Ok I m new here and very new to taxidermy. I just looked over the archives on borax. Man theres alot. I first used Van Dykes Instant preserve on my first deer thinking this would help dry out the hide for fleshing with my mini flesher. After rubbing the Instant preserve on it after it had thawed I put it in the fridge to keep til this A.M. so I could flesh it. Man it was a sogggy mess. While reading the archives I read that Van Dykes Ins. preserve doesnt have any borax in it. Question. Can I use plain borax first then flesh and turn everything then go back and add the ins. preserve then mount it. Is it going to get all soggy again on the form? Im hoping the borax will get all the sogginess out of it by using it first. I dont want to put it on the form the way it was this A.M.
I know a taxidermist that is using borax only and his mounts are good. Reading the archives it sounds like your not even supposed to be using it with deer etc. Help new guy out please.
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I was taught, flesh the cape no matter what condition it is in, salt to remove the body juices that you seem to be dealing with, pickle, neutralize, tan, oil, tumble, mount. No problems. Borax only on deer? Short cuts do not work in taxidermy. Because you are new, you will find out what works for YOU and what doesn't. I think you just found a doesn't. You're frind might say Borax it does, and you may think they look ok, but you are untrained right now as you know. But don't be afraid to try a tan next time vs. a preservative. Borax is for the birds.
You're frind might say Borax it does,,, I goofed, You're friend might say that borax only works on deer, is what I was thinking.
..you have several issue in play.
First, Dry Preservative and borax are NOT the same product. DP contains talc (some, mostly talc), borax, alum and some of them contain moth crystals and pepper. The very best DP I've found over the years comes from Touchstone (Bess Maid) as it contains less talc and doesn't put up a cloud when you use it. It' coarser and doesn't stick to you like the others. You should STILL WEAR GLOVES when you use is. DP works on all skin, not just dead skin and dermititis is a real issue whether you're working on birds or animals. Borax, conversely, is just borax. Borax is used exclusively for repelling insects. It has some drying ability simply because it's a dry powder, but it does NOT have any intrinsic drying ability. Mountain men used to coat their hanging meat with it to keep bugs off, but they learned quickly to cut that covered meat off and toss it. If you eat borax, Montezuma's revenge is a mild expression of what body functions can do.
Next, coating a hide with borax or DP for fleshing and shaving is OK, BUT it has to be done then. Why would you expect the hide NOT TO GET SOGGY from the chemical on the skin in the cooler? Remember the drying part? That means it excises water from the skin. Alum in the DP is an astringent and will continually pull water from the skin. When you want to flesh it, don't play around. Use it and flesh it THEN. Sawdust and corn cob grit (flour) work just as well in preventing the skin from being slimy.
Personally, I never use borax. I always use DP when I'm mounting small game and birds. As Mr. T says, I've found long ago that tanning on large game helps me do a better job. There are many "home tans" out there just about as simple as DP. I use one that doesn't endorse pickling (though I will if a hide is questionable). Thousands of taxidermist use DP on large game with varying degrees of success. Though blamed on "southern taxidermists", DP got it's origins in the midwest with Northwest School of Taxidermy and to a greater degree from the north midwest with Van Dykes. All major supply companies now market their own brands with their own recipes of DP so it's not like DP isn't a popular choice. Otherwise they wouldn't be selling it.
great responses guys.
I would be leary of just borax only on deer.You may get away with it for a little while but you are inviting problems.I would take T's advice and find another teacher.
While a lot of guys here badmouth DP, it IS a viable method in the right hands.I agree with George on the Touchstone DP, in my opinion it is one of the best on the market.
You need to educate yourself on the correct methods of DP AND tanning.
Just throwin some borax on a deer hide is NOT the road you want to take.
The trick is to get all meat off cape and shaved thin.......if you leave big chunks on the hide .....no matter what you do( DP or Tan)....the mount will not turn out good......You,ll find it easier to shave a pickled cape down than a raw cape......as a beginner ....I reccomend you Tan........GL.