Gransfors Bruk Hatchet Sheaths are made from vegetable-tanned leather. In the tanning process, the hide goes through various treatments such as salting, stripping (removing fat and tissue), washing, re-wetting, Ph-neutralization and so on. The hide is then treated in a huge ‘washing machine’ resulting in a natural feel, dimensional stability and an attractive patina. The leather is tanned to prevent it being broken down by bacteria. The tanning preserves and improves the natural properties of the leather and can be done either through treatment with natural vegetable products such as bark from various trees, flowers and roots, known as vegetable tanning, or through treatment with chromium, known as chrome tanning.