I have tanned and mounted a deer cape before using Lutan F, but no tanning oil. We were told in taxidermy school that the oil was not needed unless you were doing a rug. The mount seems to be fine. But all the information I'm getting from this forum (and from the Lutan F instructions) is that after the Lutan F I need to apply a tanning oil, dry, tumble to break skin, rehydrate, then mount. Seems like a lot of extra work. What does the tanning oil do that the Lutan F does not? And why all the drying? I have read that the tan is not permanant until it is dry. That's fine. So why not put the oil on, let set a few hours, then mount. As the mount dries, won't the tan become permanent then? Thanks ahead!
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One of the things Oil does for you, bsides lubricating the skin when it dries, is it helps to maintain the size of the skin or cape as it dries. Without it - the skin will dry and shrink! Unless you enjoy using a lot of pinning and fighting it - oiling, using a good tanning oil, will prevent that!
What does a tanning oil do that lutan F (N) does not? Well - Lutan F (N) is a tanning agent! It is used to stabile the skin by attaching itself to the fibers and making it stronger and less active chemically - so that the skin has a long shelf-life. The oil you put on it has nothing to do with stabilizing the skin - it is used as a lubricant for softness and as I mentioned - sizing!
Why go through all those steps to tan if you're mounting your capes yourself? Tan them, oil them, sweat in the oil, then freeze them until you're ready. Do your own "wet tanning"!
What about washing the cape after it's oiled and sweated? Seems like you would wash alot of the oil out of the skin.