Abstract
Wet-blue pigskins having various chrome contents and pH values were prepared and stored for 3 months at 20°C or 37°C. Soft-type chrome leathers were prepared from these wet-blue stocks, and the effects of conditions of wet-blue prepara-tion and storage on the quality of finished leathers were evaluated. 1) The chemical composition of wet-blue stocks did not change significantly during storage. 2) Alth-ough the differences in chrome content among wet-blue stocks were decreased by the use of chrome tanning agents in their retanning process, they did not disappear comple-tely. 3) The effects of storage conditions of wet-blue stocks on the chemical composi-tion of finished leathers were not clearly demonstrated. 4) The stiffness, elongation at break, and tongue tear strength of finished leathers decreased with increasing chrome content of wet-blue stocks. 5) The stiffness of finished leathers increased with increasing pH values of wet-blue stocks, but did not change with their storage conditions. Thus, the chemical and mechanical properties of finished pigskin leathers were shown to be influenced mainly by conditions of wet-blue preparation rather than their storage conditions.
