i had tanned a couple coon hides for mounting the 1st one had some slippage on the back of the ear but i super glued it back on so it wasnt a big deal, the 2nd one, however, both ears slipped and parts of the face, i reapired it as best i could but want to avoid future incidents. this is what im doing tell me if i should be doing something else instead. both coons were roadkills that i stored in the freezer since witer. 1) i fleshed out both hides and salted them and had let them dry for a week or so. 2) i used a acid bath mixture of 1 cup salt/gal water for 5 gal a cup of tide and a capful of lysol concentrate using cold well water. the hides rehydrated fairly quickly so i took them out after about 30min. 3) i hang dried them and then applied JR's tanning cream and stored in fridge overnight. 4) i then put them in the same acid solution for another 30min in the morning and then rinsed them out in the sink with cold water and froze them until i thawed them out for mounting. i know this technique is different than the citric acid or saftee acid bath which i may try next. i think i should have left it in the soulution for 3 days but the hides rehydrated quickly or should i have salted the faces right away while i was skinning and fleshing them out. sorry this is so long. much help appreceated. thanks
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But they are a recipe for the disaster you had. Where did you hear about the Lysol. That stuff is pure crap and serves absolutely NO USE unless you're wanting the cape to slip. If once had a MICROSCOPIC amount of phenol in it, but no longer. Besides, a good hide doesn't NEED a bacteriacide. Next, after the initial pickle, you should shave the hide after washing it off and then put it BACK in the pickle for a few hours. Then NEUTRALIZE the hide with baking soda and THEN paint on the JRTS. That's it. No more acid bath, no nothing except washing it off, tumbling it and breaking the hide if you're using it as a flat.
Also, why the long salting technique. If you're planning on storing a hide or you're a trapper running a trapline and planning to sell the hides, that's one thing, but salting overnight is more than sufficient on a coon hide or equivalent. I seldom double salt anything except the bears and elk sized or bigger animals.
RTFD is a good rule to follow from now on. Read The Fricking Directions. They're on the bottle or in the enclose material with the JRTS or the acid crystals.
Follow what George told you. But in you post you said nothing about turning the ears, eyes, and lips. Did you turn them? Because that could also be one of the reasons the ears slipped on you. Also forget about the lysol. Like George said it's pure crap and has no use in Taxidermy Today.
Coyote
I totaly agree with ya guys but one thing is overlooked sooo many time is IF they are in they are use'n well water..........
I was haveing killer results with the JRTS then poof over night the headaches began..Id moved to a farm I was buying and set up shop..I lost like 3 capes and even had a bought tanned cape sour up a tad and slip some..I couldnt beilve what was going on..Then I got sick..Being that I worked for the fed's fixing House's I had a auditor bud come out and test the well for me..OMG way off the wall all the crap in there..After several bleach shockings it was good enough for washin laundry and capes's......
It pays to check the one thing we take for granted....From the sounds of the problem too long in water washing aint good either...
just a thought .....................