Cleaning deer cape after tanning machine

[Lindakee]

My deer cape come out dirty after using the tanning machine.  How do you clean the hide before mounting or do you do it after it is mounted and what do you use?

[Trappersteph]

Wash it with soap, then rinse well. Then mount.

Also be sure wash the skin well BEFORE the tanning process- this after soaking back a salted skin or before putting in an auto tanner (I assume you used an auto tanner with a raw skin put right in), to get out as much blood and whatnot. If the cape is iffy, put it in there an hour to lock the fur in, remove and wash then back in  another hour, then out to shave, then back another hour to finish.

[JohnW.]

Try contacting Dan Rinehart.He just recently wrote  an article in Taxidermy Today concerning using an autotanner,but I'm pretty sure you wash that cape very well before placing it in the autotanner.