I am using Rittel's EZ-100 Tanning and I am running into a problem with hair slipage. I do follow the instructions that came with the solution and I am still have hair slipage.
Has anyone had problems with this tanning solution? Need comments and/or suggestions on how to prevent this from happening.
John
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thousansd of capes have been successfully tanned with this product and if you did as the directions said, then the problem lies with the cape and how it was handled prior to salting.
Two different capes - One cape was harvest one day and brought to me the next day. I caped it, salted it and went through the tanning process now the deer had thick hair - could the hair slipage have anything to do with the solution not getting in between the thick hair being that the skin was turned inside out.
Second cape was left out 2 weeks before being given to me to mount - I caped it and froze it - 1 month later I took it out let it defrost then salted and let it drain for 3 days and salted it again and then again - then followed the tanning process.
I have used different tanning solutions and never had this problem. What could be going wrong?
John
After Salting - did you dry the capes until they were hard - or - simply Salt them and then go to the pickle. Salting and drying tightens the hair roots - simply salting and pickling doesnt! Maybe I misread your post but it seems that drying your capes and then relaxing them prior to pickling would solve your problems.
Yes I do let the cape dry rock hard.
Then I mix a relaxing bath and leave the cape in for 6 hours or longer or until it relaxs, then rinse it. Prepare a pickling solution and put the cape in for 3 days, then flesh it and put it back in the pickling for 24 hours then wash and rinse, now you can put the cape back in the pickling for 2 weeks. Then take out the cape neutralize then use the tanning solution.
So where did I go wrong?
I have read this post many times and usually see the same answers but not necessarly ALL the right answers. Cape handling could certainly be a problem but what if the cape was handled properly, fleshed, salted, dried, rehydrated and then put through the tanning steps and the hair still slips. What is the problem? I too experienced this once and couldn't figure it out, in fact I lost eight capes. I followed the directions to a T. Finally I called Phil Helms from McKenzie and after a short discussion he asked where I lived. I told him Illinois and the problem was immediately solved. Deer can be different sizes and have different hair lengths, depending on you geographic region. This makes a HUGE difference on your pickling mixture. I prefer Saftee Acid, easy to handle and use. I mixed my saftee acid according to directions, four gallon per cape. Guess what, hair slippage occured. Phil told me to mix 7 1/2 gallons of acid per cape. Mixed it up, put a cape in and had NO PROBLEMS with hair slippage. It all boils down to the ph. What was happening with the four gallon mix the cape, because of its size, was soaking up all the acid. Once this was done the ph would rise and you are literally letting you cape sit in water where bacteria can grow. Hence the directions say "Keep monitoring the ph and add acid if it begins to rise". The mixture I use now I NEVER have to add anymore acid. Now going back to the gentleman who wrote this post, wonder where he lives? Could it be in one of the states where deer can get fairly large in body weight?
My question for Bruce Rittle, why can't we get something with the saftee acid directions that explains this element instead of the standard four gallons per cape. Like I said above I currently use saftee acid for the capes I tan myself and will probably never have this problem again. If I do I can now concentrate on the other possibilities of what caused the slippage. Believe me losing eight capes wasn't easy on me.!
David - I live in New Jersey and I use about 8 gallons per cape and I still have slipage problems.
With the cape itself - the way I do my mounts I only cut around the antlers I do not cut all the way down the neck this is something new that I have been working with so when it is soaking in the solution I have been keepping the fur in and the skin out could this be the problem?
John
Now is when I would be looking at how the cape was handled prior. If your mixing you solution right, which is .5 oz if saftee acid per gallon and a pound of salt per gallong. You should have 4 oz of acid and eight pounds of salt. If you hair is still slipping it has to be prior handling.
I,m in Jersey, maybe I can help...Paul
sorry i cant resist - have never had hair slip with dp or the mouth fall of of a cape