Alphabetical Search

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Fade (v); fading	Lose shade or intensity of colour. Note: Through exposure to light.
Fading - colour	General loss of colour to the surface. Note: Through exposure to light.
Fading to light	Loss of colour of a surface through exposure to natural or artificial light.
Fancy leather	Leather for the manufacture of smaller leather articles, such as purses, wallets, portfolios; includes morocco, pinseal, sheep leathers.
Fashion colour	Colour or range of colours of seasonal duration, promoted as fashion trend.
Fastness	General term to meet required properties for different leather types like fastness to cleaning, fastness to water spotting, fastness to dry and wet rubbing etc.
Fat	Natural mixture of triglycerides of middle and long-chained fatty acids. Usually, fats, also known as lipids, are solids at ambient temperature and oils are liquids.
Fat content	The amount of fat in a material.
Fat soluble dyestuff	Dyestuff soluble in fat.
Fat tannage	Tannage by treatment with soft animal fats which undergo chemical changes in contact with the skin fibre, leading to the fixation of fatty matter.
Fatigue	Failure of a material by cracking or breaking resulting from repeated or cyclic stress.
Fatliquor (v); fatliquoring	Introduce oil into leather, normally by drumming it with an oil-in-water emulsion, to provide lubrication to the leather.
Fatliquor soap	Soap produced as a result of the reaction of saponifiable fatty matter in leather with alkaline liquors.
Fatting	Application, in liquid or solid state, of oils, fats and waxes to leather.
Fatty acid	Organic monobasic acid derived from the series of aliphatic hydrocarbons; examples are palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid.
Fatty alcohol	More or less water insoluble monohydric alcohol with a medium number of carbon atoms, 12 or more, and especially those derived from the ester waxes. Note: Ester waxes such as cetyl alcohol, C16H33OH.
Fatty alcohol sulphate tannage	Treatment with alkyl sulphate or alkylene sulphate in the acid region.
Fatty matter	Oils, fats and waxes and similar substances present in a material, that can be extracted from animal skins and leather by organic solvents such as dichloromethane.
Fatty spue	Material that, once in the leather is later expressed to the surface by mechanical, physical or chemical means. Fatty spue is generally a powdery spue, derived from natural fat or from fatty matter used to lubricate the leather.
Fatty stain	Mottled discolouration due to migration of natural fat to the surface of the hide or skin.
Feather dyeing	Application of a dye solution to the extreme tips of guard hairs, with a single wing feather of a swan, goose or turkey, etc.
Feel	Sensation felt by touching or handling a leather. For example, soft, smooth, thick, flexible, etc.
Feel improver	Finish agent used to improve the impression of physical properties of leather like smoothness, flexibility etc.
Fellmongery	Establishment where wool is removed from woolled sheepskins, usually by painting. The washed and dried wool and the limed, delimed, bated and pickled pelts being sold separately.
Felt	Compressed, densely matted unwoven fabric of wool, sometimes with rayon or hair.
Felting	Condition of wool fibres which have become interlocked and matted by means of their outer scales. One usual cause when processing fine wool skins is too much agitation in the process vessel.
Fermentation	Any process involving the mass culture of micro-organisms, either aerobic or anaerobic. When dealing with waste, it refers to composting or biomethanisation.
Fibre	Extremely long, fine, pliable, cohesive, natural or manufactured threadlike material. Note: Fibre of collagen, wool, cotton, nylon, etc.
Fibre bundle	Collection of more or less parallel fibres such as collagen fibres, somehow bound together.
Fibre fullness	Term describing the actual diameter of the collagen fibres in pelt or leather in relation to the diameter which could, or should, be achieved.
Fibre pattern	Fibre pattern is the internal structure of the hide or skin as exposed under the microscope, such as the arrangement of the fibrils, fibres and fibre bundles in a hide or skin as shown, for example, by a vertical section through it. See: Collagen; dermis; structural features.
Fibre weave	The way in which the fibres or fibre bundles in the dermis appear, in a vertical section through it, to be interlaced or assembled to form a sheet. See: Compactness; structural features.
Fibril	One of the minute threadlike elements of a natural or synthetic fibre.
Fibrous protein	Insoluble protein, occurring naturally in the form of fibres built up of macromolecules arranged more or less along the fibre axis and consisting of groups of helical polypeptide chains, held together parallel to each other. Note: Collagen, keratin and elastin.
Filler	A material used to fill the interstices of leather.
Filling agent	Finish agent mostly used for splits and buffed grain leather to improve fullness, pleasing handle and improve the surface appearance of the leather.
Filling property	Ability of a finish agent to achieve desired filling effects for a leather.
Film former	Material incorporated in a finish to form a film on evaporation of the solvent. Note: Casein, nitrocellulose, polyacrylates.
Film formation	Ability of a finish preparation to form a film on evaporation of the solvents or water. Depending on the binders used in the film-forming material, a wide range of effects and properties of the leather may be obtained.
Film properties	Properties of a finish film such as flexibility, smoothness, gloss, handle, etc.
Film spreading	Ability of a film-forming finish preparation to flow out over the surface of a leather.
Film transfer finish	Finish coat is applied by means of transfer films. The transfer films are manufactured by lamination of different coloured aluminium bronzes at high temperatures. Mainly used for gold and silver leather.
Film-forming properties	Ability of a film-forming material incorporated in a finish preparation to achieve desired film-forming.
Filter bag	Air filter to remove dust.
Filter press	Filter comprising a set of vertical, juxtaposed recessed plates, pressed hard against each other by hydraulic jacks at the end of the set. Filter clothes are applied to the two grooved surfaces of the plates. The sludge to be filtered arrives under pressure in the filtration chamber through orifices generally in the centre of the plates. Solid sludge gradually accumulates in the filtration chamber until the final compacted cake is formed. Cakes are discharged by separation of the plates.
Filter bell	Glass container, more or less shaped as a bell, used in some analytical methods, for example in vegetable tannins analysis.
Fine grain	Leather whose grain is smooth and the hair follicles are minute. See: Fine-pored leather.
Fine hair, (short)	Short hair as is possessed by rats.
Fineness of wool	Degree of wool quality. Smooth wool, with no impurities or coarseness. Wool of high quality. See: Wool count.
Fine-pored leather	Leather whose grain shows fine and regular hair follicle design.
Finish (v); finishing	Treatments applied to the tanned hide or skin to give it the desired properties as a commercial product, such as  bleaching, degreasing, dyeing, retanning, introduction of grease, mechanical treatments applied to the wet or dried leather and finally the treatment of the leather surface with pigmented finishes and seasons. In the narrower sense limited to those treatments designed to enhance the appearance and/or give the grain or flesh surface special properties.
Finish adhesion	Measure of the ability of a film of finish to resist being pulled away from the surface of the leather to which it is being applied.
Finish cracks	Cracking of the finish is generally a lack of flexibility in the finish film.
Finish pinhole	Small openings in the finish, especially a pigment coat, are generally due to grain imperfections that the finish cannot fill or cover.
Finish runs	Finish runs tend to occur when applying a heavy coat of finish and moving the skins to the hanging area too quickly. The finish then runs down the surface of the leather before it has time to set.
Finishing auxiliary	Additional agent used in a finish to achieve desired properties or requirements of a finished leather.
Finishing formulation	Finish of a leather can vary greatly depending on the purpose of the leather. To achieve the desired properties and requirements, the different finish coats are mixtures and combinations of various finishing agents and components set out in a finishing formulation.
Finishing line	Installation for the continuous finishing of leather comprising such operations as roller coating, intermediate drying and spray finishing with additional final drying. The leather is transported by conveyors to or from and/or through the various machines or installations.
Finishing recipe	Statement of the amounts of the various finishing agents used in a finishing formulation as well as instructions for the application processes like temperature, time etc. The finishing recipe is put down in writing to ensure reproducible leather quality later on.
Firm grain	Leather with a tight fibre and grain structure.
Firmness	Property of a material being able to resist bending and other forces.
Fish eye	Fish eyes are small areas that resist wetting when the finish and subsequent coats are applied. The cause can be when too much anti-foam agent is used and/or when small particles are present in the anti-foam agent.
Fix (v); fixing	Convert loosely held or water soluble material in leather, such as dye or vegetable tannin, into firmly held or water insoluble form by chemical and/or physical processes.
Fixation	a)    Conversion of loosely held, or water-soluble, material in leather into a firmly held, or water-insoluble form. b)    Fixation of a base coat on the leather surface or the fixation of a finish coat onto another finish coat.
Fixed tannin	Tannin fixed by hide substance in a form more or less resistant to the action of water; calculated from the composition of leather as the difference from 100 of the sum of the percentages of moisture, ash, grease, hide substance and organic water-soluble matter.
Fixing agent	Additional agents or additives are used to achieve sufficient fixation of finish coats depending on the type of finish used. Note: Aldehyde, acetic acid and/or chromium (III) salts, modified melamine compounds.
Fixing bath	Bath or liquor, that contains fixing agents and chemicals, to be fixed onto a material.
Flame retardant	Is used to denote a compound or mixture of compounds that when added to, or incorporated into, a polymer serves to slow up or hinder the ignition or growth of fire.
Flammable	Product or preparation which may catch fire after contact with a source of ignition. Types are identified when: a)   they heat up and finally start burning in contact with air at        normal temperature without any external energy supply, b)   they can start burning in solid condition after the source has been taken away, c)   they have a flash point below 21 °C in liquid condition, d)   they form in gaseous condition an explosive mixture with air at normal pressure, e)   they create in contact with water or wet air highly flammable gases, and f)    product or preparation has a flash point below 0 °C and a boiling point of 35 °C or below. See: Flash point.
Flank	1. Part of the hide that covers the belly and the upper part of the legs of the animal (shanks). 2. Leather made from 1. 3. The position of a hide or skin corresponding to the definition of bellies. Note: Fig. A; e. in ICT Glossary of Leather Terms.
Flash point	Minimum temperature at which, under specified conditions, a liquid gives off sufficient flammable gas to produce a flash on application of an ignition source.
Flay - (Butchers)	Flay is a cut in the flesh side of the hide or skin made by the butcher when removing the skin from the carcass.
Flay (v); flaying	Process of removing the hide or skin from a dead animal.
Flaying knife	Knife for flaying animals having a rounded and curved end, designed to minimise flaying cuts on hides and skins.
Fleck	Small areas of grain loss caused by ectoparasite infestation. Fleck in suedes is generally caused by blood vessels that do not dye properly. See: Light spot.
Fleece	Totality of the hair and wool fibres on the whole skin of a fur animal.
Flesh (v); fleshing	Process of cutting away the subcutaneous tissues, or flesh, from inner side of a hide or skin.
Flesh finish	Finish which is applied to the flesh side of leather. Mainly used if the flesh side is visible in the final product, but also used to seal the flesh side of saddlery and harness leathers.
Flesh side	The inner side of a hide or skin which was in contact with the animal’s body.
Flesh split	The innermost layer of a hide or skin, obtained by splitting into two or more layers.
Fleshing damage	Damage can be caused by a mechanical fleshing machine if, for example, hides are infested with dung. The dung causes uneven thickness in the hides causing the fleshing machine to gouge the flesh. Poor trimming prior to fleshing can cause damage as long shanks get caught in the machine. See: Chatter marks.
Fleshing knife, (flexible)	Long, more or less flexible, straight, two-handled knife, with one or both edges sharpened, used for cutting away the subcutaneous tissues, or flesh, from hides or skins laid over the beam.
Fleshings	Small pieces of connective and adipose tissues cut from the inner surface of hides and skins in the fleshing operation.
Flesh-to-flesh	Hides or skins piled on each other with their flesh sides in contact.
Flex (v); flexing	Measure of the ability of leather to bend through a considerable angle more or less easily without damage. Note:  Bally flexometer which measures the ability to withstand repeated flexing to and fro without damage.
Flexibility	Quality or state of being able to be flexed or bent repeatedly.
Flexible	Responsive to change; adaptable. Also, term used to describe pliable and supple leathers.
Flexometer	Instrument to measure the flexibility of materials.
Flip over	Occurs in a spraying machine or its drying tunnel where the edge of a piece of leather folds over on itself and the wet finish adheres, leaving a dull mark. Generally applies to light leathers and can be overcome by adjusting the air movement within the spraying machine and drying tunnel.
Float	Simple level detection system for reservoir, basin or tanks. Also refers to the aqueous liquor in which a process such as pickling or tanning is performed.
Flocculation	Process following the coagulation. Agglomeration of destabilised particles into microfloc, and later into bulky floccules which when settled are called floc. The introduction of a reagent called a flocculant or a flocculant aid may promote the formation of the floc.
Flotation	Treatment stage consisting of bringing to the surface any solids suspended in the water with the help of gaseous microbubbles. The scum thus produced is then removed by skimming.
Flow	Poor flow is characterised by a patchy appearance to the finish which has been applied. It is caused by poor film formation generally due to poor wettability of the leather.
Flow-improver	Additive to finish formulations to assist wetting the leather surface and improve flow out of the finish. Surface wetting problems during finishing often occur with water repellent leathers, fatty substances, or the drying processes such as vacuum or paste drying.
Fluff (v); fluffing	Abrading the flesh side of dry leather with a rotating pumice or carborundum wheel to give it a nap and a level substance. See: Dry wheeling, Buff (v); buffing.
Fluffing wheel	A revolving wheel, formerly of pumice, but now either narrow and wooden or papier mâché, with a crown dressed with emery or carborundum powder, or wide and barrel-shaped of emery or carborundum, used to cleanse the flesh side of, or give a nap to, respectively dry or damp leather.
Fluidised bed	ISO 6107-4 : “ A bed of small particles freely suspended by an upward flow of liquid, gas or combined liquid and gas ”. It is a possible technique for waste incineration.
Foam	Scum layer of varying thickness on the surface of the effluent treatment tank.
Foaming	1.         Development of foam during mixing or stirring of a finish formulation. 2.         Necessary condition of the finish preparation used for the application of foam finishes.
Fog (v); fogging	1. In the context of the leather industry, this is the tendency of the leather (or other materials) to release materials that are able to  form a fog, or mist, on a surface such as glass. This is particularly applicable to the automotive industry and the fogging of car windscreens and windows. 2. Fogging test - Test to evaluate the tendency of a leather (or other material) to release material able to fog a surface, for example a glass or a windscreen.
Folding resistance	Property of a leather to be folded without any damage.
Formaldehyde	Organic compound sometimes used in leather processing and finishing. This product is being replaced by other aldehydes and alternative products.
Formaldehyde tannage	Tannage with formaldehyde, H.CHO, is no longer performed; formaldehyde has been replaced by glutaraldehyde or modified glutaraldehyde.
Frame dried	Designates a hide or skin dried whilst stretched on a frame.
Frame dryer	Cabinet or throughfeed drying unit with frames to which the leather is fixed to corrosion resistant, perforated metal plates by means of special clamps (toggles).
Free acid	Acid not bound to other chemicals, such as the fatty acids split by hydrolysis (chemical or enzymatic) from triglycerides (fats or oils).
Free formaldehyde	Formaldehyde content in a leather or other material, determined with or without physical or chemical treatment of the sample.
Free water	Water contained in the interstices of a material, none being held to it by chemical or physical forces. See: Bound water; set (v); setting-out; samm (v); samming; dry (v); drying.
Fresh hide	Uncured hide, within such a short period after flaying from a freshly slaughtered animal so that it has not suffered from autolytic or microbiological changes.
Fresh lime liquor	Lime liquor through which no hides or skins have passed.
Frigorifico	Hides from South America, particularly Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, which are cured by the Frigorifico method. In this cure, the skins are washed in brine and then placed in the salt pack.