I got some EZ100 and tried tanning some beaver tails I followed the directions,I scraped 1st,then pickled,then degreaser,then tan,then oiled then I broke the tails the oil never did really absorb very good into the leather I noticed.Now the tails are starting to mold and Im not sure what to do Ive used the EZ100 on other skins,on kit muskrats it was a failure.I have managed to tan some skins with it and the results aren't that bad.Why would the beaver tails start to mold? I do wish the Kit included some acid test paper with it that would be a big help and the bottles are poorly labled in the kit.
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You skipped the neutralizing step. You use common baking soda for that step. The tan won't "take" properly if you don't neutralize. If the tan doesn't "take", the oil sure won't "take" either and you will end up with ugly pelts. I know from experience (I re-tanned the pelts and they were ok).
Beaver tails have a very tight fiber structure and tanning them requires that after fleshing (or scraping) them - you should salt them heavily and them hang them to dry out. Then when you are ready to tan them - soak them in a Salt Brine (2 Lbs. of Salt to each 1 Gallon of Water) until they are soft and then pickle them. I'm glad you degreased them. But ou may have given you some good advice when he (or she) mentioned that perhaps the wasnt effective, and likewise the oil didnt penetrate well.
When I mention this - I am assuming that the tails are thinnly skinned and not thickly fleshed. I hope this is a right assumption - otherwise they should be shaved thin on a shaving machine if they are thickly fleshed.
As far as including PH paper in the Kit we try to keep the cost down by not including it. Most Taxidermists we deal with tell us they already have PH papers - or they can purchase them locally at some of their local Pool stores. We do sell them in our Pricelist.
I apologize if you feel the bottles are labeled poorly. They should be very plainly labeled as to Saftee Acid, EZ-100 and ProPlus Oil. If they arent - then obviously I would appreciate knowing how I could help you identify them.
Franc said that he followed the directions. Did the directions include the neutralization step? Seems like an important step to just skip. To get those tails soft, they better be thin. You also have to break them real good. Double oil. Make sure that they are split all the way, to get all that fat out. After they are real thin, be careful while breaking. The last 6 inches or so of the tail are as thin as a snake skin. Dont think this is product related. Beaver tails are a pain.
When using syntans like EZ-100 - Neutralization is extremely important! "Old Shaver" is right about the fact that without neutralization - the Tan will not penetrate well but will "surface tan" and impede any further penetration of the tan. The skin or skins will be tanned on the outside but the center of the skin will not.
I did neutralize the tails.Im not sure if its flesh or what but the tails have a very thick leather in the center and are thin like snake skin at the edges.I also scraped the tails before and after I pickled them.The leather is a very close grain too.After the pickle which took a couple weeks the leather side of the tails was white.Then I degreased and tanned then oiled and worked the tails as best I could now the tails are molding and on some of the tails the scales are falling off.Would retanning them maybe salvage them.I didn't shave them as I don't own a shaver. Thank You Everyone for your Input and I plan on to continue using EZ100 its just these beaver tails didn't work like a normal skin