Miniatures

Miniature wet blue leather splitting machine

Miniature leather splitting machine wet blue industrial machine for tannery

This miniature wet blue leather splitting machine for the tannery is the reproduction of a wet leather splitting machine. That is to say that tanned leather, usually with chrome, takes on a blue colour. After pressing to remove most of the water, the leather still remains humid. In tanning jargon it is called “wet-blue leather”. In this processing phase the leather is cut into two parts of the desired thickness, obtaining the crust, i.e. the part where it was attached to the flesh, and the grain of the leather, i.e. the external part of the leather used to make bags and shoes.

After the “splitting” sectioning, the hides are placed again in a drum for retanning and coloring. The miniature reproduced is a new generation splitter currently in use in tanning processes. The machine has a razor-sharp band blade that is constantly sharpened as it slides between the two rollers. The blade slides horizontally at the center of the two rollers calibrated to the desired thickness of the leather. The leather, passing between the two cylinders, is cut into two parts and placed on two pallets, one for the grain leather and the other for the split.

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Project
I chose this splitting machine model as it is one of the models currently in use. The model is dynamic, some functions are mechanized with 6Volt battery-powered motors. Thanks to the owner of the company who works with this machine, I was able to take photos and videos and have explanations of the machine and how it works. I completed the miniature with the accessories that usually make up the working environment, including the characters that are used to operate this machinery. To get an idea of this machinery as it appears in person here is the link to the manufacturer's website: Alpespak (When you are on the website click on the "wet blue" tab to see the original original model.) This miniature is mechanized, it lights up general picture, the blade belt that cuts the hides runs on the pulleys, the real stone blade sharpener, and the conveyor belt that comes out behind the machine.
Materials
In building this miniature I used wooden strips, aluminum bars, plastic and expanded PVC sheets. Other material such as batteries, light bulbs, iron sheets to make the blade and other minor material. The production time for this miniature was about a month and a half. The leather you see in the photo is real leather colored with a wetblue wet look.