Mixing formaldahyde and glycerin

[Skife]

I have always bought my velvet injection from a local mortician.  I do have a customer who has a gallon of formaldahyde and a gallon of glycerin.  Anyone have a recipie for mixing the two to make my own solution?  Suggestions would be great.

Also, yes i know the dangers of formaldahyde.  I have just never been comfortable using other methods.  So I get out the suit/goggles/respirator/gloves and go to work. 

[John C]

Why the glycerin?  I have never used that, just straight formaldahyde and it works everytime. never had a failure with it. just wear saftey glasses and do it out side and rubber gloves.

[joeym]

If you are injecting, glycerine helps reduce shrinkage.  1:1 of Formaldehyde:Glycerine is my formula for injecting bird feet.

[John Bellucci]

I just noticed this post.  Glycerine not only reduces shrinkage as joyem states, but it also prevents the Formaldehyde making what is preserved with it from becoming too brittle.  It insures there will be some "plumpness" to the antler velvet, albeit an artificial plumpness.  In turn the Formaldehyde will also preserve the Glycerine, so the two ingredients actually work hand-in-hand.  Years ago Glycerine was used with Formaldehyde in some preserving solutions for fish skins and the skins of reptiles and amphibians.

I have used Bollman's Velvet Tan with very good success in the past, on Caribou antlers!  It was simply a matter of piercing the antlers all over with a sharp three-cornered needle -- I mean over every square inch -- then soaking each half in the solution for the prescribed amount of time, and finally hanging them up over the soaking pan to drain.  It lets almost all of the blood out this way, and after a gentle brushing out, produces a fine soft velvet.

John.

[Skife]

Thanks for the replies.  I have heard 1to1 before, but would like further input, if anyone has more to say.   

The nice thing about the formaldahyde/glycerin is that after injection it will absorb into the velvet.  I have seen other antler tans not produce the results I prefer and I hate trying something new on customer mounts.  I might just buy some more high-grade premix, just to be safe. 

Rusty-Thanks for the input.  I may just have to try that one day, see how I like it and compare the costs.  I do mostly deer, but get the odd elk in every so often.  Old dogs and new tricks you know.....

[Bill R.]

LordRusty, I've had a difficult time trying to soak caribou antlers because of their size and shape; I was wondering what kind of container you use for the soak and what volume of the soaking solution you had to use.

[John Bellucci]

I made up a container just for soaking Caribou antlers, using a six-foot long by three-foot wide plywood base, with 1x6 boards for the sides and ends.  It was assembled with screws and silicone caulk to seal the joints during assembly.  When the silicone dried, I coated the whole thing with fiberglass mat and polyester resin, making sure there was no exposed wood anywhere on the inside.  Even brought the fiberglass work up and over the edges all around.  After the fiberglass set and cured, I filed the edges smooth so there are no sharp edges.  I already have a nice scar on the side my left index finger from a fiberglass fish mold from years ago, and I don't want any more of those I can tell you!  

I don't get many of those big velvet racks in, so after that job, the box became a sandbox for doing some carcass casting!  If I do get any more in, I'll simply empty out the sand, clean out the inside and mix up the velvet tan, and after that, back in goes the sand!  Recycling at its best!

John.

[Randy Miller]

as little formaldahyde as possible, and PEG. Better than glycerin.

[John Bellucci]

Browsing the latest WASCO catalog, I noticed another great product from Bruce Rittel, called Preservz-It, which is a formaldehyde replacement.  Check it out on the website for the details!

John.

[Wingnut]

I've been using formaldehyde mixed with water and glycerin for over forty years, and have had great results as a leg-foot-web protective.  I find pure, or about thirty percent solution, a bit strong, and I find the "pure" solution tends to shrink the injected areas a bit too much. To a quart plastic with lid container, I mix a solution of about sixty percent formaldehyde to forty percent water, then I add an additional three ounces of glycerin.  I get the glycerin from a bakery supply, and this container sits on my work bench for daily use.  I do run a small pin into my needle hole when I pull the syringe out of the foot or web, to hold more liquid within the area I am injecting,( so the injected liquid doesn't immediately drain back out) it tends to keep duck's feet a bit more "plump".  Simply slide the pins out a day or two later, and close the hole by pressing the hole closed with the head of the pin...if this doesn't work, simply superglue the hole, and press!  Obviously, be careful, wear eye safety equipment, and throw-away gloves aren't a bad idea.