AMB 325 fabric is characterised by the brightness of its colours and their light fastness.  It is incredibly wear-resistant and remains attractive even with intensive use. AMB 325 is highly resistant to abrasion and does not bleed onto other textiles. AMB 325 is easy to clean and dries quickly. It is crease-resistant and retains its shape after washing.

Stains can be easily removed with conventional washing methods and products. Moreover, it is very economical in terms of its care: in comparison to other textiles, less water and less detergent are required in order to clean it.

Washing :

Small machines (without a separate compartment) with a load capacity of under 18kg are most suitable. Load the drum to 1/3 of its capacity.

Washing procedure

1. First wash

• Water temperature: up to 30°C
• Additives: 20-35 g/kg of anionic detergent
• Time: 5 - 10 minutes
• Intermediate rinse
• If the curtains are heavily soiled, an intermediate rinse is recommended, with the addition of 10ml/kg of sodium hydroxide solution (15%).

1. Second wash

• Water temperature: normal wash: 30 - 40°C
• Spin: Gentle, up to 30-50% residual humidity
• Drying and pressing: hang out the items as soon as the wash cycle has ended. Tumble drying is possible. The load ratio must be no less than 1:40 (corresponding to 1/3 of the usual load); dry at a temperature of 80°C then keep the drum running until the load is fully cooled.

As soon as they are removed from the drum the items must be hung up or spread out without any folds. Where curtains have been stored for a lengthy period, steaming or pressing may prove necessary.

The four rules :

1. Treat any stains as quickly as possible as time accentuates penetration of the product into the leather.
2. Systematically conduct a test on a hidden part of the leather and wait until the stain-removal product applied has fully dried before extending it to the rest.
3. If the stain is discrete, it can sometimes be better not to try to make it disappear and instead wait for it to fade away over time.
4. Do not apply the care product or stain remover directly onto the leather, but on a cloth, which you will use to apply the product to the leather, rubbing the product in.

Instructions on how to deal with each of the following situations :

• GREASY STAINS : Rapidly absorb as much of the stain as possible with kitchen paper and apply a small amount of talc to the stain to absorb the rest of the stain. Leave to dry then apply a cream. Once dry, polish.

• INK : Rub the ink using a softly cloth soaked in lemon juice. Leave to dry and wax the leather with a cream. The ink will then have faded but is difficult to remove completely, particularly on light-coloured leather.

• BALLPOINT PEN : Rub the marks very gently using a cloth soaked in white spirit or alcohol. If the pen marks come off, so does the leather's colouring. The leather must be waxed with a cream or a coloured wax.

• WATER : Wipe immediately and leave to dry. If a water mark remains, polish after applying a cream.

• COFFEE, Tea : Clean the stains with warm, soapy water, rinse and apply a cream once the leather has dried completely, then polish.

• WINE, ALCOHOL : Stains initially hard to reabsorb due to the presence of tannins. Absorb as much of the stain as possible with kitchen roll, then clean with soapy or vinegary water, rinse and leave to dry.

• BLOOD : It is important not to attempt to clean a blood stain with hot water. Try to remove it with saline solution, which will simply cause it to fade but not disappear entirely.

• SYRUP, JAM  : Absorb as much of the stain as possible, then clean the soiled area with warm, soapy water and leave to dry. Wax and polish.

FAA Advisory Circular 25.853-1, "Flammability or Aircraft Seat Cushions," Sections5d[1] et [2]

“ (1) Similar, as used in paragraph (a)(3), refers to dress covering materials having the same material composition, weave style, and weight. Material blends can be considered similar when the constituent materials fractions are the same, ±6 percent, as the tested material. Examples of different weave styles include plain, jacquard, or velvet. With regard to weight, lighter fabrics are generally more critical than heavier fabrics. Due to the severe shrinking and unpredictable distortion experienced by leather dress cover materials, similarity approvals for leather are not recommended.

(2) Certification by similarity to previously tested dress covers should be Iimited to instances where the material composition is the same and the weight and weave type are essentially the same. In all cases, results of the Bunsen burner test per FAR 25.853(b) for the new material should be equal to or better with respect to burn length than the tested material. In addition, it may be useful to evaluate the weight loss and burn length results of the oil burner test to determine if the tested material is a good basis for similarity; that is, the closer weight loss and burn length with the oil burner are to the maximum allowed, the more alike the dress covering materials should be for similarity. In general, test data and resultant experience gained from conducting tests should also be a major source of information to determine if approval by similarity is acceptable.”

Can Similarity testing be conducted on a fabric ?

C.f. What is a similarity test ?

When using a new product as part of an application, following the conditions described by the standard, the lining does not need to be subject to the set of mandatory fire-safety tests. The component must, however, be subject to simple Bunsen-burner testing in order to analyse the lengths burnt, which must be less than or equal to those of the material identified as being the most critical during initial certification.

Can Similarity testing be conducted on leather ?

C.f. What is a similarity test ?

Leather working procedures induce several factors (e.g. tanning, dyeing, fireproofing) likely to adversely affect testing to a significant degree. Generally speaking, experience tends to demonstrate that leather's capacity to shrink and stretch makes it difficult to predict its precise behaviour.

Its reaction is therefore less predictable than that of fabric, and to date similarity tests have not proved exploitable and have not been conducted.

FULL-GRAIN LEATHER : Non-corrected leather that has conserved the outer part of the hide, the grain.

CORRECTED LEATHER: Leather that has undergone sanding by an abrasive cylinder in order to remove surface imperfections.

PIGMENTED LEATHER: Leather that has been covered by opaque spraying, giving it its colour, reducing imperfections and giving it its technical properties and resistance to wear and light.

PURE-ANILINE LEATHER: Transparent finish on full-grain leather with no imperfections, gives leather a natural appearance.

SEMI-ANILINE LEATHER: Between aniline and pigmented leather, this leather is first pigmented then covered with a transparent film.

TANNING: Process to prevent leather from rotting, generally conducted using bromine salts.

DYEING: Operation that gives leather its colour and thickness.

FINISHING: Spraying of pigment onto the leather's surface in order to give it its final leather colour and assure its protection.

EMBOSSING: Application of an embossed pattern onto the leather by means of a press or a cylinder.

DRY MILLING: Wrinkling of the leather in a drum to give it a natural appearance and its softness.

The leather hides should be unpacked within 15 days after delivery, deposed on easels and stored at ordinary temperature / humidity and protected from light.