I know that acid bate is recommended as part of the process when tanning bears, hogs, beavers and other greasy critters. Do any of you use it on raccoons? Raccoons ARE pretty greasy. I have tanned a few coon with-out using acid bate and the hides ccame out pretty nice, but would they be even better with bating? I flesh and degrease carefully and use Rittel's products.
Thanks,
Randy
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I am interested in the answer to this question. I, too am going to try acid bate on a coyote soon. Randy, here is a post from the esteemed Mr. Rittel on the subject. It answered my question! I thin a big "non-fat" YES! would be the answer to yours, as well!
From Mr. Rittel:
Acid Bate!
This response submitted by Bruce Rittel on 11/8/00. ( Rittel@ici.net ) 207.180.0.8
Acid Bate is actually a dormant enzyme that once activated just loves to attack and eat insoluable fats from your skins. These are the fats that degreasers will not touch! In doing so, the skins are much much more looser, and softer. This is especially noticable in the heavy skins like buffalo, fatty skins, and even in furs where a lot of guys complain that the head areas are always hard. An acid bate is the answer.
However, you cant just use any Bate. It must be able to live in an acid solution (hence "Acid Bate") and it "must" be suitable for furs or hair-ons - not leather, where they feed on high alkaline skins! The one we sell loves an acidic solution - you simply put it in with your water, acid and salt when you pickle and pickle as usual. However, you cant use it on dehaired skins or it will attack the nice grain if its exposed.
There are 28 grams in each ounce (by weight). To use our Acid Bate - simply add it to your pickle at a rate of 4-8 grams to each 1 gallon of pickle. So even if you used it 8 grams per gallon - 1 Lb. of Rittels Acid Bate would do 56 gallons of pickle. So its economical too!
If you do Buffalo skins - this is almost a "Must"! One of my customers tells me its the only way he's ever gotten any real softness to the "hump" on the skin and he wouldnt tan without it! Another Fur Buyer and Tanner tells us he has never produced such a soft skin, until he started to use Acid Bate in his pickle - now hes a steady customer!
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I use acid bate in my pickle any time I tan myself and even on wt-tail capes i notice a better degree of softness especially in the face and near the scalp area.