A tool… a symbol

Every guild and brotherhood has an emblem that symbolises its background and raison d’être. One may say that the leather goods manufacturing industry in Andalusia (Spain) has its own symbol, which is also a tool that has been used from the very beginnings of the industry. This tool is called “Patacabra” (or “Petacabra”) and has traditionally been used by leather workers in this area. It is made from the hardest wood found in the trees in Andalusia. The “Patacabra” (or “Petacabra”) is used for plenty of different processes and tasks in the manufacturing of a leather good such as flattening the edges, shaping the item in moulded leather goods and polishing the leather.

It is also a unique tool since craftsmen from other areas just use a regular hammer for the tasks where Andalusian leather goods craftsmen utilise the “Patacabra”. Every leather worker has his own “Patacabra”, which goes with him all through his entire life as a craftsman.