Hi! At the school I went to, we salted the deer cape, then refrigerated. Next day, took it out of fridge, wet tanned it for an hour, washed it, and threw it in the washing machine on spin cycle. 1 month later, my deer mount smells. I've read it should be salted for a long time--what's the best procedure? Do you lay the cape fur-side down? Drain, salt, how long? Please advise. Thank you.
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If that was a taxidermy school, you wuz robbed! If there is a wet tan that will work in one hour, I am for buying stock in that company!
The only thing in your process that makes sense is the spin dry to remove excess water from the cape prior to mounting.
I am not going to go into any process here, since the archives are full of directions for the proper processing of a deer cape from the first cut to the last stitch. Check them, read them and weep!
Salting for me is a two stroke process. The hide should be defleshed and then placed on a draining rack and salted heavily. The salt should be replaced the next day and so on, until there is no more moisture left in the skin to be "drawn" by the salt.
There are videos and manuals galore available to cover the rest of the story. The procedure you were taught is one of Nose, not Knows.
Hello Terri
I would'nt advise you to salt under a 48 hour period. I would prefer 72 hours.
Salt heavily for 24 hours. Shake off the salt and repeat the process. Again, after 24 hours, shake off the wet salt and repeat 1 more time.It works best if you leave the hide or cape on an angle and allow it to drain in a sink/tub.You dont need to do this process in a fridge, unless you enjoy the mess!
And as far as this 1 hour tan, I would much rathre see you Pickle and use Lutan-f or Tannit VGS or even Liqua tan. I think you'll have better results.And I'm not trying to slam anyone's products. But I do feel you'll get better results.
Have a great day,
Dave
Tried to mail you a response but mail address was not deliverable. I typed a reccommendation here then got wiped out tried the other route good luck. get away from that procedure.
If you live in Racine County I can help you out and show you the proper method. Either e-mail me or call 262-534-2940. If not, please destroy this message.
Terri what school did you go to? Was this a high school course or did you go to a taxidermy school and what school was it?
I live in the northwest where it is rather low humidity compared to southern states, and i don't know where you live. I salt for 24 hours, two applications, and then hang it by the nose from a rafter. getting it off the floor is very important and the skin will dry much faster. Another 24 hours after hanging it, and it's getting pretty crisp.