I have found that puffed borax is very good at drawing out the moisture of my hides and I was wondering if using 20 Mule Team can be used in the same way even though it is used as a DP.
I tan my hides by the way.
Thanks.
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Puffed borax is similar to puffed corn. It might be the same, but it's sure different. Puffed borax will absorb water, but pure borax will clump up and make "mud".
Sorry George, but my impression is that regular 20 mule team borax will also absorb water quite well. If you use a small amount of Puffed Borax you can make mud also - it all depends on the quantity of borax used.
I bought a 5 pound bag of Puffed Borax once from WASCO about 15 years ago and used it for a while but went back to standard borax. I rarely use borax to dry hides now-a-days, but regular borax will do it should I wish to revert to this method. (I never use borax or corn meal or sawdust or ash of rice hulls or magnesium carbonate pond, or any other product to dry birds - but occassionally I will dry out a mammal with borax - especially if it is a white colored animal like a snowshoe hare).
Can...be used similary to Puffed Borax...however...because of its fine texture...clings to the hair, fur and feathers because of the nature of its fineness.
It takes longer with Powder Borax...but will work. After drying...take a small diameter dowel and use as a 'beater' to gently beat / hit the skin to shake loose the excess powder.
This last step is very important to make sure all the powder is removed so the hair / fur / feathers will set properly when finishing the mount.
There is No Problem using Powder Borax to dry bird skins if used properly as suggested above...been doing it for sixty years...and the birds ain't complained yet (however...Puffed Borax makes the job easier).
~ ETCC
There is no way you can prevent borax from getting stuck inside the vanelets of the feathers on certain birds. I don't care how hard you blow dry or beat the feathers, there is no way to remove the powdered brax be it powdered or straight. Powdered borax actually leaves a greater residue on bird skins, perhaps because it is easily broken up into finer particles.
I prefer the uniform 20 Mule team borax for those birds I do dry this way. The old fine powder sold by the Elwood company was far too fine and had alum mixed within.
Got to proof read more often.
You just verified what I said above. Yep...ya needs to proofread...LMAO.
~ ETCC
We are a new supplier of Puffed Borax. Please contact me at the above e-mail for samples and pricing.