Motorcycle Leather Tanning-are we there yet?

December 19, 2011 / Lee / No comments

Motorcycle Leather Tanning

When we were kids on a road trip with our parents, it seemed we would never “get there”!! So I am sure my readers are having the same feelings concerning “the tanning of leather”. But, that is why all leather race suits are not alike! Attention to detail is what sets Komodo Gear (www.komodogear.com) apart from other manufactories of racing leathers.
So, let’s continue on with the final chapter in the transformation of hide into Komodo Gear quality leather. Chromium (III) sulfate ([Cr (H2O) 6]2(SO4)3) has long been regarded as the most efficient and effective tanning agent. Chromium(III) sulfate dissolves to give the hexaaquachromium(III) cation, [Cr(H2O)6]3+, which at higher pH undergoes processes called olation to give polychromium(III) compounds that are active in tanning, being the cross-linking of the collagen subunits. Some ligands include the sulfate anion, the collagen’s carboxyl groups, amine groups from the side chains of the amino acids, as well as “masking agents.” Masking agents are carboxylic acids, such as acetic acid, used to suppress formation of polychromium(III) chains. Masking agents allow the tanner to further increase the pH to increase collagen’s reactivity without inhibiting the penetration of the chromium (III) complexes. Depending on the finish desired, the hide may be waxed, rolled, lubricated, injected with oil, split, shaved and, of course, dyed.
The first stage is the preparation for tanning. The second stage is the actual tanning and other chemical treatment. The third stage, known as retanning, applies retanning agents and dyes to the material to provide the physical strength and properties desired depending on the end product. The fourth and final stage, known as finishing, is used to apply finishing material to the surface or finish the surface without the application of any chemicals if so desired.
Whew! We are finally “there”. “We got leather”! By making sure each step in leather making is carried out properly, Komodo Gear assures that the foundation of our race suits is sound. The quality of our leather is reflected in the safety and durability of ever motorcycle leather race suit we produce!

The Relationship Connection to the Addiction of Motorcycle Racing

December 18, 2011 / komodo / No comments

Addiction of Motorcycle Racing

Addiction of Motorcycle Racing - What better time than Christmas to reflect on the gifts you have received over the course of your life. When you look at your life in totality, the “crap” and “fluff” tend to blow away like the chaff in a wheat field. The new bike you “lusted after”, that larger trailer that would make “life at the track” so much sweeter, the “championship” that would validate who you are, all seem less important as we think about “our life” as a whole.

Most of you know that I am not a racer. In fact, I had never owned a motorcycle until I became a part of KOMODO (www.komodogear.com)! But I love motorcycle racing, because I have grown to love the people who race! You guys are a bunch of crazy dudes, but undoubtedly the nicest group of people I have ever been around. The company Komodo Gear was established to be a “defiantly different” company not only in the construction of leather race suits and protective gear, but in the way we responded to our customers. A component of being “defiantly different” is to be trackside were we can get to know the racers that are using our racing protective gear and establish relationships that will foster honest feedback as to what we are doing right as well as where we can improve. As I have traveled throughout the United States so that Komodo Gear will be “track side”, the terrain changed, but the people did not! At each new track I visited, I found the same type of people; fierce competitors, devoted friends!

I never cease to be amazed and inspired by the common sight on any race weekend, of racers “smack talking” each other before a race, aggressively battling one another on the track during the race, and immediately after that race; those same two racers feverishly helping each other get their bikes ready for another race! I am not a physiologist, but I am suspicious that the “need for speed” addiction that fuels the sport of motorcycle racing, is itself fueled by the friendships created in the paddock!

Beamhouse Operations

December 5, 2011 / Lee / No comments

Beamhouse Operations

Bet you never thought you would ever see the title of “Beamhouse Operations” on a Motorcycle blog. But remember, in our discussion of how Komodo Gear produces the “safest race suit on the planet” we were discussing the “tanning process” of leather and I told you there was a series of steps in the process, collectively called, the “beamhouse operations”.
They include, in order, soaking, liming, removal of extraneous tissues (unhairing, scudding, and fleshing), deliming, bating (including puering), drenching, and pickling. To have safest race suit, each step is critical in creating the best leather
In the process known as soaking, the hides are soaked in clean water to remove the salt left over from curing and increase the moisture so that the hide or skin can be further treated. After soaking, the hides and skins are taken for liming: treatment with milk of lime (a basic agent) that may involve the addition of “sharpening agents” (disulfide reducing agents) like sodium sulfide, cyanides, amines etc. The objectives of this operation are mainly to remove the hairs, some of the soluble proteins like mucins; and remove the natural grease and fats to some extent bringing the collagen in the hide to a proper condition for satisfactory tannage. Komodo Gear (www.komodogear.com) makes sure each step is followed closely to assure highest quality.
Unhairing agents used at this time are: Sodium sulfide, sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrosulfite, calcium hydrosulfide, dimethyl amine, and Sodium sulfhydrate. The majority of hair is then removed mechanically, initially with a machine and then by hand using a dull knife, a process known as scudding
The pH of the collagen is brought down to a lower level so that enzymes may act on it, in a process is known as deliming. Depending on the end use of the leather, hides may be treated with enzymes to soften them, a process called bating.
Once bating is complete, the hides and skins are treated with a mixture of common (table) salt and sulfuric acid, in case a mineral tanning is to be done. This is done to bring down the pH of collagen to a very low level so as to facilitate the penetration of mineral tanning agent into the substance. This process is known as pickling. The common salt (sodium chloride) penetrates the hide twice as fast as the acid and checks the ill effect of sudden drop of pH. By close attention to detail, Komodo Gear assures the hides used for a Komodo Gear motorcycle race suit give the maximum protection possible.

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