Hi,
I have some capes that were recently wet tanned. I have heard from some people that you shouldn't have to rehydrate them. Other say that you should rehydrate them. If you should rehydrate them what's the best solution and amount of time to soak them?
Thanks!
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I usually wash them in tide detergent and drain/wring them really good and proceed with the mounting.
You only need to rehydrate capes that have been tanned and allowed to dry out.
lay it in the tub with two inches of water, give it a quick shampoo, and rinse it out real well, drain, roll in towels then mount. The hair will be oil free and smell very nice.
Lori, here is what I do. Sponge water on the cape. Sometimes I add a little bactericide in the water too. Fold your cape hair side out. Place your cape in a plastic bag. Put it in the fridge and let it sweat overnight.
It should be wet and shouldn't need any rehydrating. That's why it's called a wet tan. If it's a little dry just dip it in water and let it drain a little and mount
You are right, it shouldn't need rehydrating, but sweating them overnight does seem to allow a little extra stretch in the cape.
I sponge a little water on after it's thawed, then sweat it overnight.
I personally would just as soon get them dry tanned, except for the fact that the ears tend to get banged up worse in the tumbling stages.
The capes in the past that I had dry tanned always had better stretch than the wet tans (same tannery), but as I stated, I use wet tans now to avoid ear damage, and still do the overnight sweat with good results.