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Buffalo Leather History

Handmade Leather Bags

A tanned buffalo hide from a domestic buffalo is what is known as "buffalo leather" or "Buffalo calf skin" Also known as English Saddle Leather or saddle leather. Since being domesticated over 60 centuries ago, all over Asia, the buffalos have been mostly used in countries all around the world but mostly in Asia as working-class animals, while hides are tanned to make an incredible lasting hardy material called leather usually as a calf or end of working life from a mature adult. Just like our collection of handmade bags the process is the same today. Our collection of wallets is a little different in that they are made of goat skin.

Leather bag enthusiasts and seasoned leather artisans all prefer buffalo leather because it has a grain that is more preferred than cowhide leather. Buffaloes have always been in more demand than your domestic cow, for example, the milk produced by Buffalo is a lot more than that produced by cows believe it or not. The few statements below will give you a little info about Buffalo leather. Enjoy.

The most common treatment method known as vegetable tanning is used to treat the majority of all buffalo leather. This popular technique uses natural plant-based materials, like leaves, oils, and tree bark. Buffalo leather is broken down into several different categories- Genuine buffalo leather, Italian buffalo leather, buffalo embossed leather, water buffalo leather, top grain Pull-up Buffalo Leather, Full Grain Buffalo Leather, Buffalo Mix Leather, and water buffalo leather. It falls under many color and texture categories.

When a buffalo's working life is over, its hides are tanned to make buffalo leather. Chrome and vegetable tanning are the two methods used. Chrome is more of a chemical treatment to leather but the best method is known as vegetable tanning which is used to treat most types of buffalo leather.

Types of Buffalo Leather
The term buffalo leather refers to different types of materials. Here are two of the most popular.

• Genuine leather Buffalo skin
The top layer of the American buffalo skin is used to create a premium full-grain leather product. The buffalo hides' best and most natural qualities are usually always found on the top layer. With this, the full-grain buffalo leather has a distinctive appearance and natural attractiveness everyone desires. Full-grain leather has a very desirable smooth texture and is incredibly hardy. Bags, wallets, and boots have been made with Buffalo calfskin. It also has very strong fiber that stops animal hairs, dust, and lint from penetrating the skin and is easy to clean.

It is recommended to clean with a soapy cloth and water gently rubbing circles around areas. On a yearly or every other year conditioning, it also starts acquiring an astounding patina that beautifies over time several times over. The patina can take 2-3 years to develop, but the end results are amazing.

• Top-Grain Buffalo Leather
The top layer of an American buffalo hide is used to create this type of leather, which is the second best in quality. It is also significant to notice that top-grain leather is almost always sanded to remove any possible flaws that could be.
Another point is that top-grain buffalo leathers have the same natural cowhide attributes as full-grain Buffalo leather, giving it a truly distinctive look, quite thick as well, and highly durable.