International School of Tanning Technology

INTRODUCTION TO THE LEATHER INDUSTRY COURSE CURRICULUM

Unit 1 Overview of the Leather Industry

Role of leather industry in relation to farming, abattoirs and leather goods manufacture
Tannery processing options
Factors that impact on the global leather industry

Unit 2 Structure of Different Animal Skins

Difference between hide and side
Structure of cattle hide
Structure of calfskins
Structure of goatskins
Structure of sheepskins (Merino versus hair sheep)
Structure of ostrich skins

Unit 3 Hide and Skin Defects

Defects that arise due to animal breed, age, diet
Defects that arise on the living animal
Defects that arise during slaughtering and skin removal
Defects that arise due to poor preservation of hides and skins
Defects that arise in the tannery during processing

Unit 4 Preservation

Wet salting
Dry salting
Brining
Shade drying
Short- term preservation
Pickling

Unit 5 Beamhouse Operations

Soaking
Liming / Unhairing
Fleshing
Deliming
Bating

Unit 6 Wet Blue Tanyard Operations

Pickling
Chrome tanning
Basification
Horsing up / Ageing
Sammying
Sorting / Grading

Unit 7 Vegetable Tanning

How vegetable tannins tan hides or skins
Production of vegetable tanned sole leather
LIRITAN process
Production of vegetable tanned light leathers

Unit 8 Dyehouse Operations

Splitting and shaving
Wetting back and neutralization
Retanning
Dyeing
Fatliquoring
Setting out and drying

Unit 9 Pre-finishing and Finishing Operation

Conditioning
Staking
Buffing
Leather finishing
Grading and measuring

Unit 10 Leather Testing

Tensile strength
Tear strength
Lastometer
Flexing
Finish adhesion
Dry / wet rubfastness
Lightfastness
Abrasion resistance
Elongation
Shrinkage temperature
Chromium concentration

Unit 11 Tannery Wastewater Treatment

Characteristics of tannery wastewater
Different wastewater treatment options
How to reduce the impact of tanneries on the environment