buffing
1. A very thin innermost split of a hide, usually
a cowhide, which is colored and grained to give
the appearance of the outer surface of the hide. A
buffing is created when a hide is split into three
layers. At one time it was used extensively for
linings, as well as for covering trade books. It
was never used in fine bookbinding. 2. The process
of producing a fine nap on the grain surface of
leather by means of carborundum paper or on the
flesh sides of small skins by the action of an
emery wheel. In sandpapering the grain surface of
leather, the sharp edges of the carborundum, or
other abrasive material, cut the microscopic
fibrils in the grain surface and produce a fine
nap on the surface. Many of the grain defects in a
leather do not penetrate into the leather nearly
to the depth of the grain layer, and can be
entirely removed by buffing. When a leather is
buffed to a measurable depth, as it may have to be
if the grain defect is very deep, it is said to be
buffed; when it is buffed to a lesser depth, it is
said to be snuffed. When a leather is buffed so
lightly as not to impair the grain pattern, the
leather is said to have a CORRECTED GRAIN . 3.
The process of polishing the leather covers of a
book with a soft fabric wheel. (264 , 278 , 325 , 358 , 363 )
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