Can someone tell me if the dry preservative method is worth using or should I only use a tanned deer hide? Is it any good at all? Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks Joe
Return to Beginners Category Menu
OH GOD, NOT AGAIN!
Yeah go ahead but use a good glue has well
you can smear the form with super glue or something like that
Joe If you will check the search button you will find a ton of Info.
Joe,
There are many differences between dry preserves and tanning. Dry preserves are just as the name implies. Dry preserves contain on the most part a borax and salt mixture. Dry preserves do not replace the oils and proteins required to make a flexible leather. By flexible, I mean a leather that will expand and contract with the changes in humidity. Dry preserves make the hide/cape stiff and with the humidity changes the hide/cape has no stretch and this causes cracking. For the most part I would restrict usage of the dry preserve to mammals that are from sqirrels or smaller. I prefer to tan mammals raccoons and larger. Opinions will vary on the DP method vs. Tanning. For more info on these check out the archives.
Now if you want to know, click on "The Taxidermy Industry" in the left margin. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the current listing and click on "2001". Then scroll down to 9/16/01 and read the posting "Wet tan, Dry Tan, Dry Preservative". It's all in there.
DP does contain borax but it also contains aluminum hydroxide (alum) and unscented talcum powder. The borax is an insect repellant, the alum is an astringent, and the talcum dries the hide. Many times other ingredients, like moth crystals or pepper, will be added to marketing. But NO SALT.
.....Very little Borax. The MAJOR componant of DP is Talc, because it will stick to the hide. It's function, as George said, is a drying agent. It's biggest drawback is that it can also be used as a seperating agent in molding. If you are casting something and have no mold release on hand, talc can be used in it's place. So when it is used in DP it also can function as a release agent between the skin and the hide paste! Not a major problem though, most people that I know using DP, don't bother with hide paste.
Gentlemen,
If I am to stand corrected then so be it. According to a taxidermy book written by a professional taxidermist with the help of a World Champion taxidermist and since it was published in 1987, then I guess that it is time for an updated version. In the book, it is said that dry preserves are made largely in part of a combination of salts and borax. I am not a big user of dry preserves and I will never be. If the latter post of mine seemed to be misleading or misinforming, then I apologize. Once again it had came from a book that was written by respectable taxidermists.
The description is correct as written. Your only mistake was in the definition of "salts". You confused (or I certainly did that you meant) salt as in NaCl or sodium chloride-table salt. The "salts" he was referring to were the aluminum sulfate salts (alum). Just a definition confusion. Sorry for the misunderstanding.