Van Plew Hermann Oak Tannery Tour Video

YouTube video by Van Plew Co. showing a tour of Hermann Oak

Notes

• challenge
  • one hide into ten products with a hundred chemicals and a thousand steps
  • known and unknown interactions
• hides
  • from beef packing facilities in the US
  • salt cured against bacteria
• beamhouse
  • remove salt cure
  • unhairing paddles
  • chemically dissolve hair
  • split down the backbone here
  • add lime to open up to make room for tanning materials
  • remove hair and excess flesh
  • trim
  • scudding machine removes hair roots
  • fleshing machine remove flesh
  • 4:18 trim table
• 5:23 pits
  • up to 8 weeks
  • gentle mechanical rocking
  • two hooks into each hide
  • overhead crane
  • re-fleshing machine removes flesh from skirting
  • straps on hooks are made of leather
• drums
  • wash out excess tannins
  • introduce oils
  • aniline dyes for drum-dyed
• drying
  • wringing machine
  • setting machine to smooth grain and flatten
  • drying rooms
  • toggled on perforated steel racks under tension
• finishing
  • trim and sort each side
  • three grading steps
  • check thickness with trigger gauge
  • 14:03 second grading when selected for processing
    • splitter machine
    • buffing machine for flesh side
    • colors, oils
    • 14:48 sprayer
  • final inspection prepping for shipment
  • roll in brown paper
• 17:02 stacks
• culture
  • firth generation family owned
  • Drew Gulick
  • Shep: culture from faith and Bible
  • respect, trust, support

  • OUR MISSION: SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

  • NOTHING PERSONAL: DO NOT GIVE ANYTHING OR TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

  • Golden Rule
  • quality (cake), service (icing), reasonable cost, in that order