I'm looking to buy an 'At-Home-Tanning-Kit' and would just like some input for those who have tried these out:
EZ-100 (By Rittel)
Paratan (by Knobloch)
Krowtann
Which one of these has given taxidermists a soft 'tannery-like' tan with good stretch, little shrinkage(around eyes especially) and good hair-hold/durability? Is there any other tan out there that can give a nice floppy/foldable quality to a fur for wallhanging?
Share your experiences!
Thanks a Bunch!
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I used Rittels for a couple of years and it is a good product and easy to use. Paratan in my opinion is a better tan but it is a little more involved. I use Paratan exclusively now. I don't care to even try Krowtan. Also, it takes a lot of preperation and work to get the hide nice and soft and floppy as you describe. If you don't have a tumbler get ready for some elbow grease.
I really like Krowtann 2000 and I use it on everything I mount. I have used others but for hides you intend to mount I think it's the best I've used it locks the hair solid even on questionable hides, hides tanned with krowtann have little or no shrinkage and excellent stretch so they are a real joy to mount. As far as a soft "floppy" tan for rugs or wall hangers you can achive really good results with Krowtann but you will need to use Krowoil also.
McKenzie Tan, Liqua Tan, EZ-100, Lutan F for any mounts and Curatan for flat hides. Even on crappy shaved hides Curatan works great and the hides stay nice and pliable and smell good too. I know because I tried it on some hides I didn't plan on keeping, hides that I consider junk hides and they turned out great. Great Results.
Good Luck, Dan Hudzik