Sweating in the hide question and a couple more

So, I tried another couple of hides with MUCH better results at least as far as the smell goes. I think I ended up with a bit of hair slipping on one of the hides but they may have been related to my thawing method.

After the tanning step, my instructions I have say to mix oil and water and paint the hide and let it sweat for 4-6 hrs to absorb the oil. It doesn't say how to keep the hide during this process. Thinking it was a bit like "casing" a vegetable tanned hide for carving and not wanting them to dry out during the process, I stuck them in a plastic bag. Is this ok? Is there a better way to do this?

Also, would there be a problem with thawing the hide directly in the pickle? Take from the freezer and stick in the pickle frozen and then just keep an eye on the PH and stir?

Could an alum and salt pickle be used before a synthetic tan (in place of an acid pickle) or would it cause a bad reaction or keep the hide from talking up the tanning solution?

Thanks!

I don't think being in a bag could harm them at that point. The only potential negative I see is trapped moisture. Hmm... I usually towel-dry my skins before oiling and them leave them out in the open air overnight.

You can take a look at the tanning sections of taxidermy.net to see how much tanners disagree about everything though. :lol: Like rabbits, what works for one person might not work for another. (General disclaimer on all tanning advice! )

I've thawed rabbit skins in a pickle with no trouble, just stirred frequently.
Rabbits are kind of unique when it comes to thawing and tanning due to how thin skinned they are.

Preventing slip starts with removing a clean hide from a clean rabbit asap.
I ALWAYS cool my pelts before rolling them up to freeze them. Because rabbit fur is such a fantastic insulator, balled up hides can stay warm in the middle for a surprising amount of time, especially when wrapped in plastic.

I wouldn't thaw most other animal's pelts directly in an acid pickle for fear some folds would warm up but not have the acid soaked in yet while other parts were still frozen, etc..

Watch the PH, especially a few hours after you put the skins in, and again the next day. After the first 24 hours, pickles usually behave. (for me)

I have no hands on experience using alum as a pickle, but I did find this tidbit of info from a tanner:
http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/Tanning ... 07BCE.html

Alum salts are not compatible with all tanning chemicals and oils since it produces a strong cationic charge. Using any alum salt preceding a anionic tan or oil will produce undesirable physical and chemical conditions. Alum salts should be used only when the tan is compatible. For example, using alum salts prior to or with syntans such as E-Z 100 will produce pink discoloration and a firm leather.

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It's just one person's opinion though...


From some of Bruce Rittels instructions:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... 5367,d.cWw

EZ-100 is compatible with almost all Pickling methods, including Sulphuric, Oxalic, Formic, Citric, White Vinegar and even Alum Pickling. All of them do an excellent job, however I prefer using Saftee-Acid when you want to avoid environmental and personal handling problems.

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It says alum can be used, but it doesn't say whether or not it will have a slightly different effect like the other person seemed to think. I tend to trust Bruce.

__________ Thu Oct 08, 2015 11:58 am __________

Here are some instructions that I was told were his recipes for ez-100 pickles. The logo on the opposite page says Rittels, so I'm pretty sure it's legit.

Thank you so much for all that information.

Building on another post...you have another Zass fan here...