I have a fox that has DP on it and in the freezer. My question is--can I rinse off the DP and put hide into a pickle{satee acid} and then liqua tan it( after fleshing of course}? Also when do I degrease-after pickle and before tan? What would be a good degreaser and will this also take care of the foxy smell or will I have to use something else for that? Sorry for so many questions but I was always told if you don't ask questions you won't learn anything. I have checked the archives but didn't come up with a definate answer.
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Yes, you can wash the DP off and tan it, but WHY would you put DP on a hide and NOT HAVE FLESHED IT? And then why would your freeze it with DP on it? This gives some cause for concern about the rest of your plans.
There are a multitude of degreasers out there, but a fox hide is a fragile and fickle piece to begin with. As much as you seem to have piddled around with it, I would have concerns about it slipping. I'd suggest you pickle it NOW and worry about the rest later. Also, watch that pickle very closely. The DP is going to mess with your pH of the pickle and you'll likely be adding acid throughout the process.
Why can't you put DP on a hide you are going to put in the freezer? I have only mounted three deer and one wild hog so far using DP but I have put them in the freezer with DP on them and not had any problems. Of course they were completly fleshed and ready to be pulled out and mounted. I'm realy not trying to question anyone I was just curious as to the problems I might run into later. Thanks. MichelleW
I suppose you CAN, but again, why would you? DP is intended to be the LAST thing you do before you mount an animal. Though a salted hide in the freeze asks for spoilage and ruin, a DP hide works differently. Alum and talc in the borax dry the hide by astringent action. The hide isn't going to freeze immediately and that chemical action, inhibited by the freezing process will begin to shrink your hide unnecessarily. You may have gotten away with it this time, but I would NEVER recommend it. Those of you who use DP already know (or certainly should) that there comes a time during the process when hair can be easily and readily pulled out of your mount until the follicles dry up and lock the hair in. That means DP ISN'T a product that you want to play around with. In my OPINION, DPing a hide and then freezing it is just asking for trouble.