Intermediate Level Finishing Course
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL FINISHING COURSE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Lecture 1 Overview of the Leather Industry
The relationship between the meat industry and the tanning industry
The different processing options available to tanneries
The factors that impact on the global tanning industry
Lecture 2 Crust Leather Production
What the beamhouse is in a tannery
The different process steps that take place in the beamhouse and the order in which they occur
The changes that take place to the raw material in the beamhouse
What the tanyard is in a tannery
The different process steps that take place in the tanyard and the order in which they occur
The changes that take place to the raw material in the tanyard
The difference between wet blue and wet white
The importance of the wetting back process
The reason why wet blue must be wet back properly
The effect of rechroming on wet blue
The importance of neutralisation prior to the main dyehouse processes
Why leather is retanned
The different types of retanning chemicals
Why leather is dyed
Different types of dyestuffs
Why leather is fatliquored
Some of the properties that fatliquors give to leather
What would happen if leather was not fatliquored
The different types of fatliquoring chemicals
How fatliquoring is done practically in the tannery
Why fixation is carried out at the end of the dyehouse processes
What would happen if fixation is not carried out
The importance of the final wash in the dyehouse
Why leathers are set out
How leathers are dried
Why leathers are conditioned
Why leathers are milled
Why leathers are staked
Lecture 3 Pre-Finishing Operations
The different types of defects that could be found on crust leather prior to it being finished
How leather that has scratches and tick bites is finished
How leather that has sueded grain is finished
Why some leathers are buffed
The different types of buffing machines
How leather is buffed
Process problems that can occur during buffing
Why some leathers are impregnated
The chemicals used during impregnation
How the percentage solids of resins solutions is calculated
How leather is impregnated
Processes that take place after impregnation
Impregnation process problems
Lecture 4 Introduction to Leather Finishing
Why leather is finished
The properties that a good finish should have
The different finish coats that are applied to the leather surface
The different chemicals that are used for finishing
The properties of the different finishing chemicals that are used for finishing
Why the different finishing chemicals are included in finishing mixtures
The basics of colour matching
Colour matching systems
Metamerism
Lecture 5 Application of the Finish
The different methods of applying the leather finish
The advantages and disadvantages of each application method
The different finish effects that can be achieved by each application method
Lecture 6 Mechanical Operations
Why some finishes are plated
Why some finishes are ironed
Why some finishes are embossed
Why some finishes are polished
Why some finishes are glazed
Why some finishes are milled
Lecture 7 Finishing of Various Leather Types
Film forming versus non-film forming chemicals
The importance of the solids content of finishing chemicals
The finishing formulation rule
How to build a basic basecoat recipe
How to build a basic topcoat recipe
Wetting, surface tension and contact angle
The different stages of polymer film formation
The properties of the finishes for different types of leathers
The formulation of finishing recipes for different types of leathers
Lecture 8 Leather Finish Testing
Why leather finishes are tested
How the leather is sampled
The correct test conditions
The different types of tests that are carried out on finished leather
Possible reasons why a leather finish can produce a poor test result or cause other finish problems