Application of wax emulsions in leather finishing

People have two kinds of requirements for the appearance of leather products, one is to increase the luster of leather, such as polished leather, lacquer leather, polishing effect leather, etc.. The other is not glossy, so that the leather presents a sense of leather, natural beauty.

The former need to use glossy agent, the latter need to use matting agent. When choosing different wax emulsions for leather top coating, some can increase the glossiness or brightness of leather, and some can produce matting effect to present leather charm.

The wax emulsion that produces brightness requires very small particle size, the composition is relatively single, in the leather surface layer to form a layer of homogeneous and continuous wax film, microscopically the film is very smooth, to produce a strong reflection of light waves, thus having a sense of gloss;.

The wax emulsion particle size of the matting effect is larger, forming a non-homogeneous and microscopically uneven surface on the leather surface, producing a strong scattering effect on light waves, scattering effect is the fundamental reason for the matting effect of matting agents.

　Wax emulsion used in leather industry

(1) Used as an additive in leather finishing

In the leather finishing agent added mainly to fill the coating, improve the feel of the coating, wear-resistant, anti-adhesive and increase the role of gloss.

In the early days, it was mainly prepared from beeswax, carnauba wax, insect wax, white wax, montan wax, etc. The production of these waxes is limited and the price is high.

Paraffin wax as the main raw material can greatly reduce the price of wax emulsion, and the use of the effect is not worse than natural wax, is the main additives to decorate high-grade leather, can give the leather a special brightness and wax sense.

From the use can be divided into soft wax and hard wax, which are used for the bottom, middle and top coating of leather respectively.

From the ionic nature of the emulsion, it can be divided into non-ionic, anionic and cationic wax emulsions, which can be used in combination with finishing agents of different ionic properties.

From the dosage form, it can be made into emulsion type or solid emulsified wax.

It can be applied to various kinds of leather finishing, and the leather after finishing has a soft and natural luster, a rich and moist feel, and can improve the friction resistance of the leather surface.

(2) Can be compounded with fatliquor

The effect of fatliquor can be improved and enhanced by compounding a small amount of emulsified wax in fatliquor. It is proved through test that compounding 1%~5% of wax emulsion in leather fatliquor can improve the filling performance of fatliquor, improve the penetration performance of fatliquor in leather fiber, increase the waterproof performance of leather and make leather feel smooth, soft and plump.