Drying defects and remedy:

1. Effect of shrinkage or case hardening :

If the relative humidity of the air is lowered to a great extent either by too much increase
in temperature or by some other means, the rate of drying increase so much that the
leather surface becomes bone dry though the inner layers contain sufficient moister to be
dried.

• Under such circumstance the dry surface layers does not allow water vapor as well as
heat to pass through. This is known as shrinkage or case hardening.

• Once this condition is reached, the drying becomes very difficult and total drying time
goes up like anything.

• If due to any reason, shrinkage is observed the air should be humidified either by
spraying water or by lowering the temperature.

Remedy: Avoid the causes. Moderate preliminary fat liquoring during tanning reduces
hardening.

2. Area loss of the leather:

Causes: All leathers which are dried by free hanging methods show a shrinking of area of
between 5-15% depending on the type of tannage.

Remedy: Chose mild drying temperatures and include conditioning zones in the final stage of
the drying process. For firm leathers a switch to modern drying method is strongly
recommended in order to achieve area gains.

3. Saddening of the surface:

Causes: Use of vegetable retanning agents which are not heat-resistant or highly unsaturated
fatty substance which have a yellowing tendency.

Remedy: Avoid the retanning agents and fat liquoring agents.

4. Dark edge zones:

Causes: Occur in hang drying hang-drying due to migration of the dyeing float containing
unfixed matters into the outer zones of the leather.

Remedy: Achieve good exhaustion of the dye-bath by means of adequate acidification and
fixation. If necessary, apply a short rinsing bath after dyeing.
5. Large area of unevenness:

Causes: Staining through contact of leathers which were stuck together during hang-drying,
delaying the drying process as a result.

Remedy: Ensure an adequate spacing of the leathers.

6. Dark stains:

Causes: Migration of fat or precipitation due to the use of unstable fat liquors, excessive
amount s of unsupplied oils or strongly cationic top fat liquoring.

Remedy: Check the fatty substance; reduce the amount of neutral oils.

7. Stains caused by air bubbles:

Causes: Air bubbles produced because the leathers were not flattened onto the vacuum plate
smoothly and with care.

Remedy: Avoid the causes.

8. Drop stains:

Causes: Drips of condensed water from the felt panel of the vacuum belt because the felt
lining is very soiled and no longer absorptive.

Remedy: Precipitation and migration of fatty substances or very strong superficial fat
liquoring with excessive amounts of fats and oils which are not bondable.

9. Greasy spew:

Causes: Precipitation and migration of fatty substances or very strong superficial fat
liquoring with excessive amounts of fats and oils which are not bondable.

Remedy: Change the combination of fat liquoring.

10. Visible pressure marks of gratings:

Causes: Mostly caused by contact of the leather with the supporting surfaces of the drying
devices, especially in the case of vacuum drying.

Remedy: Avoid excessive contact; reduce the contact pressure during vacuum drying.

11. Longish strips visible on the leather:

Causes: Caused by the poles during hang-drying, especially on very wet leathers. The rate
of evaporation is reduced in these section.
Remedy: More thorough samming of the leathers or change to free-hang drying.

12. Bleaching of shade of the entire leather:

Causes: The presence of large amounts of bleaching agents, mainly sodium sulphite, sodium
bisulphite or oxalic acid, results in a bleaching of the shade. This is particularly unattractive
on suede and nubuk leathers.

Remedy: Reduce the use of bleaching agents or do not use them at all and change to more
stable dyes.

13. Difference in colour on the plate and vaccum side of the leather:

Causes: Migration of dyes due to the use of poorly fixed dyes.

Remedy: Use dyes with better fastness properties and ensure adequate fixation of the dyes at
the end of the dyeing process.

14. Pale marginal zones on the leather:

Causes: Drying of the edge zones of leathers by storing for too long on trestles before
drying, especially in warm rooms and in countries with hotter climates.

Remedy: Cover the leathers to be stored on trestles with plastic sheets.

15. Excessive residual adhesive on the grain side:

Causes: Especially disturbing for leathers which have been produced for aniline finishes.
Mostly caused by leathers with excessive wet ability or due to the use of adhesive mixtures
having excessive adhesive power.

Remedy: Change adhesive formula, reduce the amount of highly emulsifying fat liquoring
products in the mixture of fat liquors or perform cationic top fat liquoring.