Unhairing

In the tanning industry the unhairing stage concerns the removal of animal hair from the skin by chemical burning of the hair root, or by chemical degradation of the hair shaft. The type of hair removal depends on the type and length of the hair itself. Two main groupings of hair removal exist: painting and drum/paddle/pit unhairing. Sheepskins—or animals with long hair (e.g. wool)—use the painting method to remove the hair from the follicle. Animals with shorter hair (e.g. cattle hides) can have their hair removed in a process vessel.