Abstract

Delay of 0, 1, 3, 4, 6 or 7 days in salting sheepskin was followed by making chamois leather and chrome tanned and dyed grains. Vola tile and soluble nitrogen increased with putrefaction. The shrinkage temperature of the pickled pelt and the crust chamois leather was unaffected by the delay in salting, but the quality of the leather deteriorated with increasing putrefaction as indicated by thinness, run, flesh, holes and loss of strength. Resistance to rotting was not related to delay in salting, and the leather did not preferentially rot at pits caused by bacteria in the raw skin. Leather oiled after re-liming was more resistant to rotting than leather oiled from pickle. Water absorp tion properties were not found to be related to the delay in salting. A number of the leathers were used, mainly for washing cars, and changes during use were again not found to be related to the delay in salting. As a result of putrefaction in the raw skin the grain of the leather became rubbed and holes developed, but no unlevelness of dyeing due to the delay in salting was recognised.