The Perfect Armor Improved: Water Hardened Leather

Yiguan china leather factory

Some years ago, I wrote an article on how to make hardened leather armor, using beeswax. Since then, I have concluded that although the method I described works reasonably well for SCA purposes--I have fought in my wax hardened klibanion for a good many years now--it is quite unlikely that it is the method used in period for armor.

I reached that conclusion for three reasons:

•  Beeswax is a lubricant. Furthermore, stiffening the leather makes it easier to cut, just as it is easier to slice meat if it is half frozen. So although wax hardened leather provides protection against the sort of blunt weapons we fight with, it would be of very limited usefulness against sharp swords, arrows, and the like.
• Although I have found no period descriptions of the process for hardening leather, the period term for hardened leather is "cuirboulli," which translates as "boiled (or cooked) leather." That is not the natural way of describing the wax hardening process.
•  I have found an entirely different way of hardening leather which does fit the term and which produces armor that is much better protection against real weapons. This article describes that process. As it happens, in addition to being a better guess at what was done in period, it is also a somewhat better technology for making SCA armor. 

How to Care for Your Leather Clothing

If your favorite way to stay warm when the weather cools down is by wrapping your fingers in  glitter leather gloves, zipping you body up in a leather jacket, and lacing up your leather boots, you also know this luxe material is intimidating to care for — until now. Here’s everything you need to know about keeping your leather clothing in tip-top shape — and cleaning up scratches and faded color after a little wear and tear (it happens

1. Protect your clothing before you wear it.

Prevention is the best form of protection, says Carolyn Forte, director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute: “Treating leather and suede regularly helps them look their best.” Our recommendation? Try Kiwi’s Protect-All.

2. Then, reapply protection at least every three months.

Or more often if it’s a particularly nasty season (will the snow ever melt!?).

3. Select your cleaning method based on the item’s value.

While Forte says all leather is cleaned the same (more on that below) she doesn’t believe you should treat all items equally: “Smaller things are generally less expensive and easier to spot clean at home, but I wouldn’t do a jacket or pair of pants myself.” Instead, she says to take your more expensive items to a professional.

4. Take your time when going the DIY route.

With smooth leather, slow and steady wins the race. Carefully rub in mild soap or leather cleanser onto your item with a damp paper towel, let it sit several seconds, then wipe it clean. Let it air dry afterwards (away from direct heat) and use a leather conditioner to moisturize. However, at the first sign of color bleeding or fading you should stop what you’re doing and take your item to a pro.

5. And always spot-test before you start.

To make sure your cleaning products and method are a match with your leather, test it out on a hidden spot first — like inside the hand opening on a glove.

6. Don’t forget water drastically changes leather.

According to Forte, the biggest mistake people make when caring for leather clothing is getting it too wet, then rubbing the material too hard. “Leather is delicate, especially when wet and the color can come off easily,” Forte says, so don’t saturate or vigorously rub it while cleaning — and never immerse leather in water.

The Application and Development Direction of PU Interior Leather(1)

With the rapid development of PU synthetic leather technology and the EU will soon limit the use of PVC automotive leather, the current international brand of some new models have begun to gradually use the PU leather, and tend to high physical PU leather. The PU synthetic leather research and application closely follow the international trend of technology, starting early, high starting point, the rapid pace of development, has become the world's PU synthetic leather center.

In the automotive industry has been included in China's pillar industry background, the development of the automotive industry to China's automotive interior parts industry and synthetic leather and other related industries to bring prosperity, with the localization rate of the car and the car interior features, environmental protection And other requirements, to replace imported products, improve the grade and quality of automotive interior leather to accelerate the PU synthetic leather in the automotive interior R & D applications, the domestic synthetic leather production enterprises an important opportunity for development.

Dry PU car interior leather

Dry PU synthetic leather processing is the fabric surface coated with a layer of PU resin solution. In order to improve the bonding strength with the fabric, you can use two-component adhesive layer resin; the same time in the process can also be pre-foam or by adding surfactants and other methods, the formation of microporous fabric surface of the polymer layer , Thereby providing a breathable microporosity similar to the wet process. Because of its low price, feel and good physical properties, more widely used in cars and hand cushion.

Wear-resistant, durable scraping PU leather

At present, the strength of the domestic PU synthetic leather production enterprises to actively develop the application of new functional PU resin slurry, with excellent feel and excellent properties of the base fabric, after special processing and finishing, the development of new automotive interior with Wet synthetic PU leather. Compared with traditional materials, this new material has more excellent mechanical properties, hydrolysis resistance, heat resistance, oxidation resistance and wear resistance, has been widely used in automotive stalls handrails, seats, door panels, etc. aspect.

In particular, the research and development of high wear-resistant, high durability polyurethane synthetic leather with strong sense of leather, soft, flexible, luxurious appearance, natural luster and so on.

to be continued

The Development of Huadu District Leather Industry

Recently, this reporter learned from the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Industry, as of now, Huadu District, leather and leather business has 33,257 households,
 in 2010 successfully registered the basis of "Shiling" collective trademark leather on
 leather and leather industry Huadu District Total registered trademark more than 4400,
 two trademark was identified as "Guangdong Province", 10 trademark was named "
famous trademark in Guangzhou."

Huadu Branch Trade and Industry, according to reports, the council on registration data based on a comprehensive understanding of business scale and development potential of the leather industry, the formation of a special report in a timely manner to the territorial government asked the report. Actively guide, encourage and help 328 individual businesses to upgrade, involving companies registered capital of 180 million yuan.
                          

To promote the development of the leather industry norms, the council increase the strength of the joint quality supervision, public security departments, leather goods market and carry out special rectification action against unlicensed operators, trademark infringement and other illegal activities. Since 2014, a total of 163 cases dealt with unlicensed operation, settles trademark case 229, the case value of 2.1991 million yuan, 195,500 infringing goods confiscated, seized 148,400 infringing trademarks. In addition, the council is also the area towns, businesses, markets and key regions to establish a network complaints, the establishment of service stations Hongdun rights, and with the liaison officer of the regional road rural BUSINESS cooked, business and usually work out the distribution of the contact number of advantages, borrowing social forces, digging the source case expand counterfeiting rights surrounding tissue.
                                   

It is worth mentioning that, on the basis of the existing branch Huadu Shiling leather leather city and other professional trading market, providing personal guidance services to form the finished market gradually gather. It is learned that the town of Shiling Yiqun village was known as the "Taobao village", gathered nearly 400 Taobao. The initial formation of the local dragon-chi sinks O2O electricity business gathering area and polyethylene bags e-commerce industry park as the representative of the electricity supplier industry gathering area, as well as the Holy Land Group's Shiling (International) Leather electronic trading center, the development of more than 7200 members .

Source: Chinese Communist Party News