ironing
The process of smoothing the grain surface of
finished leather. Ironing customarily follows BOARDING (1) , and,
although the grain is again made smooth by the
ironing, the pattern produced by the boarding
remains. The ironing makes the boarded leather
softer and more flexible. It may be done by hand
(much in the same manner as clothes are ironed),
or, more commonly today in rotary ironing
machines, in which the leather is passed over a
polished, heated steel cylinder, which is
thermostatically controlled at a pre-set
temperature. The fine effect of ironing seemingly
cannot be obtained by other processes, such as
smooth-plating. (363 )
![[CoOL]](/icons/sm_cool.gif){kind=icon}