Abstract: Leather sheet material is made by hydroentangling a web (4) of mixed reclaimed leather fibres and synthetic fibres. The synthetic fibres are meltable bicomponent fibres which are heated prior to entanglement to fuse and form a supporting network for the leather fibres. A sheet of tissue paper (1a) is laid over the surface of the leather fibre web (4) and hydroentanglement jets (16) are directed through the tissue paper into the web.

Abstract: Sheet material is made from a mixture of base fibres, such as leather fibres, and bi-component synthetic fibres which have outer layers which melt at a lower temperature than their inner cores. The fibres are mixed, formed into a web and then heated so that the synthetic fibres fuse together to form a network within the web. The base fibres are then tangled, whilst constrained by the network, preferably using hydroentanglement. A high quality reconstituted leather sheet material can be produced.