ORDER XI.—WORKERS IN SKINS AND LEATHER AND MAKERS Of LEATHER OR LEATHER SUBSTITUTE GOODS (NOT BOOTS OR SHOES)

Sub-order 2.—Makers of Leather and Leather Substitute Goods (not Boots and Shoes)

348.—Other Skilled Workers

Back to List of Occupational Codes

army accoutrement maker

general term for makers of leather accoutrements, including leather requirements for horses and guns, as well as for men; sometimes specifically designated, e.g., scabbard maker.

bandolier maker

an army accoutrement maker (q.v.) specialising in cutting and stitching leather for bandoliers; work usually sectionalised, in which case man cuts and woman stitches.

boot lace maker (leather)

cuts leather laces by hand with a knife or by machine plough and gauge, or by holding knife stationary on circular piece of leather with one hand, turning leather round with the other, cutting a spiral strip.

boxing glove maker

cuts leather and/or canvas roughly to shape with a knife by hand; pulls with pincers to make supple and even; then cuts to exact shape with knife and templates; passes to sewer (q.v.); then stuffs by hand and returns to sewer for closing.

boxing glove sewer, boxing glove stitcher

stitches together, by hand or machine, pieces of leather or canvas, cut out by boxing glove maker (q.v.); returns glove to maker for stuffing; afterwards closes it by final sewing.

closer

see sewer.

compressed leather maker ; leather sheet maker

mixes leather shavings, by hand, with glue; places mixture in heated moulds in hydraulic press; moves lever, causing press to compress mixture, which becomes after specified period of pressure, sheets of compressed leather; removes sheets from press.

diaphragm maker (gas meters), leather diaphragm maker ; gas meter bellows maker, leather tyer

selects die cutters of required size and patterns; inserts leather in press under cutter, moves handle, causing cutter to stamp out leather diaphragms for gas meters, etc.; changes dies as required.

dog collar maker

a strap maker (q.v.) who specialises in making leather dog collars.

fancy leather goods maker, fancy leather goods worker, fancy leather worker

general terms for any worker engaged in any process of fancy leather goods making, e.g., cutting, preparing, stitching or lining purses, pocket books, hand-bags, cigar cases; sometimes specifically designated, e.g., ladies' hand-bag maker, leather pouch maker, leather purse maker.

finisher

adds various small fittings to bags and other leather goods; gives final polish with solution of bees' wax and turpentine; cf. finisher (345) and polisher (349).

finisher (whip)

assembles whip fittings, mounts, etc.; affixes thong with waxed thread; performs other necessary operations varying with type of whip; varnishes.

football examiner

examines footballs before and after they have been inflated, to see that all sections are of good shape and stitched together; rejects defective covers.

football finisher

flattens seams with a hammer, after they have been machine stitched by football stitcher or sewer (q.v.); cuts holes for laces with hand punch and inserts bladder.

football maker

roughs out leather, by hand, with knife, or power clicking press; stretches with pincers and cuts to required shape by pattern; or gets together sections in readiness for football stitcher or sewer (q.v.).

football sewer, football stitcher

stitches together, by hand, sections of football case on inside with waxed hemp; stitches round opening by hand or machine.

football sorter

sorts cases or outside covers of footballs, after manufacture, according to size and quality.

gaiters maker

cuts out leather and/or cloth by hand with knife, or by placing leather on bed plate of power-driven cutting machine, moving lever and causing cutter to cut leather to required shape; stitches parts of gaiters together, by hand or power-driven sewing machine; sews on buttons and works button holes by hand.

gas meter bellows maker

see diaphragm maker.

holdall maker

cuts leather and canvas by hand with knife, using patterns; directs machinists in sewing; finishes and adds fittings.

hose maker, leather hose maker

makes leather hosepipes, bending oiled leather sheets into tubular form, riveting overlapping edges; joins tubular sections by riveting.

lace and rope maker

cuts narrow strips from raw or cured hides, by hand with knife, using small gauge, to make boot laces, ropes, i.e., laces for engine belting, cut from tough hides.

leather belt maker

cuts belts by hand; prepares them by pricking with hand-pricking tool and mallet, or by passing into pricking machine; inserts eyelets, by hand or by passing belt into eyeletting machine; ornaments with lines, using heated creasing iron; stitches by hand or machine; finishes by hand dyeing and polishing; work often done by saddle or bridle maker (344) (q.v.).

leather brace maker

(i) cuts out by hand or by cutting machine; pricks holes and inserts eyelets, by hand or machine; and stitches by hand or machine;

(ii) in the case of webbing braces, attaches leather parts.

leather bucket maker

makes leather buckets by cutting out leather by hand, using knife, template and cutting board; stitches and rivets by hand or by stitching and riveting machines.

leather buffer maker

see picker maker.

leather leggings maker

(i) makes leather leggings throughout, i.e., cuts out, or rounds and trims leather by hand, using hand knife and patterns; blocks leather by wetting and shaping by hand on a wooden block; stitches by hand or machine; creases or indents with heated creasing iron; attaches fittings by hand; polishes edge with bone hand tool and pad;

(ii) where work is sectionalised, performs one or more of above operations.

leather machinist

general term for expert in using hand or mechanically-driven machine for stitching one piece of leather to another.

leather pouch liner

stitches by hand or machine into pouches, lining of sheet rubber, silk, etc.

leather sheet maker

see compressed leather maker.

leather tyer

see diaphragm maker.

leather worker (artificial limbs)

cuts leather and webbing with hand knife, and fits it on plaster or other mould; blocks leather, wetting and shaping it by hand over plaster or metal mould; stitches leather and webbing by hand or machine; indents lines in straps with heated creasing iron; finishes work with hand tools.

leather worker (leather goods)

general term for any worker, usually machinist, engaged in the making of purses, bags and other leather goods.

leather worker, orthopaedic

cuts out, stitches and fashions leather parts of leg irons, leg supports and other similar appliances.

machinist, sewing machinist

uses treadle or power machine to stitch leather goods and linings, usually under direction of cutter or maker.

photo frame maker

a fancy leather worker (q.v.) engaged in covering photograph frames with leather, by hand.

picker maker, picker and buffer maker ; leather buffer maker

cuts by hand with a knife leather or raw hide, blocks or moulds it to shape in hand manipulated hydraulic press, to make picker (part of loom which throws shuttle across warp through shed); sometimes specifically designated, e.g., buffalo picker maker.

plaiter and finisher (whip)

see thong maker.

preparer

(i) selects leather according to grain and colour; indicates lines, along which stitching is to be done, by scribing with hand scriber or pricking holes by hand punch or machine pricker; skives edges of leather, to fit well together, holding them against power-driven rotary knife of skiving machine;

(ii) applies staining composition to edges by hand with pad; tothers, i.e., smooths edges by hand, with trimming knife or by holding against revolving power-driven emery or grinding wheel; sometimes also polishes with wax composition, by hand.

pricker

pricks or perforates, leather goods to mark out lines, along which stitching has to be done, either by hand with pricking punch or by guiding leather over bed of power-driven machine fitted with revolving pricking tool; sometimes also does other work of preparer (q.v.)

repairer

repairs any class of leather goods.

riveter

operates rivetting machine to fasten army accoutrements, belts, etc.

roller coverer, leather roller coverer, roller coverer and clearer

cuts out leather and cloth by hand with knife, for covering rollers of textile machine; pierces holes in leather at ends with awl; spreads leather or cloth over rollers; threads laces through holes, draws taut and fastens or -ties them.

sailors' palm maker

cuts out leather, by hand knife, portion of sailor's palm used by sail-makers to protect palm while sewing and sews on buckle and metal palm piece by machine.

scabbard maker

an army accoutrement maker (q.v.) specialising in cutting leather and stitching covers for scabbards.

sewer, hand sewer ; closer, stitcher, welter

sews or stitches leather or leather goods, light or heavy, by hand.

stitcher

see sewer.

strap maker

cuts out leather to gauge by hand with knife or by machine, prepares, i.e., cuts ends by hand to shape, for buckle and loop; sews them by hand; punches holes in strap with hammer and punch or in punching machine; veins or lines edges with hot creasing iron; polishes edges with glass paper and polishing composition.

strop maker

a worker engaged in one or more of the following operations found in making of razor strops; e.g., cutting-out leather, by hand, with knife or cutting machine; preparing, i.e. cutting ends to shape, cutting and waxing backs, stitching backs to handles by hand or machine.

thong maker, whip thong maker ; plaiter and finisher (whip)

cuts leather by hand, plaits over whalebone, to make thong of whip; rolls thong by hand in chalk for whitening.

tool roll maker

cuts, prepares and stitches together leather to form a tool roll or case for holding tools, such as bits, etc.

welter

see sewer.

whip handle coverer

(i) cuts leather to size, by hand, with knife; damps or wets leather to soften it; fits it to handle; sews seams by hand or machine;

(ii) plaits leather strands on to handle to form cover.

whip handle stitcher

(cheaper goods) cuts strips of leather by hand with knife for handle and seams on sewing machine; slips leather strips over stock and glues into position.

Back to List of Occupational Codes

---

From: A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921,
Ministry of Labour, 1927. Digitised by Peter Christian, August, 2016.   This text is in the Public Domain.