The last batch of Protal oil I ordered has changed from previous batches. This new batch has a much stronger smell that is more chemical / solvent like. It does not have the characteristic "finished leather" smell. I have also notice that this new batch does not seem to penetrate the leather as well. I find myself adding more oil to the leather to get it soft and the deer leather is still not as soft as when I used my previous batches. The older material would separate a little upon standing for a time and would turn dark when heated, the new batch dose not.
I asked Van Dykes Taxidermy Supply Co. what happened and they said that the product is the same except it is now processed differently which has made it semll different and a little thicker.
I think something has been added to the oil to keep it from
separating, which has also made it feel lighter and slightly gel like. I liked the old Protal better, can anyone suggest a good alternative tanning oil ?
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I used to use Protal until about 3 years ago. I switched to Knoblocks Liqua-soft and am getting better results than I could get with others oils, granted, I have not tried them all. All flat hides I do now are tanned with EZ-100 and oiled with Liqua-soft, straight, and heated before application.
Dan K from Illinois
I've used the new McKenzie Tan and I'm not planning on using anything else to tan hides,especially full deer hides. I absolutely love this stuff. I used it on a full whitetail doe hide that I actually did not think was thinned down enough but this chemical penetrated well and the hide was only broken once but resulted in a very soft flexible hide. I suggest you give it a try and see what you think.
Jeff