IS 48 HOURS CONDITIONING PRIOR TO TESTING NECESSARY?

摘要

It is clear from this research, that for leathers supplied from areas of relatively low humidity the 48 hour conditioning prior to testing is excessive. Leathers that are from areas of high humidity seem to require times in excess of 48 hrs (and in fact may never re-equilibrate under standard conditions). This is a factor that may have significant influence on some physical test results. It is known for example that a leather with a higher moisture content is more likely to pass a lastometer test. The work detailed here indicates that it may be possible to overcome these issues and still result in an improvement in the lead time required for testing. By subjecting the leather to a gentle drying for 2 -3 hrs followed by standard conditioning overnight (although it may be possible to reduce this to as little as 4-8 hours) the time required prior to testing can be reduced significantly.