I am planning to mount a bobcat. I have been very tempted to use a dry-preservative. One that does not have any alumn in it. I read that alumn is what creates a lot of the shrinkage. But from all this reading tanning seems to be the better option. I also read that the reason some DP smells of mothballs is not for mothproofing, but for legal reasons. Company A may have the same DP as company B but adds an extra ingredient such as mothball powder in order for it to be legal. THat way theirs is "different and their own product." I have read countless archives dating back. Today is their still a consensus as to which home tanning products are best (Liqua tan, Lutan-F...........) on lifesize mammal mounts (bobcat, red fox, badger....) Thank you.
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There are plenty of good tanning products out there, I wouldn't count dry preserve among them, I use Lutan-f on all my tanning,works very well, with great stretch. preserving the skin is THE most important part of the mounting process and is no place for shortcuts. Read up and start out right, all kinds of info out there in books, tapes and in the archives of this forum! Good luck
ALUM or aluminum sulfate is in most dry preservatives along with talc and various other products from different suppliers as you describe. Many people confuse borax with DP. Borax is borax period. When you add talc and alum and moth crystals and pepper and whatever, you create a dry chemical combination that is DP. Alum may speed the process, but it certainly is not the REASON for shrinkage. There actually IS a method to use alum for tanning. But just for an example of your error, take your best pair of tanned doeskin driving gloves and dip them in warm water. Then hang them over a rail for a couple weeks. Then try to put them on. That's exactly how stupid the prosecution was at O.J. Simpson's trial. They didn't have a clue that animal products SHRINK after being wet and then dried. If you truly want a more drastic example, take those wet doeskin gloves and stick them in your oven at about 250 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Don't ever expect to wear them again, but remember, they DON'T have alum in them.
I always prefer to mount bobcats with a professionaly tanned skin ,but if you must do it with a dry preservative, I wouldn't use nothing else but Van Dykes instant preserve.
Why dont you give the guys at Ozark woods a call at1-800-467-0369.
Order you a quart of KROWTAN2000. I think you will be very pleased with this product.It is simple to use and has great results.
Christian;
I'd have to say that if your new to tanning. Get it done from a commercial tannery. I'm still a firm believer that a tanned skin is much better than doing it with DP.
Coyote
I would use a D.P. on your bobcat...but if it was me mounting it and I had some cura-tan or something I would paint the eyes the night before and then put some more on the day you mount it up....along with the D.P for the rest of the body