Seems as though the outermost membrane of the skin is peeling away from the hide in patchesalong with the hair above it. What causes this? How can I prevent any more hair from 'peeling' off? Also, how do I stop regular hair slippage on finished mounts?
I used Tannit VGS from Van Dyke's in the pickle for this hide. It's supposed to be an excellent insurance for weak capes. I did two 24 hour salts on this hide before pickling and after fleshing.
I tanned using syn-oil tan from Van Dyke's as well.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
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I find this can happen if I let it neutralize to long; 15-20 min. is plenty.
When I first started I had your problem. I was then using Lutan F which is a good tan. My problem was working the cape too wet. Let you cape dry untill it is just damp but still has strech. I now use Liqa-tan and after I nuterlize my cape I let it dry to a damp state, put the tan on, roll the cape up and let it sit overnight then the next day I mount or freeze it.
hope this helps you
Tanya, The slippage you are getting on skins just tanned is likely due to bacteria damage or the ph rising too high in the pickle. If this is a warm weather skin the problem may have happened during the skinning process if the hide got too warm. At any rate I believe the problem lies in the pickling process or something prior to it. I would look hard at the preparation of the skin. Since you mention "regular hair slippage on finished mounts" I would think either you are not doing something right or the products you have chosen are letting you down. Many things can affect the results from the various similar taxidermy products. Temperature, water quality and humidty are just some of them. What works well for some may not for others and it could be for many different reasons. I would try a new approach with a different pickle/tan but be sure your skinning/salting is sound before blaming any product. Your finished mounts should not shed once dry and if the pickle process goes as it should there should not be any skin loss or loose hair. Enjoy, Aaron H.