New launches from Stahl

A new black casein binder has been introduced by Stahl Europe to produce a very natural looking deep jet black. This black casein binder, BI-22-103, is anionic but may also be used in formulations using the Stahl range of cationic finishing products. Fashion trends are demanding natural looking, highly polished and glazed leathers and BI-22-103 Jet Black completes the range of casein binders that also includes both medium and hard, highly transparent binders such as BI-13-116 and BI-13-126. Three new aqueous top coat products are now available. WT-22-104 is a water-based top coat which gives a highly attractive look and produces a very natural feel. Because of its unique polishable properties, it can be applied on all kinds of leather and then smooth plated or lightly polished to obtain a natural grain differential between the tip and the valley. In contrast, WT-54-602 is a water-based acrylic top coat that can be used to give a bright natural effect having a casein look and a natural handle and appearance. The resulting finish will resist water spotting and swelling of the grain upon exposure to water. The third new product is crosslinker XR-13-436, which has been developed to overcome the inherent problem of tacky feel of the finish when using an isocyanate based crosslinking mechanism. Replacing the conventional isocyanate crosslinker with XR-13-436 in any formulation provides a definite advantage when piling leather due to the blocking resistance of the dried film. There are also two new auxiliaries from Stahl Europe: WR-22-409 is a water repellent agent which can be incorporated into formulations to assist in producing water resistant finishes or for finishes for leathers that need to be resistant to machine washing. It gives a soft feel and a natural touch. When making leathers that require water spot resistance, such as those for high quality leathergoods, WR-22-409 will help to prevent swelling of the grain upon exposure to water. The second is a new nubuck spray, VF-22-485, which gives a soft feel to the velour surface of the leather. Its use on nubuck maintains the natural character and appearance and retains the softness of the nappa which is essential in this type of application.