I was thinking of using liqua - tan and it's suggestion for safety acid type pickling but i was not sure if this would be the best stuff to use. If i could please get some of your professional feedback it would be grately appreciated. I would be using this on deer, bear elk & other small mammals.
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Had you read the archives you would have seen this.
Anyone who says this is best is just offering thier opinion for what its worth.
I would use Liqa-tan over JRCT or McKenzie tan, but then I would use an Alum tan because its works, its last and last and last.
I would also use LUTAN because its simple and is time proven.
There happens to be a butt load of syn-tans out ther, but they are not time proven.
I said i was looking for professional opinions not smart A-- remarts from some nobody who doesn't act like any professional i have ever spoken to.
I didn't detect any smart-a$$iness in the previos post. Just a straight up answer, it aint a politician or used car salesmans sugar coated answer but it is as patronizing as you are going to get from a taxidermist. Thats like asking a mountain man how your hair looks, he ain't gonna spare your feelings just to be your buddy.
Now i hope you aint mad at me for telling you that, but if you are that is ok with me.
Like JohnC said, it is very widely covered in the Archives. And it all depends on what you want. Economical? Stretch? Durabilty? Memory? Water Resistance? Ease? Penetration?
There are many good tans out there. And like john said more and more everyday, but how do you know how good a tan is if it only has been used for a year?
Once again like john said use lutan or alum tans and you know you will be ok. For mounting deer heads anyways. I wouldn't be making a pair of mukloks out of it though.
Oh yeah alot of syn-oil tans are used, alot more than people fess up to. I dont know why they dont admit to it, but i think they were just taboo when they first came on the market and the old pros are just now warming up to it. We are lucky they even know how to work a computer good enough to help us newbies out:-) LOL
IMHO how ever novice it is, the tan isn't half as important as the pickling job. If you get a good pickling job then your battle is mostly won. A good shaving job is a bonus too, less hide there to have to worry about tanning, and you are tanning the correct part of the hide- the hide closest to the surface and hair, all the extra leather is shaved off.
It is pretty much agreed that Rittel's safetee acid is a good pickle. Keep your PH and salt density right and leave it sit for long enough and you will be ok on your tan.
I'm with you, John, regarding Alum Tans. Lots of folks slam Alum on this site.
That is all I use on deer mounts! Can't beat the hair setting qualities and stretch it imparts! (Of course, a proper oiling is necessary, which goes without saying.)
Been tanning with the stuff for many, many years (and have satisfied customers) and just love the qualities in spite of what is hocked as the latest and greatest in modern tanning!
I know this stirs the poop a bit, but that is part of what's fun about this site!
Heck, I pay about $17 per 50 lb bag of aluminum sulphate! A batch of alum solution goes a long way! Just keep the pH right, and you'd be amazed at how long a 50 lb bag will last!
I guess I flung the can of worms across this virtual taxidermy studio, but it's ("alum") been flung before.
Best advice, Brad, is to have fun and don't take this all too seriously, as opinions run strongly here. Try different methods and pick and stick with the one that works best for you. It is hard to go wrong with alum tans, however, and the cape can sit in the stuff for long period if need be without harm if you cannot get to it right away.
Best Regards,
Jeff W.
I mixed up the title and my name in the last post! Guess I must've gotten a bit of alum dust in my eyes!
Jeff W.
you have to be braindead (or have smelled too many coyotes) for it not to work for an absolute beginner
thanks to all who repliedeven john
I have a caribou hide that I salted down and dryed hard. can this be tanned now or is it to late?