Waterproofing leather solutions

Manufacturing water resistant leather

There is an ongoing high demand for outdoor equipment. Especially for outdoor footwear or other gear, leather is the preferred material. Especially in wet and cold conditions, leather acts as a second breathing skin and maintains a high wearing comfort. Of course, the leather is in that case required to be water resistant and:

ensure water does not penetrate and reaches the skin
allows for high water vapor permeability and if possible reversible water up-take
insulate against heat and cold

How to simplify the process?

First of all, it is about obtaining high-quality water-resistant leather. The process of making the leather waterproof matters just as much. How can we simplify the process, use less water and lower the environmental impact? With our product portfolio of water resistance chemicals for retanning, wet end and finishing stages Royal Smit & Zoon offers a complete range to optimize your waterproof leather recipe.

Water resistant products

Wet End solutions

Water repellent leather provides showerproof limited water resistance, which is often achieved through surface coating using finishing products. Water repellency is also created by water resistance on the leather fibers via hydrophobic fatliquors.

Solutions
Synthol RW-New	Emulsified synthetic oils Adds genuine body and roundness to the leather A medium grain tightness with soft handle
Synthol EW 321	Emulsified synthetic oils A full to very full, medium hard to hard handle All types of leather, especially tested on the Bally method
Synthol DS 600	A synthetic polymer-based hydrophobing fatliquor Both Bally and Maeser method Fulfils highest water resistance requirements
Aguastop PS 210	A synthetic polymer-based hydrophobing fatliquor All types of leather both Bally and Maeser method Fulfils highest water resistance requirements

Finishing solutions

Solutions
Aguastop W200	Fluorine-free waterproofing agent in water dispersion Applied by spraying on suede and nubuck crust Improves both water-drop and spray test fastness
Aguastop S 10	Fluorine-free waterproof agent solvent- based Solvent-based waterproof finishing agent without fluorinated compounds developed to improve the resistance to water Improves both Spray test and waterdrop fastness
Basemask 5566	Special pre-ground to support Finishing for water resistant leather Particularly developed for leather-goods, nappa, shoe-upper and garment It regularize the absorption of Finishing on the crust
Dukoil 29	Special oil environmentally friend designed for water-proof article. It impart a light pull-up effect and give an elegant waxy/greasy feel It keep unchanged physical properties of the crust and it can also improve already existing crust’s water repellency
Dukoil WP	Designed product for strong pull-up articles on water-proof leathers It improve physical properties and it do not highlight crust defects It impart a very nice waxy feeling
Wax 52-54	Blend of paraffine suitable for any kind of crust. Applied by hot roller coating machine, it impart an extremely clean and hard pull-up effect. Does not reduce water-proofing properties of the crust
Wax 50-52	Blend of paraffine suitable for any kind of crust Applied by hot roller coater machine and ironed at 120° C, it impart a shining look with a good sealing effect
Dukoil T3	Water based emulsion of synthetic waxes Impart a nice pull-up effect in free-solvent solutions Excellent masking of small/medium crust’s defects
Smitbase 5586	Special compound designed for water-proof corrected grain articles It show a nice natural look and high water drop resistance It do not affect water-proofing performances of the crust

Download our Water Resistance Booklet

With our product portfolio of water resistant chemicals for retanning, wet end and finishing stages we offer a complete range to optimize your waterproof leather recipe.

How to make high-quality waterproof leather?

Making waterproof leather is much more than choosing the right fatliquor, this is actually the easiest part. The key is found in the right processes, like running times, temperature control, washing and polyvalent metal fixing.

In the whitepaper “Waterproof Leather” Royal Smit & Zoon is diving in the many different parameters that influence good waterproof leather.

Download the whitepaper