Cleaning of leather

The manufacture and use of leather garments such as coats jackets skirts or suede has steadily increased over the past decades. As the materials go through a lot of wear and tear in use they require cleaning of freshening up just like textiles. considering that leather garment are manufactured in the most different types of leather which have been treated with a great variety of tanning agents dyes fat liquoring or finishing agents the cleaning of leather is much most difficult and labor-intensive then the cleaning of textiles moreover the garments include materials which are not fast of cleaning. Such as button of synthetic resin non-woven fabrics and adhesives which are sensitive to solvents. In addition, there are many different types of possible soiling and wear marks such as staining by difficult items of daily use, stains caused by rain drops, discoloration and greasiness of suede or nubuk fibers, perspiration marks, stripping of finishes or change of handle. As this requires broad specialist knowledge, special dry cleaning factories for leathers have developed.

Fastness of chrome tanned leather and chrome free leather

Importance of chrome free leather or vegetable tanned leather
Although chrome tanned leather because of its excellent heat and light fastness properties are being replaced by other means of tanning such vegetable or synthetic tanning agents.
Chrome-free leather has gradually gained commercial importance, particularly for automobile upholstery applications. In many respects, however, chrome-free leather is inferior to chrome-tanned leather. UV and heat are known to be more detrimental to chrome-free leather than to chrome-tanned leather, especially in regard to the colorfastness of dyestuff and mechanical properties. Temperature, UV radiation, and humidity are key environmental factors that affect leather properties. The role of humidity and its interaction with UV radiation and temperature on leather properties, however, are not clear to the leather industry, and this information is needed for formulation of antioxidants that will protect chrome-free leather from UV and heat damage. Therefore, a systematic study was performed to formulate the relationship between these three environmental variables and resultant colorfastness and mechanical properties. A second order regression equation was derived to plot response surfaces that clearly illustrate the relationship between the environmental variables and colorfastness, as well as the resultant physical properties. Observations showed an intriguing interaction between humidity and radiation dosage. Measurements revealed that an increase in humidity resulted in a decrease in colorfastness and mechanical strength. However, after the UV radiation dosage reaches a certain level, an increase in humidity may actually help maintain both properties. Observation showed the stiffness decreased steadily with humidity, whereas the toughness index slightly increased with humidity. This study also used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine the denaturation temperature as a function of various environmental conditions. We observed a correlation between colorfastness and the denaturation temperature.

Leather tanning technology

Which chromium metal is safe in use? Which if its compound or salt is better in leather tanning?

Chromium Cr is a transition metal which is found in different form as trivalent and hexavalent form chromium sulfate is commonly used in wet blue (tanning) leather production. There is much inaccurate information in circulation regarding the use of chromium salts and their associated safety for the tanning of leather.
Approximately 80% of global leather production is tanned with safe chromium III salts. It is a highly effective tanning agent producing leather with a flexible range of properties making it suitable for many end uses.
Chromium is a transition metal that can exist in a number of different oxidation states each with distinctive properties.
Metallic chromium
this is a steel grey, hard metal found as chromite ore (it does not occur in the metallic state naturally). It is used to harden steel, to manufacture stainless steel, and to form alloys. It is also used in plating to produce a hard corrosion resistant surface.
Trivalent chromium (Cr III)
Trivalent chromium compounds occur naturally in the environment. They are found in rocks, soil, plants and volcanic emissions. Chromium salts are present in foodstuffs and are a necessary nutrient for the human body as trivalent chromium is required for the normal metabolism of fats and sugars. Nutritional supplements are currently on sale containing chromium picolinate. Chromium (III) sulfate is considered safe to use in leather manufacture.
Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI)
Hexavalent chromium is the hazardous form of this element. It can be formed when trivalent chromium is oxidised. This usually occurs in the presence of oxygen combined with other factors such as extremes in pH. The salts have a characteristic yellow colour and are classified as carcinogens. Chromium VI is not used in the tanning of leather.

Green fleshing is essential for EId-UL-Adha sheep skin

Green fleshing for Eid-Ul-Adha sheep skin is necessary


As raw material is coming in Korangi tanneries in Karachi at large scale and tanneries now-a-days busy in wet blue production care should be taken that this raw sheep skin contain higher fat content and thick fatty flesh because these skin not properly flayed in Eid-Ul-Adha seasons while in slaughtering house they are properly flayed by expert people. So green fleshing or pre-fleshing is an essential for good quality wet blue. Green fleshing is done after soaking and before liming. It also helps in preventing valuable wool to damage or going in waste because it removed easily when lime properly penetrate through the entire skin. Raw material of Eid-Ul-Adha is also of good quality and firm in structure to convert it from raw to wet blue good fleshing both green fleshing and after liming fleshed must be clean from extra fatty substance so that chemical can easily penetrate through flesh and no fat stains appear after its crust and dyeing production

Award for Buckman in Businness Council 2009

Buckman has wide range of their leather chemical specially its preservative are very useful in wet net leather product.
Specialty leather chemical manufacturer Buckman have been named winner of The Greater Memphis Chamber International Business Council’s 2009 Global Business Award.

Buckman vice chairman Kathy Gibson received the award on behalf of the company at a special ceremony held at the International Business Council’s Annual Fall Meeting on November 13 at the Memphis Hilton Hotel.
‘The Global Business Awards are designed to recognise companies based in the Memphis community that excel in international business, as well as being outstanding community leaders’, said Mike Demster, Greater Memphis Chamber Vice President, International and Technology Business Development. ‘Both Buckman and Luminetx exemplify the criteria for the awards through their growth and global sustainability and their strong values and ethical conduct in dealing with their employees and global partners.’
In her acceptance speech, vice chairman Kathy Gibson stated that: ‘We started out in Memphis in 1945 with one product, one employee and one customer. Today, with 1500 employees, 10 manufacturing sites, thousands of products, and hundreds of patents which allow us to serve customers in over 90 countries, we are still very proud to call Memphis our home and international headquarters. Today we’re not only committed to our global growth, we remain committed to Memphis and the tremendous opportunities that are here to grow business. I know I speak not only for my family but also for the 1500 associates of Buckman worldwide in thanking you for this recognition.’