i soaked 2 deer capes for 9 hours after they were tanned and dried using lutan f, they are rubbery and translucent in appearance. what can i do with them to get them back to where they should be for mounting?
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What you see is what is called "acid swelling". It happens when a skin or cape is exposed or has been exposed to an acid, and then, is soaked in a solution without salt in it to counteract the acid. The translucency and swelling is part of it.
Place such a skin or cape immediately into a salt water solution and it will return to normal! Use 1 Lb. of salt to 1 gallon of water. Usually it only takes 20-30 minutes to return to normal.
As for how you should have relaxed them - use 1 handful of salt to each gallon of water and soak the capes for 30 minutes - remove and bag in a plastic garbage bag. Tie it off and refrigerate (dont freeze) the bag overnight. The next day they should be nice and relaxed - ready to prep and mount. Soaking them in plain water for 9 hours is not the safe way to relax tanned skins.