I presently have a batch of 5 whitetail capes that have been in a Saftee-acid pickle for 7 days and don't seem to want to plump. I've checked them every day since day 3 of the pickle bath and they seem the same on day 7 as they did on day 3. All of the steps used to this point in the process have been "By the Book" and have worked very well for me in the past. The one factor that changed was that normally I process 3 capes per batch, and this time I tried 5 capes. After the normal rehydrating time, I pulled the capes and actually noticed they didn't seem as pliable as normal. Possibly do to overcrowding in the brine solution? Because of time constraints and the fear of leaving them soak to long in the rehydrating solution and loosing them, I went ahead and placed them in the pickle. Now they are not at all shaver friendly, so to speak. They seem more in a raw state than a pickled and plump state. Can I dry these capes and start over with the rehydration step? If so, are there any concerns with doing so? Thanks in advance.
Return to Tanning Category Menu
Did you rehydrate before the ACID?
Calling it a brine solution is not correct espcially when the AICDIC level is whats the controling facter.
So what is your pH you never emntioned it.
You could have the pH to low, try using a bit of acid bate and that will probly fix the problem, go easy with the acid bate.
It sounds like you didnt relax them fully. I sometimes use a Salt Brine (2 Lbs. of Salt/1 Gallon of Water)! It's one of the safest ways to relax skins - but it takes longer than using a commercial relaxer like our Ultra-Soft Relaxer. I sometimes leave my skins or capes in there for up to 24 hours. I like it because you can safely soak them for up to 48 hours if it needs it - but I wouldnt go beyond that point. If they havent relaxed by then you have to move them to the pickle to prevent any losses.
As for your situation. You really cant go back and try to relax those capes at this point. Unfortunately the pickle tends to "firm" the flesh - and if you neutralize the capes (to bring them back to a raw state again) and try to relax them further - you're taking a risky chance. You could see some slippage. I would try to work with what I have. Try taking them out, draining them for 30 minutes and running a Beam Knife over the flesh to break the fibers up a bit.
PS - Try to avoid "over crowding"! I always figure to use 2 Qts. of solution per 1 Lb. of skin weight. Since our capes normally weigh about 8 lbs. wet - I use 4 gallons of Brine per cape.