Tried Tanning...Smell?

This is a question I've been meaning to ask for a while now. I tried tanning some fryer hides a while back just for practice. I got through the pickle stage and to the tanning stage just fine. I used citric acid for the pickle and EZ-Tan for the tan and kept a close watch on the PH.

The smell was very unpleasant. I had no hair slip just couldn't stand the smell. Not really a rotten smell but definitely not a good smell. Like I said, I had no hair slip so I don't think it was rot? I ended up throwing everything out.

Any ideas why things smells so bad? Was this just the way the EZ-Tan smells? If so I think I need to try a different method. Smells in general don't bother me. I keep a box of dermestid beetles so I am used to a bit of smell...

I tend to be very sensitive to odors.
So I think, for a tan(any tan) to smell so strongly, something must be off.

Which part was stinky, the pickle, or the tan/oil step ?

The neatsfoot based tanning oils have a strong smell that fades after a few days.

If people describe an odor at all with syn tanned skins, it's usually playdough-like.

It was the tan step.

This is the tutorial I followed

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.ph ... 668.0.html

It is dated 2007.

This is the EZ-tan I ordered. I was a bit disappointed that it shipped without any instructions whatsoever. I guess I should have ordered the KIT first.

I believe you would certainly know it if was the skins starting to turn.
So I'd guess it's the neatsfoot oil you are reacting to.
It can be strong, though it does fade considerable after a few days, you would have that smell right under your nose while breaking the skins.
If you find it really offensive, you might have to switch to a tanning agent that doesn't have the oil already mixed in it.

I've played with olive oil ( applied mixed with water and a drop of oil soap to emulsify.) Not much odor there, and I've liked the results.
I'm not sure what the long term affects on the leather would be since it's usually used for veg-tanned saddle leather and other tack parts instead of pelts, but it certainly makes for a supple skin.

There are also petroleum based oils that can be used for tanning, they might not be as strong as the neatsfoot based oils that are the industry standard, but they tend to damage the leather more over time.

__________ Mon Oct 05, 2015 1:26 pm __________

Oh wait, :slap: I was thinking quik-n-eze(the brush on with the oil mixed in), not ez-100.

The tanning phase of Ez-100 shouldn't have much scent at all. :?

My kids only start complaining when I have freshly oiled pelts lying around. :lol: They never seem to notice the pickle or tan stages.

This was the powered tanning solution I was using not the liquid. I left the link out in my reply. http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Tanning ... l's+EZ-Tan

I don't think neatsfoot oil would bother me. I've used it saddles and never thought it was unpleasant.

I may just have to try again and see how it goes. It's possible I miss measured something somewhere.

Yeah, that came to me, eventually. I was correcting my post above. <br /><br /> __________ Mon Oct 05, 2015 1:50 pm __________ <br /><br /> I'll tan something too, and check for odors.

I was rereading the instructions and I didn't salt the hides just defrosted them and put them in the pickle. Would that have caused it? I was careful to keep the correct PH in the pickle.

alforddm":16ja8yg8 said:

I was rereading the instructions and I didn't salt the hides just defrosted them and put them in the pickle. Would that have caused it? I was careful to keep the correct PH in the pickle.

Click to expand...

Not unless something was off about the hides already.
Took too long to freeze or too long to thaw, thawed in a warm place, etc.

Not usually a problem with rabbit pelts.

I rarely ever salt rabbit skins because they are so thin they pickle almost instantly.

Salting really helps draw the water out of heavier skinned animals, or in situations without a freezer, but it's entirely possible to tan without that step.

I dunno, salt is one of those things tanners tend to argue about. :lol:

__________ Mon Oct 05, 2015 2:36 pm __________

EZ-tan. Hmm... I've never actually used that.
I wasn't aware that there was just an EZ-tan and assumed you meant something else.
I always use the EZ-100 formula, and the instructions you posted say EZ-tan and then EZ-100. Is it the same thing??


This might require further research. <br /><br /> __________ Mon Oct 05, 2015 2:40 pm __________ <br /><br /> I think it's the same thing.

http://www.taxidermyarts.com/p-4022-ez-tan-ez-100.aspx

I had to go look at the bag but it says EZ-Tan. I emailed F&T Fur Traders and they sent me the instructions. They said in the email

Attached is a copy of the Rittel's EZ 100 Tanning
instructions which are the same instructions for the EZ Tan.

Click to expand...

So, if they aren't the same they are very similar.

The instructions they sent me double the amount of tanning agent to use vs the instructions I found on the internet. That could very well have been the problem.

I've got some hides defrosting now so we'll see how it goes. What is the best way to defrost the hides btw? I've got them in cold water. Should I be using salt water?

Salt water is better than unsalted water.

Placing them in the refrigerator overnight (like is recommended for thawing meat) is another good way.

:clover: :clover: :clover: :clover: :clover: :clover:

I hope it works out better for you this time.

Thanks so much for all the help Zass.