Hello,
Alot of reference is made in pickling. My question, does the pickling time differ in thin skinned animals. I see the most commom time to set in pickling solution is 3 days, but its usually reference deer capes, much thicker skinned animals. Thanks in advance.
Hello Again,
I think ill be safe and pickle for 3 days. My next question is then how long do you want to rehydrate thin skinned animals before pickle?
Yes - probably a thin skinned animal pickles a lot sooner than a WT deer - but on the other hand, 3 days wont hurt to wait for a thorough pickle and a nice plump skin to shave. At least your capes and skins are safe in the pickle - even if you wait 2 weeks before shaving and then going on to tan them. I treat all skins the same - that way you know its right, and you can plan accordingly.
As for rehydrating thin skins - you should leave them in your relaxing solution until they become flexible and relaxed. Most skins only take 10-12 hours, or overnight to reach that point. I'm assuming these are air drieds and you are using a salt brine to relax them.