language.

Comment and Observations

The video shows very specialised trades which require skills that are not easily learned. The facilitator
should be able to provide information on where to obtain further training on the processing of leather. The
facilitator has to attach importance to occupational health and safety topics.

Occupational Health and Safety

The process of tanning, especially mineral tanning, can be harmful to both the worker and the
environment, if not carried out safely and correctly. The worker should wear protective clothing, protective
gloves and shoes as well as a respirator to avoid breathing in dust and spray mists.
The facilitator should point out that the working environment shown in the video, where the workers can
be seen to work with bare hands, is not acceptable.

Video LEATHER: Summary

Animal hides can be turned into leather. The video shows the processes by which this is achieved and also
demonstrates the use of leather in producing shoes, sandals and leather masks. The work is usually done by
men and requires tools to cut leather. It should be noted that the activities shown presuppose good
understanding and knowledge of the work as well as good skills in working with leather.
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Video LEATHER: Technical Information

Some General Points about Leather The tree barks contain a chemical matter called
Since the beginning of times, human beings have tannin. The leather, preliminarily soaked into water
used leather to make clothes. In the course of the and lime, has to stay up to three weeks in this
millenniums we have learned to make other infusion. After that, it is rinsed in clean water and
products with leather, for example, containers to let to dry. This way, sturdy and very water resistant
transport water or wine, boats, tents and objects of leather is obtained.
art. One usually uses the skin of cows, sheep, pigs,
horses, goats or games. Leather is a beautiful Mineral tanning was practised by the Chinese 2000
material and very resistant. years ago. Since the 19th century, the modern age,
salts of chromium, aluminium or zirconium have
If you want to work with leather, you require a been used. With these products, you can reduce the
good knowledge of the work, imagination, patience rinsing time by few days, but you will obtain
and also preciseness. leather that is particularly soft and supple.

It is advisable to learn the profession from a Cutting the leather

craftsman, who is also able to teach you the art of It’s quite difficult to cut a precise line into the
shoe making. leather. Therefore, it’s always advisable to use a
pattern or a ruler. You can achieve round forms or
The tanning straight lines by pressing regularly on the knife.
Leather is made of animal skins that are preserved
through a chemical treatment called tanning. Getting the leather thinner
Tanning prevents the skins from decomposing, Before sewing cut pieces of leather together, for
drying out or rotting when they get in contact with example to make shoes, you have to make the sides
water. thinner so that the sewn parts have the same
thickness as the rest.
In the ancient times, tanning with fat was usual,
but today, people focus on two kinds of tanning: To do this, you have to use a knife, held diagonally,
vegetable tanning and mineral tanning. to make the borders of the inside of the leather, the
flesh side, thinner.
In both processes of tanning, the skins have to
undergo a preliminary treatment, in which all hair Leather shoes
is taken off the outer surface, and all the connec- All of these work steps are also necessary for
tive and muscular tissues taken off the inner part. making shoes. You need supple, tanned leather.
With the help of a pattern you cut out the pieces
Vegetable tanning has been in use since 3000 years for the shoes, the two lateral parts and the
before Christ. In Egypt, until the 19th century, it buttress. Then, make the sides of the pieces thinner
was considered the most important process of before you assembly them. Put glue on the thin
tanning. sides and let them dry for a short time. Then, the
thin sides can be curved and slightly hammered.
In this process, you use a mixture based on water The sides are sturdy enough to be sewn together.
and grounded barks (barks of oaks, chestnut trees
or fir trees in Europe or barks of mango trees in
Haiti).
Page 15 Leather Page 15

Folding and modelling leather draw the planned seam, which should be around
You can fold or model any leather to form waves, 3 to 5 cm from the side. Then, make the holes with
for example. You can also cut them into strips and the point of a pair of compasses, a nail or an awl.
turn them to spirals; for that, you first have to
slightly moisten the exterior side. You will fold it A special sewing needle for leather exists: it is very
inside. Once folded to the desired form, let the pointed. This needle allows sewing thin leather
work dry. This way, the leather will get hard and without preliminary piercing. The thread should be
maintain its form. as thick as the needle. It is advisable to wax the
thread so that it is more slippery. Moreover, you get
Punching leather more resistant seams. As you can see in the first
You make holes for shoelaces or belts either with a part of this journal, many stitches exist which allow
nail or with a pair of professional pliers. This one to sew the leather in an accurate way.
punching tool, specifically used to work with
leather, has a wheel that has tubes of different Care of the leather
diameters. These tubes make holes in the leather. It is advisable to wax the finished product so that it
stays supple, waterproof and shiny. Use animal fat
Sewing the leather or tallow.
To sew the leather you can use a machine. But you
can also do it manually. For that, you first have to
Page 16 Leather Page 16

Video LEATHER: Text of Soundtrack

Shoes, handbags, sandals, and craftwork are some The edges are glued and then folded and
of the high quality leather products made in Haiti. hammered. Pierre uses a special split headed
Leather is made from animal hides. These fresh hammer, which is also good for pulling out nails.
hides will soon begin to rot if they are not tanned He is particularly careful when doing the edges.
with plants or minerals that turn them into long
lasting leather. Properly trimmed, the different pieces of the shoe
are assembled with a sewing machine.
First, fresh hides are dipped in a lime bath.
The seams are trimmed and hammered to the same
Then they are rinsed with fresh water. thickness as the rest of the leather.

Now any hair or fat can be scraped off, leaving the The heal seam is hidden under the stiffener. First,
hides perfectly clean. The most practical tool for the stiffener is glued, and then sewn. This makes it
this job is a rounded iron scraper. Jose uses his twice as strong and secure.
skilfully on both sides of the hide – skin side and
flesh side. Tannin, or chrome salt, is used to make The essence of the shoemaker’s art is in assembling
particularly strong and supple leather. This tanning the parts of the shoe as precisely as possible. This
process takes only a few hours. process determines the quality of the finished
product.
In Haiti, plant tanning is done with mango tree
bark. This bark contains a chemical, which acts as a It all goes so quickly. In a flash, the sides and the
tanning agent. The bark is boiled to produce an uppers are all one piece. Now, the holes for the
extract in which the hides are soaked for several laces can be marked, and punched out. Pierre uses
days. special pliers that can make different sized holes in
leather.
Chrome tanned leather usually needs to be dyed.
On the other hand, strong sturdy vegetable tanned The top of the shoe is finished. Now it is Pericles’s
leather is generally sold in its naturally warm turn; wooden shoe forms are his main tool. They
coppery brown colour. It is used for saddles, chairs, come in all different sizes. He uses them for cutting
suitcases and craftwork. out and making the soles.

Pericles and Pierre create fine leather shoes in their He also needs them to stretch the tops before
workshop. Everything is made by hand. tacking them down temporarily.

The sole, the uppers, the sides, the stiffener, and These pliers can punch and stretch leather, and
the tongue are all in supple black leather. Pierre hammer in nails. They mean that the shoemaker
cuts out a crescent shaped upper. can work without having to change tools all the
time.
He does it in a single movement. He uses a pairing
knife and a pattern. He has the necessary concen- The last step is cutting out and making the rubber
tration and skill to do all the different parts of the sole.
shoe in this way, one after the other.
The rubber sole is glued and hammered on.
Then the edges are trimmed on the suede or rough
side so that it will not be too thick to assemble. The wooden form is removed, and the shoe, a good
quality shoe, is now finished.
Page 17 Leather Page 17

In Haiti, many shoemakers have no workshops. They Using a soft cement paste, he designs faces that go
apply their trade making and repairing shoes in the on to give the leather masks their expressions.
streets.
Then he dries them. Once they are dry, he smoothes
Mario makes sandals in his mobile shoe shop. He them down and gives some finishing touches
cuts out and creates everything he needs right here before selling them to Eddie and Bartholdi’s
in the street. Of course, he also uses traditional leather-crafts workshop. Here, the cement face is
shoemakers’ tools. covered with a damp sheet of leather, which in turn
becomes a face, too.
Once the different pieces are made, they must be
sewn. For that, he goes to Pierre’s workshop. He The cement shape has pressed its features into the
pays for the privilege, of course, but it means he brown vegetable-tanned leather.
does not have to buy his own sewing machine.
Then, using the simplest tools, Bartholdi and his
Then Mario can finish putting the sandal together. friends define the features by carving them
First, he glues on a layer of soft foam. carefully into the leather.

Then, the leather top is stretched over the wooden The slightly damp leather is infinitely malleable. It
form. can be made into any imaginable shape.

And finally, the rubber sole is glued on. These crafts Once dried in the sun, it is as hard as stone.
are appreciated around the world, and in Haiti, too!
The artists make some finishing touches.
Just outside Porte-au-Prince, in Carrefour, there is
another kind of leatherwork. The leather is now a face – a mask with many
admirers, not only in Haiti, but in many places
A group of young artists makes masks – leather around the world.
masks. Their main tool is a cement mould from
their neighbour. Jean-Robert Louis works at home.
Further Notes
Further Notes
Further Notes
The Campaign Package
This Campaign Package has been developed and provided by the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre for Technical and
Vocational Education and Training, Bonn, Germany. Its purpose is to facilitate the organisation of campaigns for mobilisation and
motivation of young people, and for providing them with vocational orientation and guidance. The focus is on marginalised youth
in the informal sector of least developed countries.
The package consists of eight components.
The current pilot version is being provided in English only. It will be evaluated in the field. Depending on the feedback that
UNESCO-UNEVOC will receive, the package will be developed further.
The activities presented in this Campaign Package are not a guarantee of monetary success. The content is based on research,
examples and advice from experts. Every attempt was made to ensure accuracy, and neither the authors nor the UNESCO-
UNEVOC International Centre can be held responsible for incorrect information or changing circumstances.

UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centre Authors:

Hermann-Ehlers-Str. 10 Yael Eichner, Astrid Hollander, Sharon Kirabo-Steffens, Hans Krönner
53113 Bonn
Digitalisation of booklets:
Germany
Ian Ponce, Jordan Wolfe
unevoc@unesco.org
www.unesco.org/unevoc ISBN 978-92-95071-21-6 (online)
www.unevoc.unesco.org/learning+working © UNESCO 2006

Booklets accompanying the Video Series “Learning and Working”

The video series was filmed in Haiti. We would like to Coordination: Martina and Jean-Claude Ramigé
express our special gratitude to the people of Haiti. Text: Martina Ramigé, UNESCO
Paintings: Edouard Michelet
Graphics: Stefan Nowak, Martin Warnke
Layout: Yael Eichner, Till Heeg, Astrid Hollander,
Ramigé Film Production