stretching deer capes

[DEERXNG]

How much can you stretch a deer cape after salt and kenzie acid.
 It seems like my capes get a little smaller after that process.
 And what can I use to stretch with? I really don't want to mess them up
 by stretching to much.    thanks

[jkjohn]

Have you thinned it yet?that's where most of your stretch will come from.

[mountin man]

yea, I haven't done what you would call a LOT of deer, but the ones I do I use krowtan and I use the short Y incision.  My kids had alilttle ball with a handle on it that they would sit on and bounce.  It is pretty thick material, and I stick it in the neck and air it up!  It stretches it pretty good.  It doesn't do incision area so i just stretch that by hand.

[Dawg3458]

have you neutralized & tanned the hides 

[DEERXNG]

Yes, I have  shaved,neutralized and tanned with kenzie tan. maybe the ball thing might work.

[adamstaxidermy]

You can also insert your arms through the bottom of the cape until your hands come out the top of the Y, just like putting un a shirt. Then, twist your arms, crossing them inward towards your chest. Hold it for a few seconds, let it back loose and do it again, but bring the opposite arm over the top to twist it in the opposite direction. Blowing up the bouncy ball works as well, but if you put too much pressure on it, the cape will sometimes rip in the thinnest area.

[DEERXNG]

maybe just the arms sounds better to me. thanks for the input!

[GWebb]

Are you rehydrating them after salting and prior to placing them in the pickle? I never done this and it always seemed like I had to stretch the heck out of them to get them back to my measurements. Ever since I started rehydrating them it seems that they are now way more easiely stretched back the original measurements.