I just tried that Rittles safety acid against the advice of a friend.
Well, he was right. I just lost 2 customers capes, the first such lose in my 13 years of taxidermy.
I followed the instructions and got a ph of 1.5, the next day it had gone to over 5.
I added more safty acid and brought it back down only to have it way back up again on the 3rd day.
This happened 2 more times and now the capes are slipping badly and are ruined.
I will never use another Rittel product.
Rittel and all your buddies can come on here and say I must have done
something to screw it up, sorry, its not rocket science
but just another case of a taxidermist being at the mercy and trusting that someone made a quality product.
I used a lousy product and now I'm paying for it.
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I've used saftee acid for almost 4 years and i have never had a single problem. the ph problem you had is probably due to the water you used or something that was in your container. I have even left hides in a pickle a month without checking the ph and when i checked them after the month the ph was still under 2, and the hides tanned up without a problem, so chances are, you did screw it up.
-Brandon
They must have already been bad, if you did everything right, They would have turned out alright.
My Grandpa use to say, "Sometimes when we go searching, we do find what we were looking for, but that really wasn't what we wanted." rw
I have never had the ph raise that high on any cape I put into safety acid. Are you rubbing dry preserve or borax on hides when fleshing. My ph is 1 when I put rehydrated capes in and never has gone past 2- 2 1/2. Need more info on what steps you used before the pickeling stage. I have not lost a cape from safty acid since I've been using it for 2 years.
I posted a question on here a while back about saftee acid. I had been using this product about one year with real good results. I was trying to get a feel if it was becoming popular. My guess would be it is! It is very economical compared to anything else i have used {formic and citric} Never had any ph problems. Tanned about fifty deer capes and several antelope,bear,caribou etc.
As a beginner I've used Rittel's Saftee Acid and have had no problems- even on a fox cape. What else can I say? The stuff works and Bruce is there when you need him...PatrickR
I have been using Safety Acid for several years and have pickled hundreds of capes with it. Never had a single one slip! I have always found Rittels products to perform well.
Sorry that you had a problem!
I lost a few capes at first using saftee acid. I found out the capes were soaking up the acid, and I wasn't checking them like I should have. I started using 1 oz. of acid to 1 gal. of water instead of the 1/2 oz./gal it calls for and it really solved everything. Never had any more problems. Try it!
I haven't had any problems with it. Phil Helmes at McKenzie during a seminar said to use at least 15 gallons of water because when you put the hides in it will pull the acid out causing you to constantly add more. You may not be using a big enough batch in relation to the size of hide.
Give it another try. Hope this helps. BP
Your answer is in your question and statments.
You did not keep a check on the pH and keep the pH where it should have been.
Jim,give it another shot .I've used Saftee acid for 3 years now and the only time I lost a cape was because as you said yourself-didn't keep up on the pH like I should have .Luckily it was my own personal cape.I posted somewhere on the forum today but I'll repeat it.Check your water pH before you start adding acid ,you may have a high pH water to start with and the acid is just starting to bring it down.Start with 15 -20 gallons of water and add salt stir it until its all in solution.Check the salinity of the water (need 43% salt give or take a %)and start adding acid as the instructions read and check it 1/2 hour later ,add more acid if needed and check 1 hr later.Check it until its stable ,usually only one day .You can be doing the pickle making while you are salt drying your capes.You did do that didn't you?When the pickle solution is stable to 43% salinity and pH is <2 (red on litmus papers)given your work area is around 65 degrees F. put the cape in and let it soak for a short while .1/2 hr later check the pH and adjust anything necessary.Check and stir it 2 x a day for 2 days then 1x a day.It really is a good product .After the cape has been in a stable pickle for 48 hours you should be able to shave/thin the hide and return it to the pickle for another day at least ,then on to buffering/washing and tanning/oiling/tumbling/mounting.Happy Holidays
You DO have to use a stronger mixture than what is recomended. Other than that, it is VERY safe and it DOES WORK!
Have not had any problem with safety acid. We like it. Also, most important, is that the EPA, and other "people" leave you alone. No need to snoop or cause problems when you have no "dangerous" chemicals around......
never having access to catalog products why growing up and doing taxidermy, i always used electrolite battery acid. to this day, i would use no other product for pickling. it is cheap, available, and efficient. at 7.00 per gallon, one can make up a lot of pickling solutions. I have kept deer and bear skins in it for a year with no problems. i mix up the solution very strong and check it every other month, however, i usually stir the skins every other week. when ready to mount, i take the skin out and soak it in cold water for a few hours, then i soak it in cold water with a box of baking soda added, then i mount it. by the way, what is acid rot, ive been doing heads this way for 25 years, and ill keep doing them this way, after all, at about one dollar per cape to pickle-tan-how can one go wrong.
Hey every one listen Jim Q. probaly did do every thing right but if he used well water it will lose the hair. I had hair slip on all of my capes for one year, 10 to 20 capes. Some not so bad and others were I had to replace them. even lost good customers do to it. but I was not warned about well water untill this year when I was looking through Nookester Supply and saw the warning that they had posted with the saftie acid. Now I have a full gallon if any one would like to buy it off of me for $35.00 plus shipping it is yours and you are more than welcome to use it I will stick to my formic acid it has never let me down.
I knew all of Rittells cronies would come on here and blame me.
The bottom line is that everthing stayed the same except instead of
dormic I used safety acid.
I checked the ph constantly.
I am on well water though, but why would formic work and not safety on well water?
It's extremely rare that we have had a complaint about Saftee Acid - however, sometimes because of a misunderstanding, a user can have problems with it.
The most common problems are users that skin out, and rub Borax (or other alkaline powders) into the cape as they work - or insist on using a Bacteriacide (like Lysol) in all their solutions. Saftee Acid is extremely PH sensitive to the addition of alkalines! Always keep it very simple - Use only Water - Salt - and Saftee Acid! Acid Bate would be the only additive I could recommend that would not influence the PH. Using a Bacteriacide with Saftee Acid is a waste of good money - it sterilizes the skin at its low PH and we do not recommend adding it to the solution. It can also drive the PH up - since most Bacteriacides are usually alkalines. Hard highly mineralized water can also influence the use of Saftee Acid.
Obviously something went wrong for you - JimQ. It's difficult to resolve a problem however, unless the user is willing to re-examine what he may have done to influence the problem. Most users want to correct what may have gone wrong and are willing to iron it out with the supplier. We are always willing to offer Customer Service and discuss your concerns. Please feel free to e-mail me if you are interested in using Saftee Acid in the future.
Bruce Rittel
Why did you not contact Bruce first? Who is the friend who advised you not to use it? Why can't you follow directions? etc..
Safety Acid is simple to use and any person with a litlle intelligence knows that you should check the PH after the capes are added. Fact is I recheck the PH everytime I take the capes out and put them back in. My guess is that you washed the capes in some type of soap and did not rinse them well. Either way, I can assure you that the PH problem was with you not safety acid. Chemistry being what it is, PH does not just change, you entered something into the equation. Read the instructions next time and when something does not act right contact the manufacturer before you critize
DT
This is a guy from the same family of the lady who spilled the McDonalds coffee in her lap and sued, or the family of the 75 year old man who'd smoked since he was 7 and finally died of lung cancer suing. It ain't his fault he can't read and comprehend, it's ours for offering him the opportunity to be a idiot. No wonder the Preparations H has a warning not to take it by mouth. Some people just like keeping their heads up their asses. Leave them alone, people. LMAO.
of what I think George was talking about in response to the East Coast Tannery question (wherein he called the question "plain stupid" and shouldn't have been asked, and questioned the ability of anyone to answer truthfully etc.). And illustrates why you don't see any suppliers on the forum.
The users of this media are their (the suppliers and tanneries) customers, and we are all vulnerable to unfounded negative assessments.
I know nothing about Jim Q., but I do know from experience that it's not unusual for someone to withhold or gloss over key elements of their process when describing problems. And even if they do everything in earnest, sooner or later someone has a problem and will blame you for it. That can be a nightmare when you have no way to verify or adequately certify information in a public venue.
Bruce Rittel is the consummate professional. He also sells great products, including Saftee acid. I've always admired his ability to respond positively and honestly even when wrongfully maligned.
As for George (ha ha, never could resist jabbing a CMSGT),
If cd woulda been me and you called ME stupid, I...well I guess I would consider the source. But if cd had been one of my kids or my wife and you called THEM stupid, I...suppose I would tell them to hitch it up and consider the source.
BUT, if cd had been my sainted grand ma-ma and you called HER stupid,
I'd have to write STUPID backwards across my knuckles and tack it to your fat-assed forehead!
Seriously though I can see several posts following the East Coast tannery one that are in exactly the same vein, asking about tanning products or tanneries specifically. I agree with George's advice that folks as much as possible should ask colleagues with some experience and whom they can trust. Big negative blow-ups should always be eyed askance.
At least be honest and re-evaluate your steps, one of which you failed to keep a check on the ph everyday, not just the first and third. As Steve said, Bruce is extremely professional and quite viable in his knowledge of the pickling/tanning world as well as his products being top shelf, so you really should have repaid him a courtesy by contacting him personally to remedy your problem.
For the record, I run strictly on well water and I've had no problems. I check and STIR the pickle every day, as well as "spiking" the pickle when it needs it.
If your problems are indeed ligitmate, have the decency to not try a public hanging without the common courtesies first.
George, Preparation H should NOT be taken by mouth? It's a good thing I usually talk out of my ass then ain't it?! LOL
I followed the intructions to a 'T'.
I didn't use anything other than water, salt and the safety acid.
The ph was checked 3 times the first day and daily afterwards.
The product did not work for for me, and I let people know like I should.
As for Dave and George, we all know that you 2 are nothing more than
homo's with nothing better to do than get on the net and defend
the products of your little friends whom you are trying to [expletive deleted] and [expletive deleted] continually.
George, get a life fat boy.
Everyone else... BE CAREFUL OF SAFETY ACID, I GOT SCREWED BECAUSE OF IT !
Is that so hard to understand?
PS- There are now 13 other taxidermists who will not be switching to safety acid because of my loss.
So say all you want you people, but you are all in your own small little world.
And Lea, does your husband know about your last fling at the 'show"?
I've used saftee acid for 3 1/2 yrs along with other Rittel products,nothing but GREAT results,but of coarse I did go to school and learned how to read! It seems to me the only thing your really good at is name calling and bashing.A professional would have contacted Bruce first and discuss the problem.I know Bruce and have called him many times with different questions and he is more than willing to help me out,give the guy a chance before you come on here and bash his products,trust me there are more of us using 1 or more of his products than not.J.S.
This guy is obviously very positive, upbeat and willing to listen. He seems very willing to examine his procedure, learn from his mistakes and move on...YEAH RIGHT. Dont waste your time with posts like this. Do you folks really think he knows 13 people who would listen to him, let alone follow his lead? So what, who cares? The positive posts far outweigh his. The product obviously works. ANY acid will to some degree. He will someday learn as you all already have that tanning isnt cut and dried, it has variables that he and the rest of us can not control. Meanwhile, dont feed his feeble attempts to bring Rittels good name down to his level. Just be glad he doesnt do YOUR taxidermy work with that kind of attitude.
Lets all bet on his response. Will I be...
A) a fatboy like George?
B) a bald so and so?
C) a knowitall, god, etc?
D) an expletive?
E) a homo?
Its funny too, because Ive known Bruce for years, yet he will be the first to tell you that I didnt ever care for the kwik n ez oil in the day. We were still friends, but...Im sure I also kissed his butt like the rest of you are now...lol!
I am a beginner. I use Saftee Acid. Have mounted a few heads, and tanned a few deer hides. I love the stuff. Safe, easy, and I've never had any hair slip. A couple of the hides were not as fresh as they could have been, but with proper salting and use of the Saftee Acid.....even a beginner can use this stuff.
I don't consider my self an --- kisser or an expert for that matter. However I have been using saftee acid for about 3 years at home with great results. I have never had anything but positive professional experiences from Bruce and his products. But I can tell you one thing- if my next bucket of hides did slip for some reason I am sure it would be something I did and it would not turn my stomach nearly as bad as the lack of respect for others that this post has exhibited. It is a disgrace and poor use of web space. I cringe at the fact that youth will be reading this post and have to be exposed to such disgusting language. Bruce I will be ordering more saftee acid tommorow. I am out!
Stop calling George fat...He is like me husky
and you're not bald ,You are like me very very thinned haired.
How are you doing? haven't heard from you in awhile and it's great to be back on the net.. I suffered severe burn out but things are getting much better now.I'll give you a call soon.
Take care and Jim Q, I have been using saftee acid since Bruce mentioned it to me over 4 years ago I have Never had a problem with it.You must have used something else that caused a chemical reaction.
Also always use a plastic container no metals as it causes chemicals to break down.Take care
Stop calling George fat...He is like me husky
and you're not bald ,You are like me very very thinned haired.
How are you doing? haven't heard from you in awhile and it's great to be back on the net.. I suffered severe burn out but things are getting much better now.I'll give you a call soon.
Take care and Jim Q, I have been using saftee acid since Bruce mentioned it to me over 4 years ago I have Never had a problem with it.You must have used something else that caused a chemical reaction.
Also always use a plastic container no metals as it causes chemicals to break down.Take care