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Saf′fi-an.

Leather.) A dyed leather made at Astracan and other parts of Asiatic Russia. The skins of bucks and goats are used for the purpose, and the colors used are red and yellow. The articles used in its preparation are lime, dog's dung, and bran. Honey is used after the bran. After three days fermentation, the skin is salted and dried. The skin is then dyed, and tanned with sumach. The red color is given by cochineal and ericoides, an alkaline plant growing plentifully on the Tartarian salt deserts. The color is finished with alum. For the finest qualities, sorrel is added in the cochineal bath, and the tanning is done by galls. The roughness is given by a heavy iron rake with blunt points.

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