Degras

Description

A thick, smelly Grease extracted from Wool with solvent. Degras is the main source for the production of Lanolin. Another type of degras, known as moellon degras, is the excess oxidized oil that is pressed out of Chamois leather after its treatment with Cod liver oil. Both types of degras are Hygroscopic. They are used for leather conditioning, belt dressing, printing inks, and specialty soaps.

Synonyms and Related Terms

suarda (Esp.); suintina (Esp.); cod oil; wool grease; tanning grease; leather grease; moellon degras

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Soluble in ethanol, trichloroethylene.
• Density = 0.932-0.945 g/ml

Resources and Citations

• Thomas Gregory, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 880

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

• American Leather Chemists Association Glossary at www.leatherchemists.org