I've tanned several deer hides and a fox with Lutan. The tanned fox has an odor. Kind of wild and kind of greasy smell. The hide looks fine, though. Can I wash the tanned hide with shampoo and water and rinse and dry. Will it hurt the pelt? Thanks for any suggestions, in advance.
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Lutan F will wash out. You will have to retan it I think. Also, Did you degrease the hide before tanning?
I had assumed the fox didn't need it. There wasn't any fat on the fox. Do you degrease every pelt? What works well? Kerosene.. or...?
for foxes i just use some dawn or joy dish soap after i skin them. they dont have much fat and grease but they are a wild animal and they all have it in them . i find that after i skin a fox i wash it right away and rinse a few time in cold water and then salt immediatly.others such as coon and the more greasy critters it is a good idea to buy some degreaser. also you can try to wash it qiuckly in joy or dawn now after it has been tanned but do it quickly and dont let it sit in there for a while. or like john said it will wash out.but it takes more than just a quick wash to do so. let it dry a little and break again as you didnt cause it will get hard if you dont.
Josh bad smells can often be associated with bacteria. I would deal with this by giving the skin a dowsing in metho,(I think you call it denurtured wood alcohol.)I would then dry it with sawdust. Then put it through the tanning process again but be quick in the final step. I'd be careful about washing it in soap if it is a bacteria problem, as the high P.H of soap will encourage the bacteria to grow. Foxes have a delicate epidermise and bacteria seem to attack this very quickly if you do not treat it carefully.
Here in Austrailia foxes are considered vermin and are shot, poisoned and trapped all year round, but even in winter when the skins are prime it can get pretty warm and the skins need to be handled with care and dealt with quickly to avoid putridfication.