staking
The process whereby the fibers of a leather are
separated to a degree, thus softening the leather
and improving its feel and handle. The process
involves flexing the skin, either by hand or
machine. Staking by hand is done by pulling the
skin in all directions across a blunt blade fixed
in a stake. The staking machine consists of a
table that is divided into two parts with an
opening of about 10 inches between them. The
machine is equipped with two jaws, one above and
one below the table. The upper jaw has a rubber
roll at its end, while the lower jaw has a bladed
opening into which the roll of the upper jaw may
sink. The operator slides a portion of the skin
between the jaws, which then come together and
pull back. As they do so, they force the leather
to flex sharply over the blades of the lower jaw
and around the roll of the upper jaw. The operator
holds the skin in place against the backward
movement of the jaws and shifts the position of
the skin after each motion of the jaws. There are
also machines with automatic clamps that hold the
skin when the jaws are staking it. Instead of a
roll in the upper jaw, some machines have a smooth
blade which forces the skin into a slot; both
blade and slot pull backward with the skin between
them, flexing it sharply along their path. (306 , 363 )
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