Last year I tried kwikneze tan on a large deer cape,I followed all instructions exactly and shaved the cape down thin, the cape went from a 23 to a 20 and a half, I have been a taxidermist for years and have used both DP and liquid tan with good results. Last week I decided to try again and now I have another cape with 2 inches of shrinkage. With the liquid tan in the past I didn't go through the pickle stage or let the capes dry out flint hard and I had good results. I know that there are several on the form that give DP a rough time , but if I have to go through this with every cape , I would be better off going with DP, I know there are some on here that will say what will happen in a few years with the DP , I have deer that have been mounted for over 20 years and they still look great. The question I want to ask is there any way to get some of the stretch back that I have lost with using this method of tan and has any one else also had this problem?
My own experience using KWIK-N-EZE is that it doesnt shrink. Normally I would pickle it, shave it, wash it, rinse, put back in the pickle overnight, then neutralize (with Baking Soda), rinse and paint on the KWIK-N-EZE. I then fold it for 3-4 hours, rinse with water, and its ready to mount after some final preping.
I can only guess but the only reason it would shrink is if it werent neutralized first, before applying the KWIK-N-EZE or the skin is washed prior to mounting and the oil portion of the product was washed out.
After you let the tanned cape dry - when you are ready to rehydrate it - do you treat it just like a commercial cape? Soak it for 30 minutes in a water solution with a handful of salt added for 1 gallon used, then remove, bag it, tie it off, and refrig it overnight? Any one of these factors could be a problem, but one would need more information to answer your question.