Hi:
In some of the test below i read where it said that tanned skins could be stretched more than the original size. I have found that tanned skins shrink somewhat. How do you get them to stretch bigger than actual size?
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I assume you're talking mammal skins. I rehydrate deer capes with warm water & a handful of borax until the ears are flexible, drain for an hour or so, then rub in a good handful of baking soda, roll up and leave for another couple of hours. When you unroll from the baking soda treatment you will find there is great flexibility and stretch to the hide.
Try rehydrating by submersing in water with two capfulls of Downy close softener or any other brand.You wont beleive the stretch you will get!It is also awsome for softening hides,even African hides!Leave them soaking for an hour or so.P.S. it also makes them smell april fresh.
Allen, Most problems with stretch are due to thickness of the skin. Be sure the skin is thinned down a lot- especially on the back of the neck and shoulders. When you think about it, nobody has problems streatching the skin in the briskit area. This area is naturaly thin, the problems come in the stronger skin areas. When a skin won't streatch properly take a bit of time to shave it down a little more and see the difference. Enjoy, Aaron H.
Now that is the million dollar question. Especially when the customer wants to Swartzenegger out the neck on a pre-rut cape. I have found that some skins just have more stretch than others. Same thickness of skin, same batch from the same tannery but there is always one or two that don't fit the bill... or form that is. I don't think I ever had one too small for the form but I have had some that just seem to stretch to fit a lot bigger form than was taken from the original meat measurements. I think in some cases the forms have shorter necks and that leaves you with more cape to stretch widthwise. Most form lines are made from a average generic deer but there are always a few that don't fit that mold (ie. longer, shorter, fatter, skinnier,) you get the point, I hope. Other factors might be the length of time before original salting and drying, length of time it was salted(I have found that two year old salted capes don't tan up like fresh ones), possibly even the length of time it takes for the individual taker to get it to the taxidermist for prepping, how young or old the deer was, what part of the country it was taken and the types of diet it was on. These are all factors that effect the skin elasticity. That baking soda trick really does give a lot more stretch to the capes as does the fabric softener trick.