Manipulating indanthrene dye as a colourant for screen printing on indigenous veg-tanned leather in Ghana

Abstract

The Ghanaian indigenous leather industry serves as a source of employment for several people. However, lack of varied colour range for leather artifacts hinders the ability of the craftsmen to enhance the aesthetic value of leather artifacts to satisfy various tastes of customers. The research hinges on the conversion of indanthrene-dye into paste for making screen printing on leather. With cassava starch as a vehicle, the indanthrene-dyes were manipulated in three experiments and printed on vegetable tanned leather. The starch mixed well with the dyes into thick paste which made it possible to print on the grain surface of leather.  Although indanthrene -dye has been known for dyeing fabric, the research has made it applicable for printing on leather. Leatherworkers are therefore presented with another technique of rendering a wide range of colours on leather. This will hopefully boost the economic relevance of the leather  industry both at the local and international markets.