Materials

Materials

Leather used for HideBound Jacks, tankards and goblets is British cow shoulder hide, normally 5mm thick for structural strength, hand stitched with plain linen thread.

Leather is normally worked wet to allow moulding to a shape that is permanent once it dries; this is particularly important for leather carving, the process we use to decorate our tankards, jacks and bombards. The process is called leather carving because the initial design is cut freehand into the surface with a vertical bladed swivel knife and the wet leather is moulded with various tools on either side of the cut to eventually create a 3D effect.

We then hand colour the designs using water-based leather stain which allows only one application, as in a water colour, rather than oils which can be re worked.

Alternatively, dates or initials can be engraved into the surface of the leather. The process depends upon the nature of the design and we will be pleased to discuss the correct one for you if you ring or email us.

HideBound vessels are waterproofed, or beer proofed, with brewers pitch, being the traditional method of re caulking wooden beer barrels, or lining water tanks and pipes prior to the advent of modern epoxy resins. Brewers pitch is acceptable in contact with consumable liquids when the contact is transitory, as ale and wine normally is, at least in leather tankards as used by us!!

Historically either boiled birch tree sap or bees’ wax would have been used.

A Selection of Leather Goblets

HideBound goblet bases are turned beach stained to match the leather, again using the same water-based stain as used for the carved leather decoration.

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