I am new to this.I just need to know the proper procedure from start to finish on tanning deer hides for mounting. I currently have LiquaTan products.I have tanned hides with them before, but i have never pickled them. Can someone straighten me out on this? Any response is greatly appreciated!
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Here's my procedure for liqua-tanning capes. This has worked for me on several hundred deer,elk,caribou...etc,etc. I remove most of the flesh and fat, split and turn everything,remove ear cartilage. Salt and let hang to drain for two days {resalt again after first day}. Submerge in a pickle for at last three days..keeping ph at 2 or less {i think around 1.5 is ideal}. I pull from pickle and neautralize with baking soda {sodium bi-carb} for around 15-30 minutes depending on size or thickness of hide. I rinse out bi-carb and spin dry hide in my washing machine, re-shave entire cape as evenly as possible. I then apply liqua-tan fairly generously, roll cape up and either refrigerate overnite to mount the next day, or freeze and mount later. I prefer freezing and mounting later, also before freezing i let liqua-tan soak in for a few hours. I then pull from freezer and wash with kemal 4 and tumble and mount. On greasy specimans like boar,bear..etc. i also degrease before washing. This method works very well for me.