I have a question about using the same pickle for more then one batch of skins. (I am using citric acid). Can you adjust the ph and salt content and use again or is it better to mix a new batch? If it is ok to reuse how many times? I use an antibaterial agent in the pickle also.
I have looked at old questions but can not find the answer I am looking for.
Thanks, John
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Since you were nice enough to post your Email and name ,I WIll answer that is yes, but make sure your Ph is adjusted you can add more bacteriazide or salt or acid depending on your PH.(potential of Hydrogen}
Acid solutions I feel are cheap enough to make new each time you need them. I personally feel that it is not worth the headache , It seems to change more frequently after it has been used for an extended time. Many guys on here will tell you they have some hides in pickles for years, to each their own. Bruce Rittel recomends that you do not use bactericide in pickles. Granted it is not rocket science but you need to keep it simple and move on to your next item on your daily list.
Using a Bacteriacide in your pickle is a waste of good money! If anything - it will only raise your PH. The pickle should kill off any bacteria.
I will only reuse a pickle if I have several skins in it and I want to remove and tan a few of them at a time. As I remove skins - I check the Salt content using a Salinometer and if its below 40% I add more Salt until it reads good - and then I check the PH and then add Citric acid until I get a 2.0-2.5 reading.
Please - don't add bacteriacide to a pickle - it's not effective!
My findings have been that if I try to re-use a pickle, after about the second batch of skins, the pickle gets all greasy and smelly and makes the latest batch of skins come out smelling like the last batch. So if you run skunk and then you want to run something non-stinky, beware! (the de-greasing step later will eliminate most of the smell but not all.) Oh, yeah, and the solution itself gets all opaque and murky from all the nasty stuff from previous batches. I only tried this re-use thing one time, don't recommend it, it's too hard to observe the pelts (plus it makes 'em stink).