In the leather manufacturing process, many individual steps require large amounts of water. For this reason, a water workshop is essential in leather production. The very first step of the process, soaking, occurs in large drums or water basins. The work in the water workshop marks the beginning of leather production and prepares the hides for the tanning step.
The large drums of a water workshop
Steps in the Water Workshop
The following steps take place in the water workshop.
Soaking
Dehairing
Scalding
Fleshing
Splitting
De-liming
Pickling
Further sources: http://www.lederpedia.de/lederherstellung/1_die_arbeiten_der_wasserwerkstatt, accessed on: 05.07.2018.