Tanning Question

Hi all

Tried my hand at tanning for the first time.
Used ez100. The hide hide turned out great.
The problem is I want to put it on a mannikin, it seems to stiff
Did I do something wrong?
I followed the instructions word 4 word.

Animal Coon
I did the stretch and pull thing.
some parts are real soft but others are a bit stiff.
How do I fix it? or is it to late.

Thanks
Dave

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did you dry it?

If you let it dry a little before mounting that could be your problem. Or Maybe you didn't rehydrate it good enough if you did let it dry completely. It also could be you didn't shave it thin enough. You might want to read Bruce's artical on how to get a softer hide at http://www.taxidermyweb.com. I hope i've helped.
-Brandon

how thin

How do i know when the hide is thin enough?

I'm sure this is my problem,
The tight spot is from the ears to mid back.
I know this is the thickest part of the hide, how thin do I go?

Thanks Again
Dave

while shaving go til...

you see the blue color and then stop. after you get past there you will start cutting holes.
-Brandon

Let's assume.............

Let's assume (and I hate to use that word) that you dried it and tried to work the skin soft by hand. Now you want to mount it. To do it - just like getting a tanned dried skin from the Tannery - you have to first rehydrate it. Here is the method I highly recommend.

Soak it in enough water and 1 handful of salt added to each 1 gallon of water, to completely submerge it, for 30 minutes. Take it out dripping wet and place it in a plastic bag, tie it off, and refrigerate it over-night. The next day it should be soft and ready for you to prep it and mount.

work it over the ege of a table

All you should have to do is to rehydrate it slightly, and work it across the edge of a table. Make sure that you do not stretch it too moch, but still work it vigorously.