Abstract

The difficulty of producing a reliable and consistent product from the wet end of the tannery quickly and economically has been with the tanner since man first made leather. The arrival of the “Concrete Mixer” or Hide Processor was heralded as a considerable step forward in obtaining these ends with additional pertinent advantages also claimed of water and thus effluent saving. This paper assesses some of these claims and discusses the practical use of the concrete mixer vessel in the tannery. It also embodies a survey of available information on concrete mixers and is in addition based upon the author’s experience of working with these vessels in the United Kingdom and overseas. Much of the material included was used by the author in lectures to the Northern Group of the Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists in March 1973, and to the Northampton Group in October 1973.