Abstract

A new type of machine has been built for testing the waterproofness of boot and shoe upper leathers. As compared with the machines corn nionly used, it has the following advantages: (a) it gives water penetration in shorter times, so the test periods are reduced; (b) because penetration times are shorter the values for well waterproofed leathers can be measured in a normal working day; (c) it tests eight specimens at a time; (d) for water penetration times and water uptakes of the specimens the results are substantially more reprodLicible than those measured on the Penetrometer, so stable averages can be obtained by testing half or one third as many specimens; (e) when used in the most appropriate manner the new machine gives penetration tinies which correlate significantly better with the results of boot trials than do penetration times measured with the Penetrometer.