Materials
COW LEATHER
cattle hides
European, these animals come from the food industry.
The animals are raised in
fenced pastures, free of vegetation that can cause skin tags and is
Therefore, greater uniformity is achieved as there is no wild vegetation with
which animals can be harmed.
European cattle are governed
under strict health regulations which prevents insects and ticks from
make marks on the skin. Although we will try to select the most
uniforms it may happen that small marks appear that are inherent to the
animal nature of the material.
The skin of the animal is divided
in three areas: the skirts, the neck and the buttocks. The skirts are the skins from the abdomen area of the animal, these pieces are smaller and are probably
that marks from the animal's contact with the ground appear, this part is used in leather goods to make inexpensive belts. The neck
it will always have wrinkle marks on the animal's neck that will be visible after tanning. The coupon corresponds to the part of the animal's back,
This area is the largest with fewer brands and higher quality. Jover+Valls furniture uses this part of the skin, despite everything, the skins are selected to ensure uniformity and the necessary size for each piece of furniture.
Jover+Valls skins have a minimum thickness of 3.5 mm, the thickest on the market. In the leather industry, the upper layer, called the flower of the animal, is considered the best quality due to its resistance. When the grain is finer, it allows the resulting lower layers to be marketed as split leather, therefore, generating another business for the producer. The deeper the layer
processed, the resulting split leather will have less resistance and therefore worse quality.
The tanning process of the skins used is called vegetable. Unlike the usual and more widespread tanning, vegetable tanning is free of chrome, which gives it
It gives a sustainable character with the environment.
Vegetable tanning is an artisan technique that is preserved in two areas of Spain, in France and in Italian Tuscany.
This tanning process is carried out in cylindrical wooden drums over 4 meters high, in which the skins are introduced to rotate for hours and pass through
different tanning processes.
First, the skins will be introduced to remove the salt used to preserve the skin during transport and to remove the animal's hair. In successive processes, the skin will be neutralized by mixing water with pine bark, then the skin will be dyed using natural pigments from bark seeds.
of tree, oils or waxes. Drying takes place in ventilated interiors where the skins will be hung for weeks until the skin is completely dry. By drying in shady interiors, it allows the skin to have a natural appearance and does not remain dry.
The leathers used in the Jover+Valls furniture have two grain leather skins on their front and back.
These two layers are glued one over the other with an intermediate textile gauze that provides additional anti-tear reinforcement.
The sharp edges of the skins are finished with a manual process of sanding, painting and polishing to match the color of the leather.
Skin maintenance.
Due to the influence of sunlight and the use of the chairs, the skin will change its appearance and even
color, the incidence of direct sunlight will darken the appearance of the leather.
At Jover+Valls we think that these changes will enrich the furniture over time.
If you want your leather to stay soft and have a longer life and greater resistance to stains, we recommend that you apply leather grease twice a year. Leather grease contains beeswax which makes leather better stain and water repellent. If you are going to use a product, make sure that it does not contain solvents and
silicone that could damage the skin.
Untreated leather is particularly susceptible to getting dirty or scratched. To clean the leather, use a cotton cloth or other soft material moistened with a solution containing 3% neutral detergent for wool in cold water. Subsequently
Dampen a clean cloth with cold water and wring it out well and try to remove all the detergent.
If the client decides to change
damaged leather or by preference of another color, you can always buy the
different elements that make up the chair and from Jover+Valls we will provide you with the indications for their replacement.
METAL
The steel used contains
a portion of carbon which gives it enough flexibility to be able to be bent and folded without breaking, but with enough hardness and resistance.
Metal rods and plates
each of the pieces that make up the furniture are cut to the appropriate size to go through a turning and milling process in high-precision numerical control machining centers, this is the same technology that is the
which is used in sectors as diverse as fine watchmaking, aeronautics or medicine.
The bent and curved
It is carried out cold with semi-automatic numerical control machines to ensure uniformity between the different pieces.
For metal joints
we use mechanical means, brass screws with the brand logo,
or TIG or MIG welding depending on the type of joint to be made. This weld presents greater resistance and uniformity in the fusion of the metal, the quality of the
finish is appreciated when it is imperceptible to the consumer.
The metal finishing process is made up of three different processes. The first is the manual polishing of the metal parts to reach the uniform layer of the
steel and result in a bright satin finish. Subsequently, various immersions of the furniture will be carried out in different liquid solutions to provide different coatings to the metal through electrolysis. The process always starts with
the contribution of a layer of nickel or brass depending on the color of the final finish (silver or gold). Subsequently, the piece will be introduced again in containers with solutions of the metal to be obtained (gold, silver, copper). The
The last phase of the finish is the application of a protective lacquer also obtained by immersion. The result is a coating of approximately 50 microns
depending on the colour.
The finish of the metal of our furniture has surpassed with the
maximum score in the tests of resistance to corrosion and humidity for furniture
for indoor use in wet areas. Ref. UNE-EN ISO 12944-2
We recommend cleaning the
metal parts of the furniture with neutral soap and a soft cloth slightly moistened with water and dry quickly with a soft, dry cloth. We discourage the use of aggressive products for cleaning (acids, bleach, solvents, disinfectants, etc...) as well as abrasive agents (scouring pads, bristle brushes, etc.), as the use of these products and agents degrades the appearance of coatings in an accelerated manner, even leading to corrosion.
We will be at your disposal
for any further clarification.