This project is aimed at producing black and brown polish of good quality. For clearity, polish is a substance rubbed on the surface of materials to make them smooth and shiny. Polish has being of immense importance in protecting leather surfaces and enhancing their beauty.
To produce a standard polish, hard waxes such as carnduba wax, candelhla wax and palm wax; semi-hard waxes which include paraffin wax and ozokerite; solvents like tupentine and naphtha; dyes and dryers are essential. In this research project, paraffin wax, turpentine; paraffin oil,. Cobalt and lead dryers, vanish, black and brown pigments were used to obtain the desired result.
The apparatus was set up as can be seen in fig1. Using the measured quantities of the ingredients, the production started with heating to about 90oc to melt the wax and cooling to about 600c. This was preceded by the addition of the solvent, the colorant, dryer and vanish. As this was being done, there was continuous agitation. After obtaining a homogenous mixture, the product was filled into 50ml cans and allowed to cool. The best formulation was obtained from 45.2%, 24%, 21%, 2%, 2%, 2% of turpentine, paraffin wax, paraffin oil, drier, vanish and colorant respectively. The major problem encountered were that of coverage and gloss or surface shine produced by the trial formulations. They were blamed on the particle size of the pigments and the absence of some other ingredients like hard waxes to blend the paraffin wax; and naphtha which could not be found dispite all effort made. Happily, these were reasonably improved by using finer pigments particles and vanish respectively.
From tests and evaluations, the research project was a success with a good produce formulation; importantly, a production. And packaging cost (for the formulation) on fourty one naira, thirty three kobo (N41.30) per 50ml polish content was carried out with the sum of six thousand eight hundred and forty naira (N6, 840.00)