Animal Proteins Part 9

E.I. sheepskins are imported in a tanned condition. These are soaked back and the turwar bark tannage "stripped " as far as possible by drumming with soda for 20-30 minutes at 95 F.; after washing they are "soured" in weak (1/2 per cent.) sulphuric acid solution, and retanned with sumach paste for an hour, drumming at 100 F. They may then be finished for basils, moroccos or roller leather as described above, but are often finished as imitation glace kid. In this case they are drum dyed, lightly fat-liquored (see Part III., Section IV.), struck out and dried. They are staked by machine, fluffed, seasoned and glazed. They may be re-staked and reglazed if desired.

REFERENCES.

A. Seymour Jones, "The Sheep and its Skin."

Bennett, "Manufacture of Leather," pp. 30, 85, 107, 208, 349-354, 385.

SECTION V.--CALFSKINS

Calfskins are the raw material for many cla.s.ses of leather. The term itself is rather broad. A calfskin may be obtained from a very young animal and weigh only a very few pounds, or it may be anything just short of a kip. Goat, seal, and sheep skins are obtained from adult animals, but calfskins from the young of a large animal. Thus there are many grades of quality, according to age, and the material must be chosen with regard to the purpose in view. Some of these purposes have already been discussed. Heavy calf is treated much like kip as a curried leather for upper work. Even lighter skins are given the "waxed calf"

and "satin calf" finishes, and make upper leather of excellent quality.

To produce such leathers the treatment is much the same as described in Part I., Section VIII. Calfskins were also used for very light upper work, in which they were not so heavily greased in finishing, but rather dyed and finished as a light leather. In this direction, however, the vegetable tannage has been almost completely superseded by the mineral tannages, first by "calf kid," an alumed leather (Part IV., Section I.), and afterwards by the now popular chrome tannage of "box calf," "willow calf," "glace calf," "dull calf," etc. (Part III., Section III.). In this section, therefore, we have only to consider calfskins as used to make a vegetable-tanned light leather, such as may be employed in bookbinding and in the manufacture of fancy goods. For these purposes the skins receive a mellow liming of 2-1/2 - 3 weeks. No sulphide need be employed, as the goods are soon fit to unhair. In such a mellow liming it is important that the bacterial activity is not too prominent, and hence it becomes advantageous to work the liming systematically in the form of a round of pits. To avoid over-plumping in the newest limes some old liquor is used in making up a new pit, and its bacterial activity is reduced by adding it to the new caustic lime whilst slaking.

Thus for a pack of 200-250 skins, 14-16 stone of lime may be slaked with about 30 gallons of old lime, and the pit filled up with water. If it be necessary to shorten the process and to use sulphide, this should be added only to the tail liquors of the round, and with it should be added, if possible, some calcium chloride to reduce the harshness of the soda. The skins should be puered thoroughly to obtain the necessary softness, bate-shaved if desirable, and drenched with 8 per cent. of bran overnight.

In tanning for fancy work and for dark colours, the goods are coloured off and evenly struck through with sumach liquors, and then tanned further with liquors made from oak bark, myrabolans or chestnut extract.

The methods are very closely similar to those used for goatskins and sealskins (Part II., Sections II. and III.), and need not be described in further detail. The tannage is finished off in sumach. For bookbinding work, however, a pure sumach tannage is given, using liquor slightly warm (70 F.). Paddle tannages are common, but for bookbinding the bag or bottle tannage is often preferred. The skins are sewn together in pairs, grain outwards, and nearly filled with warm sumach infusion, just as described for goatskins. They are then handled in old sumach liquors for about 3 days, and piled to drain and press. At this stage the bag is cut open, the goods worked on the flesh, and the tannage is completed with separated skins in newer sumach liquors, handling at least once a day for 4-5 days, as necessary.

In finishing there is the usual variety, but a plain ungrained finish is most typical, as the smooth and fine grain of the young animal lends itself to this type of finish better than the skins of goat and seal, and gives a better quality leather than those from the sheep. The crust skins are wet back with water at about 110 F., and, if necessary, sammed and shaved. Sumaching follows, the operation being carried out in a drum for 1-2 hours. The skins are then well struck out. Striking and setting should always be thorough for a plain finish, and this case forms no exception. Dyeing follows next, the paddle being often preferred to the drum, which is liable to work up a grain. The dyed skins are placed in cold water for a while and again well struck out.

They are often nailed on boards to samm, and are then set out, lightly oiled with linseed oil and dried out in a cool shed. Seasoning follows, with milk and water only. The operation may be done with either brush or sponge, after which the goods are piled grain to grain and flesh to flesh to regulate. They may be next perched to soften and fluffed if desired. After top seasoning with milk, water and alb.u.min the skins are hung up for a while, piled to regulate and brushed, first lightly and then more vigorously. They may be then oiled very lightly and dried out in a cool stove to ensure a soft leather.

REFERENCE.

Bennett, "Manufacture of Leather," pp. 55, 84, 105, 201, 207, 303.

SECTION VI.--j.a.pANNED AND ENAMELLED LEATHERS

The leathers which receive a j.a.panned or enamelled finish are usually vegetable tannages, and so may be discussed at this stage. They are popularly known as "patent" leather, but for no obvious reason. The chief object is to obtain a leather with an exceedingly bright and permanent gloss or polish, and this is attained by coating the leather several times with suitable varnishes. The great difficulties are to prevent the varnish cracking when the leather is bent or in use, and to prevent it peeling off from the leather. Almost all cla.s.ses of vegetable tannage are j.a.panned and enamelled. Hides are split and enamelled for carriage, motor car and upholstery leathers, and enamelled calf, seal and sheep skins are used for boot uppers, toe caps, dress shoes, slippers, ladies' and children's belts, hat leathers, and so on. Broadly speaking, a j.a.panned leather is a smooth finish and is usually black, whilst an enamelled leather is a grain finish with a grain pattern worked up, and more often in colours. Hence j.a.panned leathers are often made from flesh splits or leathers with a damaged grain. It is in any case advantageous to buff the grain lightly, for this permits the varnishes to sink rather deeper and get a firmer grip, and avoids the too sudden transition from phase to phase which is one cause of stripping or peeling. Many flesh splits, however, are printed or embossed to give an artificial grain and are then enamelled, which tends to fix the embossed pattern.

Almost any method of preparing dressing hides for upper or bag work will yield a suitable leather for enamelling and j.a.panning (see Part I., Section VIII.; and Section IX.). If anything the liming should be somewhat longer and mellower in order to eliminate grease, as the natural grease of the hide causes the stripping of some varnishes. In finishing it is important to obtain even substance, or the varnish is liable to crack. Hides are soaked and sammed in, and often split.

Sometimes they are split twice, giving grain, middle and flesh, the two former being enamelled and the last j.a.panned. Other goods are shaved very smooth. The goods should be next thoroughly scoured and stoned to get as much "stretch" as possible removed. They are often sumached, washed in warm water, slicked out again and sammed. They are then lightly buffed on the grain, and after oiling lightly are thoroughly set out and dried. Embossing or printing for enamels is done before the goods are quite dry. Considerable difference of opinion obtains as to the best oil to use in the above oiling. Linseed oil is widely preferred as being most likely to agree with varnishes made from linseed oil. Some manufacturers of j.a.pans do not dislike the use of mineral oil, but strongly object to cod oil, tallow or other stuffing greases as tending to cause the varnish to strip or peel. Other manufacturers, on the other hand, will not have leather with mineral oil in it, and indicate that nothing but cod oil should be used. In all probability these various preferences are determined by the nature of the varnish, which differs widely in various parts of the globe.

In this country the varnishes are made largely from linseed oil by boiling it with "driers." This oil contains much triglyceride of an unsaturated relative of stearic acid. The double bonds are very susceptible to oxidation with the production of resinous bodies of unknown const.i.tution. This phenomenon is known as "drying the oil," and has been extensively used in the manufacture of linoleums. The driers are either oxidizing agents or oxygen carriers, such as litharge, Prussian blue, raw umber, manganese dioxide, manganese borate, and "resinate." Prussian blue is most preferred for British j.a.pans, as it always materially a.s.sists the attainment of the desired black colour.

The exact details of the boiling, and the manufacture of the varnishes is still largely the trade secret of the master j.a.panners, and differs indeed for the various stages of j.a.panning. The varnish for the earlier coats is boiled longer, and the drying carried further, than in the case of the later coats. This is partly to obtain a product of such stiffness that it will not penetrate the leather. The driers and the pigments should be finely powdered and thoroughly mixed in. The boiling takes several days when at a low temperature, but if done in 24 hours the temperature may be up to 570 F. In the later coats driers are often not used, and the product is often mixed with copal varnish, pyroxylin varnish, etc., which greatly help in obtaining smoothness and gloss.

Turpentine, petroleum spirit and other solvents are also used to thin the varnishes. Before boiling, the oil is often purified by a preliminary heating with nitric acid, rose spirit and other oxidizing agents, which precipitate impurities and thereby a.s.sist in obtaining a bright gloss.

Before the application of the varnishes, the leather is first dried thoroughly in a stretched condition. This is accomplished by nailing down on boards which fit like movable shelves into a "stove," a closed chamber heated by steam pipes. The temperature of the stove varies widely in different factories, from 140-200 F., according to the nature of the varnishes. The first coat of warm and rather stiff j.a.pan is laid over the hot leather in a warm room, being spread over first by hand, then by a serrated slicker, and then again smoothed by hand. The goods are then put into the stove for several hours to dry. When dry the surface is pumiced and brushed and a second coat applied in a similar manner, but with increased care. This is repeated with finer j.a.pans until the desired result is obtained. Brushes are used to apply the later coats. Up to seven coats may be applied for the production of a smooth j.a.pan--three coats of ground j.a.pan, two coats of thinner j.a.pan, and two coats of finishing varnish.

After the stoving is complete, the product is given a few days under ordinary atmospheric conditions to permit the reabsorption of moisture to the usual extent. Enamelled leathers are then grained to develop the pattern.

REFERENCE.

Bennett, "Manufacture of Leather," p. 380.

PART III.--CHROME LEATHER

SECTION I.--THE NATURE OF CHROME LEATHERS

In these days the manufacture of chrome leather has attained a position hardly less in importance than that occupied by the ancient method of tanning by means of the vegetable tanning materials, and large quant.i.ties of hides and skins are now "chrome tanned" after preparatory processes a.n.a.logous to those described in connection with vegetable tannages (Part II., Section II.; and Part II., Section I.).

Chrome leathers are made by tanning pelts with the salts of chromium, and are typical of what are known as "mineral tannages," in which inorganic salts are the tanning agents. Tannage with alum and salt (see Part IV., Section I.) is one of the earliest mineral tannages, but is now of relatively minor importance. Chrome tanning was first investigated by Knapp (1858), who experimented with chromic chloride made "basic" by adding alkali, but his conclusions were unfavourable to the process. A patent was taken out later by Cavallin in which skins were to be tanned by treating with pota.s.sium dichromate and then with ferrous sulphate which reduced the former to chromic salts, being itself converted into ferric salt. The product, which was a combination of iron-chrome tannage, did not yield a satisfactory commercial leather.

Another patent, taken out in 1879 by Heinzerling, specified the use of pota.s.sium dichromate and alum. This in effect was a combination chrome-alumina tannage. The alum had its own tanning action and the dichromate was reduced to chromic salts by the organic matter of the skin itself and by the greases employed in dressing. The process, however, was not a commercial success. In 1881 patents were obtained by Eitner, an Austrian, whose process was a combination chrome and fat tannage. The chrome was employed as "basic chromium sulphate" made by adding common soda to a solution of chrome alum until a salt corresponding to the formula Cr(OH)SO{4} was obtained. Such a solution is now known to be perfectly satisfactory, but at first it proved difficult to devise satisfactory finishing processes, and to supplement the chrome tannage with the fat tannage.

The first undoubted commercial success in chrome tanning was obtained by the process of Augustas Schultz, whose patent was the now widely known "two-bath process," in which the skins are treated successively with a chromic acid solution and with an acidified solution of "hypo" (sodium thiosulphate). The first bath was made up commercially of pota.s.sium dichromate and hydrochloric acid, so that, strictly speaking, it contained pota.s.sium chloride also. The second bath contained, in effect, sulphurous acid, which reduced the chromic acid in the skin fibres to the tanning chrome salts. Free sulphur is also formed in this bath and in the skin, and contributes to the characteristic product obtained by this process of tanning. Many minor deviations from the original process of Schultz have been introduced, but the main features have been unchanged, and this method of tanning is widely employed at the present time for both light and heavy chrome leather. In 1893 tanning by basic chromic salts was revived and the use of the basic chloride was patented by Martin Dennis, who offered such a tanning solution for sale. The validity of the patent has always been doubtful on account of the previous work of Knapp and others, but the process itself was commercially satisfactory, and the many variants of this and of the basic sulphate tannages are now generally known as the "one-bath process" in contradistinction to the variants of the Schultz process, and are widely used for all cla.s.ses of chrome leather. A one-bath process which deserves special mention was published in 1897 by Prof. H.

R. Procter. In this the tanning liquor was made by reducing pota.s.sium dichromate in the presence of a limited amount of hydrochloric or sulphuric acid by adding glucose. Although a basic chrome salt is the chief tanning agent thus produced, there is little doubt that the organic oxidation products play an essential part in producing the fullness and mellowness of the leather thus tanned, but their nature and mode of action has not yet been fully made clear though lyotrope influence is probable.

More recently Balderston has suggested the suitability of sulphurous acid as reducing agent. A stream of sulphur dioxide gas is pa.s.sed through a solution of sodium dichromate until reduction is complete. The resulting chrome liquor has been favourably reported upon by some chrome tanners. Bisulphite of soda has also often been used as the reducing agent. Other organic substances are also often used, instead of glucose, to reduce the dichromate.

=Theory of Chrome Tannage.=--As to the theory of chrome tanning there is still considerable difference of opinion and much room for experiment.

Some leather chemists regard the tannage as differing essentially from the vegetable tannages. Mr. J. A. Wilson has even suggested that the proteid molecule is in time partly hydrolyzed with the formation of a chromic salt with the acid groups. The author, however, strongly favours the view that in chrome tanning changes take place which are closely a.n.a.logous to those which occur in vegetable tannage, the differences being mainly of degree. Thus the hide gel is immersed into a lyophile sol--the chrome liquor--and there follows lyotrope influence, adsorption, gelation of the tanning sol, as well as diffusion into the gel, and finally also, probably, precipitation of the tanning sol at this interface.

In chrome tannage the lyotrope influence is much more prominent than in vegetable tannage, but the effect is in the same sense, viz., to reduce the imbibition of the hide gel. Thus the pota.s.sium sulphate in a chrome alum liquor has its own specific action of this kind and contributes to the leather formation. Unhydrolyzed chromium sulphate and the sodium sulphate formed in "making basic" act also in the same sense.

The tanning sol is probably chromium hydrate, formed by the hydrolysis of chromium sulphate: it is a lyophile or emulsoid sol and is in consequence very strongly adsorbed by the hide gel. This adsorption, involving a concentration of lyophile sol, is the first stage in gelation, which occupies a relatively more prominent place in chrome than in vegetable tannage. Some diffusion into the gel also occurs, and both the gelation and diffusion of the sol are affected by lyotrope influence, but to a greater extent than in the vegetable tannage. Thus far the a.n.a.logy is almost complete.

There remains the question of the precipitation of the tanning colloid at the interface. This is a point which has not yet been thoroughly investigated, and which offers considerable difficulty to a clear understanding, but the matter may be probably summarized thus: the adsorbed chromium hydrate is precipitated at the interface of gel and sol to some extent, chiefly through the neutralization of its charge by the oppositely charged ions of the electrolytes present, but possibly also--in the last stages of manufacture by the mutual precipitation of oppositely charged gel and sol.

To ill.u.s.trate the matter, the case of a basic chrome alum liquor will be considered. The chromium hydrate sol is primarily a positive sol, just like ferric and aluminium hydrate sols: _i.e._ in water they are somewhat exceptional in that they adsorb H+ rather than OH-. To cause precipitation therefore it is necessary to make the sol less positive and more negative. The positive charge of the sol, however, is greater than in water, because of the free acid formed in the hydrolysis, which results in the adsorption of more hydrions by the sol. Hence to ensure precipitation steps must be taken to reduce the adsorption of hydrions by the chromium hydrate sol. In practice such steps are taken, and to such an extent that there can be little doubt that the chrome sol is not far from its isoelectric point. Amongst these "steps" are (1) making the liquor "basic," _i.e._ adding alkali to neutralize much of the free acid, which involves a considerable reduction in the stabilizing effect of the hydrions; (2) the adsorption of hydrions by the hide gel when first immersed in approximately neutral condition; (3) the operation of the "valency rule" that the predominant ionic effect in discharging is due to the multivalent anions. In this case the divalent SO{4}-- ions a.s.sist materially in discharging the positive charge on the chrome sol; (4) the final process of neutralization in which still more alkali is added. The operation of the valency rule is the most complex of these factors, for there is also to be considered the stabilizing effect of the kations, especially of the trivalent kation Cr+++ from the unhydrolyzed chromium sulphate. It is quite possible also that in the last stages of chrome tanning there are "zones of non-precipitation" due to the total effect of multivalent ions, and it is quite conceivable that the chrome sol may change its sign, _i.e._ become a negative sol and thus give also a mutual precipitation with the hide-gel. This is particularly probable where a local excess of alkali occurs in neutralization. However that may be, it is probable that most of the tannage is accomplished by chromium hydrate in acid solution, and it is therefore legitimate to conclude that adsorption and gelation have a relatively greater part in chrome tannage. The operation of the valency rule makes it easy to understand why basic chlorides do not tan so well as sulphates; the precipitating anion is only monovalent (Cl-) and chromic chloride contains no substance a.n.a.logous to the pota.s.sium sulphate of chrome alum and hence contains a less concentration of the precipitating anion. Hence also the stabilizing influence of common salt added to a basic alum liquor, the effect being to replace partially the divalent SO{4}-- by the monovalent Cl-. Lyotrope influence, however, may be here at work.

It is possible to make out a rather weak case that the tanning sol is not chromium hydrate at all, but a basic salt of chrome also in colloidal solution, and to contend that this salt, like most substances, forms a negative sol, but in practice not negative enough, hence the desirability of alkali, divalent anions, etc. From this point of view the a.n.a.logy with vegetable tannage becomes more complete and the stabilizing effect of the soda salts of organic acids becomes easy to understand.

It is highly probable that the electrical properties of the chrome sol need closer investigation on account of the complexity due to the prominent effect of multivalent ions. It is desirable to bear in mind the remarkable phenomenon observed by Burton (_Phil. Mag._, 1905, vi, =12=, 472), who added various concentrations of aluminium sulphate to a silver sol (negative). He observed (1) a zone of non-precipitation due to protection; (2) a zone of precipitation due to the trivalent kation; (3) a second zone of non-precipitation due to protection after the sol has pa.s.sed through the isoelectric point and become a positive sol; (4) a second zone of precipitation due to the precipitating effect of the anion on the now positive sol. It seems to the writer that similar phenomena may possibly occur in chrome tanning, for whatever the sol actually is, it is not far from the isoelectric point.

A few observations on the vegetable-chrome combination tannages will not be out of place at this stage. Wilson refers to the well-known practical fact that chrome leather can take up about as much vegetable tan as if it were unchromed pelt, and considers this evidence that the two tannages are of fundamentally different nature. "In mineral-tanned leathers the metal is combined with carboxyl groups, while in vegetable-tanned leather the tannin is combined with the amino groups.

This strongly suggests the possibility that the two methods of tanning are to some extent independent of one another, and that a piece of leather tanned by one method may remain as capable of being tanned by the other method as though it were still raw pelt" (_Collegium_ (London), 1917, 110-111). To the writer, however, it seems that the facts are evidence for the contrary proposition, that the tannages are fundamentally of the same nature. On the adsorption theory, one would expect chrome leather to adsorb as much tan as pelt; the readily adsorbable tan is the same, and the chrome leather is an adsorbent of very much the same order of specific surface as pelt. The adsorption theory would find it difficult to account for chrome leather not adsorbing as much tan as pelt. It is quite conceivable that a chrome leather could adsorb more tan than pelt, owing to the more complete isolation of the fibrils by the chrome tannage and to their being coated over by a more adsorbent gel. Adsorption is often deliberately increased by a preparatory adsorption. Thus sumach-tanned goatskins are wet back from the crust and "retanned" in sumach before dyeing, to coat the fibres with a fresh and more adsorbent gel and so ensure the even and thorough adsorption of the dyestuff. Mordanting fabrics has a similar object,--the adsorption of colloidogenic substances which give rise to an adsorbent gel on the fibre. Unless vegetable-tanned leather is so much loaded with tan that its specific surface is effectively reduced, one would similarly expect that vegetable-tanned leather would adsorb the chrome sol. This, of course, is exactly the case of semi-chrome leather. If, on the "chemical combination" theory, the vegetable tan combines with the amino groups and the chrome with carboxyl groups, it is natural to inquire which groups the dyestuffs combine with. As either tannage does not interfere with the adsorption of dye, are we to conclude similarly that tanning and dyeing are fundamentally different processes?

Those who favour this chemical combination theory, and who offer equations for the formation of vegetable and of chrome leather, should likewise suggest an equation for the formation of leather from pelt by the action of dyestuffs--a practical though hardly an economic process.

The remarks made earlier in this volume (Part I., Section III.) as to the occurrence of what have been called "irreversible changes"

subsequent to the mutual precipitation of oppositely charged gel and sol, are equally applicable to the chrome tannages. Chrome tannage was once thought to embrace such irreversible changes, but the process can now be "reversed" with ease. The reversibility of the chrome tannage is an easier proposition than that of vegetable tannage, partly because the leather is comparatively much less tanned, and partly because the acidity or alkalinity of the stripping agent may be adjusted, as desired, without the oxidation trouble. In approaching this question from the theoretical side one must consider mainly whether to solate the tanning agent to a positive or to a negative sol. Our imperfect knowledge of the electrical forces in operation in the chrome tannage is thus a serious drawback, but the evidence on the whole points to the precipitation being effected by a negative sol near its isoelectric point but in faintly acid solution. Hence, we should theoretically expect that reversion should take place into a negative sol in nearly neutral or even faintly alkaline solution. Thus, suitable stripping agents for chrome leather would be the alkali salts of organic acids (especially if multivalent). Now, Procter and Wilson have recently accomplished this stripping of chrome leather by the use of such salts.

They approached the question from an empirical and practical point of view and found that Roch.e.l.le salt, sodium citrate, and sodium lactate would strip the chrome tannage with ease. This important and very creditable achievement will have great practical and commercial importance. Procter and Wilson have deliberately and carefully refrained from offering an exact explanation of this reversible action, but point out that all their stripping agents are salts of _hydroxy-acids_, and strongly insist that these form soluble complexes with the chrome.

Whilst not denying this in the least, the present author would point out that according to the views advanced in this book, the salts of organic acids which do _not_ contain hydroxyl groups should, when combined with a monacid base, also strip the chrome tannage. This he has found to be the case. Thus the chrome tannage is reversible in solutions of ammonium or pota.s.sium oxalate and of ammonium acetate. With these salts the full effect of multivalent anions is not attained, so that somewhat strong solutions are necessary. A 10 per cent. solution of ammonium acetate shows some stripping effect after a few days, but a 40 per cent.

solution after a few hours. Saturated ammonium oxalate is only a 4.2 per cent. solution, but shows a stripping effect in 2-3 days. Pota.s.sium oxalate (33 per cent.) shows distinct stripping in 24 hours. Pota.s.sium acetate and sodium acetate show only slight action, because the solution is too alkaline, but strip if acetic acid be added until litmus is just reddened. It is noteworthy from a theoretical point of view that a 40 per cent. solution of ammonium acetate is distinctly acid, and indeed smells of acetic acid. There can be little doubt that such stripping actions are also connected with the solubility of the stripping agent in the gel, for the liquid must pa.s.s through the walls of the gel to dilute the liquid in the interior. This view fits in with the facts that hydroxy acids and ammonium salts are particularly efficient, for the tendency of chrome to form ammonia-complexes as well as hydroxy complexes is well known. From this point of view we should not expect a stripping action from a salt such as disodium phosphate, which would form an insoluble substance. Actually sodium phosphate does not strip, and indeed reduces the stripping power of ammonium acetate. Similarly, we might expect some stripping action by ammonia and ammonium chloride, with the formation of chrome ammonia complexes. This actually occurs, a pink solution being obtained. Sodium sulphite does not strip, possibly partly on account of its too great alkalinity, but is interesting theoretically to observe that sodium sulphite as well as Roch.e.l.le salt will strip salt stains (see Yoc.u.m's patent, _Collegium_ (London), 1917, 6; also Procter and Wilson, _loc. cit._). This points to the formation of a negative sol, and suggests many other substances for removing salt stains.