Hi all. I wanted to run down the steps I took in mounting a coyote hopefully to get some suggestions on how I could have prevented the major hair slippage I had at the end.
First thing I noticed was the horrible smell the animal had while I was skinning it. Friends told me it was just the coyote smell, but the animal's head was covered by a thick sheet of frozen blood. I tried to let the animal air thaw, but my basement wasn't much over freezing temperature. After about 10 hours, I mixed up five gallons of cool water and 1 oz of my liquid bactericide/fungicide (purchased from one of the taxidermy web sites) solution and soaked the animal for about 2 hours until I could get a little movement of the animal to work with. There was no hair in the water signifying hair slip. I started skinning it little by little as it thawed out and while skinning it sprinkled Borax on the really bloody areas. I pulled on the hair looking for hair slippage, but none was apparent. After I had removed the skin, I split the eyes,nose, and lips and applied salt. The next day I shook off the old salt, mixed up salt and borax, applied it to the skin, and put it under a fan to dry. The hide took about 4 days to completely dry.Still no hair slip visible. I placed it in a freezer for a few days until I could shave it. After about 5 days I took it out and rehydrated it in a solution of water and fungicide/bactericide. I then shaved the hide and applied liquatan and let it sit over night. The next morning I put the liqua tanned hide back in the freezer because I wasn't able to get to it that day. When I finally got a free minute, I soaked the frozen hide in clear cool water. No hair was in the water when I removed it. I then started on mounting it. While moving the hide around, I noticed lots of hair that had fallen underneath the form, and upon pulling, large chunks of hair were easily coming loose. Needless to say, I gave up on the hide, but finished the mangy mount anyway.
Sorry this was so long, but I wanted to try to tell everything hoping to get an answer. Luckily this was for my own mount and not a customer. I don't know what I would have done if it was.
Thanks
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YOUR PROBLEM WAS PROBABLY IN THE 4 DAYS IT TOOK TO COMPLETELY DRY. WAY TOO LONG. BUY A TUMBLER YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED. OR POSSIBLY THE AMOUNT OF TIMES YOU FROZE THAWED AND REFROZE, I PERSONALLY DONT LIKE TO THAW BUT ONE TIME MAYBE TWO IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.
You didnt mention anything about pickling or degreasing the skin? If you didnt do either than i would have to say that this was your problem. Also you need to put salt in your rehydrating bath, another possible reason for slipage. It takes most of my yotes 5 days to dry hard and I've never had a problem with anykind of slipping. Hope this helps you for the next time. Jeff C
Being you used borax and salt, why, I don't know. Salt would of been just fine but the borax no. The only reason to use borax would be if your going to do a DP mount.
What may of happend was in the rehydration process your PH was way to high. Borax raises the PH and that may have the start of your problem. The hide should of been rinsed clean first of all borax before you tan it.
Tans don't work that well with a high PH. The ph should be around 4 for the tan to work. Using liqua tan and having a high PH skin the tan may not of worked right. I would maybe ask Mark of Knobloch's on this one for more info.
The next time I would pickle the hide for the tan to work best. I know you can tan a hide without pickling using liqua-tan but it also suggest for best results, pickle.
As for the coyote smelling YEP they stink up everything.
I too feel that your problem was the Borax. It was working AGAINST the salt and NO with it.
As Frank stated, if your PH is to low in your Pickle, adding Borax will raise the Ph.The quantity of Borax that was obsorbed into the skin relaxed the skin to the point of slippage.
And unless you're using "Ultra Soft" as a wetting back agent, always add 1 lb. of salt to every 1 gal.of water. Yote's wet back fairly quickly due to being thinned skinned.
I feel,unless using DP, Pickling is a MUST! Dont skip this step. Pickle, flesh,degrease,pickle, neutrilize, rinse and then Tan.
I too feel that you went way overboard with the Freeze Thaw deal.Simply salt dry till you're ready to pickle!(Minus the Borax)
Its all a learning process. Dont become discouraged.Keep learning as we all do and have fun with it.
Have a great day,
Dave
I have never had this much slipping before. I could usually save a slipping hide in the salting process. The only thing I did different that I didn't do before was adding the borax. I had heard it soaked up blood and increased drying time. Could be my problem. Thanks to everyone!