stripping
1. The process of removing dirt, grease, or uneven
tan deposition from the grain of a newly tanned
leather by drumming the skins in a solution of
warm water (40° C.) and a small amount of
milk alkali, e.g., 1 by weight of the stock of
soda ash, borax, or sodium bicarbonate. Too
vigorous or prolonged stripping is to be avoided
as it can seriously de-tan the leather. If heavy
stripping is carried out, or if the original
tannage was not satisfactory for the leather
required, it is possible to retan the skins at
this stage. 2 A term used mainly in library
binding to indicate GUARDING . (306 )
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