BEAMHOUSE PROCESS comprises the preparation, cleaning and conditioning of the leather, before the tanning process. In this newsletter we are going to approach the first level of the beamhouse process, that consists of the soaking stage.
1.1 SOAKING
The first step is to eliminate salt, mud, blood and any organic matter by soaking the hides in cold water for about 30 minutes. This action must be repeated until all dirt is removed. If necessary, some type of surfactant may be used. Once the leathers cleaned, we will begin to wet and degrease the fibers using different surfactants. It is very important that all the fibers are well rehydrated to prevent the leather getting hard and stiff. At this point we will begin to raise the pH of leather and prepare it for hair removal. The bath pH should be regulated between 10-11 with some alkaline product, avoiding caustic soda due to its aggressiveness. During the wetting process, some bactericide will be added to get rid of any potential microorganisms. At all times the leather pH should be between 10-11. After this operation, we will make sure the leather is free of any surfactants. Whenever possible, we will use products of anionic character.
Products used:
TRD-27 Surfactant with high degreasing power (+ info)
TRD-25 Surfactant with moisturizing power
TRD-HB Soaking auxiliary (+ info)
ANTIBAC Z Large protection
