Whew! My coyote made it through Christmas, in the pickle, and I have finally dunked it into EZ 100! After searching the forum and my manuals I have accumulated, I still have a couple of questions, I hope you can help!
How the heck do you know when your hide is tanned? The EZ 100 instructions say that it takes 16-20 hrs, no more than 24 to tan any hide. I cannot find anywhere that tells me how to tell when the process is done. Someone in the forum said something about a "grainy texture," can anyone (Bruce?) elaborate?
Once your hide has been properly neutralized, do you need to still add salt to all of your rinses? What about the rinse after the tanning (prior to oiling)? I understand that the final rinse is to remove the salts and tanning chemicals from the skin...
I assume (am hoping, really) it is normal for the hide to turn super slimy after neutralization?
This has been such a fun and educational process (my family thinks Ive lost my mind!)--thanks to my dear ol hubby, I have a duck and another deer in the freezer--new stuff to learn all the time! I love it!
Thanks again, in advance, for your help!
Christina :)
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Coyotes are thin skinned. I've always taken mine out after 16 hours. Don't worry about trying to figure out how to "tell" if they are done. 16 hours,they're done, simple as that. I don't add salt to my rinses. But they are just that, rinses, not a soaking, leave em in a bucket of water rinse, just a rinse. As for being slimy after neutralization, I didn't see any mention of degreasing, an essential step when tanning yotes. Since it's already been in the tan I'm not sure what your best next move is. Maybe someone else here can help you. Follow directions to the letter grasshopper. If you have EZ100 directions I'm sure it in there. It's also been discussed here thousand times. Greasy = slimy
Thanks for responding Jim! I did degrease, just didnt want to waste everyones time with stuff I didnt have a question about. I checked my coyote before I went to bed last night, after about 2 hrs in the tan, and he is no kind of slimy at all anymore. Just as soon as I put him in the neutralizing solution last night he slimed up, but I think all is well. Hope so anyway! But, I dont expect much from my first attempt anyway, just alot of lessons learned--LOL!
Unless someone else has reason for me to do otherwise, I will go ahead and take my coyote out of the tan after 16 hrs. I dont want to wait any longer anyhow--Im getting excited to get through the process and see what happens..Im getting so close now!
Thanks again!
Christina :)
Hi Christina!
There's no way to know when or if you have a full tan - unless you had access to a Lab. But normally the manufacturer has had this agent tested and specifically recommends a certain timetable to follow. Obviously being a supplier - I include this in any of our instructions.
After tanning - you can always cut a sliver from the edge of the piece and examine its cross-section. If its white all the way through then its thoroughly tanned. But - if you see a brown area in the center then it only half tanned, and it may be a problem.
When I tan - the skin becomes a milky white color and takes on a "full" leather look. I cant relate to a "grainy texture".
Once you neutralize - your skin is out of the "swelling range" which is from 0-3.5 PH. There's no need to continue adding Salt to your rinses. In fact if you have too much Salt content in your skin when its finally tanned - it may develope "Salt Spew" or tiny pimples on the flesh where the salt crystallizes as it dries. Or - the mount will draw moisture and "weep" on humid days!
When you neutralize you are actually killing the pickle's influence and returning the skin to a like raw state before tanning it. It may have a slightly slimy feel but it should not be detrimental.
Have a Happy New Year!
Bruce Rittel
I am currently at about 24 hrs of drying--I left the coyote in the EZ-100 for 17 hrs. I think it is looking pretty good, as it dries, it is turning more white, and where it is not completely dried, I can poke a fingernail from the hair side and the hide turns white. It does look kind of splotchy though, almost as if it has bruising. It looked like that prior to tanning though. I think I thinned the skin out enough, in fact where it was bruised looking, I thinned several spots down to the hair roots accidentally. Im very anxious to see how this turns out, and how I can improve.
If I do not wind up with a complete and thorough tan, can I retan it with EZ-100? If so, at what point do I pick up the process?
Thanks so much for your help!
Christina :)