Too much work!
It’s been a while…
I’ve not posted for some time due to work keeping me way too busy. However, with two big projects finished in September I’m going to have a bit more time and energy so expect more posts soon.
In the meantime I have done some model making and photography to keep me amused although slacking on cafes and heritage a bit.
In full colour
I’ve used Camera+ on my iPhone quite a bit lately. Each release has improved stability and new features enhance it. Or perhaps I just find them useful! At the moment it’s my preferred app for colour photos and my set on Flickr is growing.
Double rainbow and magpie taken with Camera+
And now in marvelous mono
Black and white photography is a long time favourite with me. My regular photo magazine is Black+White Photography and full of inspiration including iPhone photography. I read about the Hueless app there and I use it most weeks, as my Flickr album shows. Additional controls and enhancements get added in the updates. It’s well worth a try if you like mono.
Sunny seascape, Salcombe Regis taken with Hueless
The last tannery in Devon
Living heritage
Tanneries were once widespread, producing leather goods for local use and trade. In these days of mass production demand for traditional oak tanned leather has reduced meaning therre are few tanneries left.
J & FJ Baker in Colyton, East Devon is one such surviving tannery. Tanning has gone on at this site back to the middle ages, and there is a wonderfully organic collection of buildings of various periods and styles there. I was lucky enough to have a look round in the company of Paul Glendell who has an exhibition of his tannery photographs at RAMM where I work. My colleague Tom organised our outing and Ian came along too.
Washing and sorting room
First impressions
It’s bigger than I expected and a mix of old and new. Specific areas of the site are dedicated to different parts of the process. The process takes the raw hairy hides through dyeing to finishing and ready for making into shoes, saddlery and other goods.
The smell is noticeable but not overpowering by any means. The Exe estuary at low tide on a summer’s day is more pungent according to my nose!
Hanging hides
Time is the thing
Like many traditional processes oak tanning is a slow one. From creating the tanning liquor from dried oak bark to soaking the hides in different vats of liquor it all takes time which adds quality and cost of course.
Is it a timeless process though? Yes and no in my view. It is strongly traditional in its techniques but modern machinery is used to make production easier. Not tradition for tradition’s sake then but living heritage in the core of the process being dyeing hides with oak bark liquors in vats.
Ancient and modern
One of the pleasures of our tour was seeing machinery from different times. There were wooden and metal dyeing drums to enjoy. Sadly I did not get a photo of the wooden water wheel that is still in use as it is enclosed.
Wooden dyeing drum
At the modern end of things were two flattening machines. Once a 19th Century model from Merseyside and another very recent one from Italy where they is still a large leather industry.
Rolling machine made in Bootle
Want to see more?
Pop along to Paul’s exhibition while it is on in Exeter over Spring 2013.
My own photos are on Flickr as usual
Atlas Leather Conditioner
