I am a beginner and never knew about pickling. How do I do this and what does it do? Also, what is hydrating and how do I do it?
Thanks
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If you plan to tan a hide, it needs to be pickled in a salt/acid brine to kill the body juices that are trying to make it rot. A 24-hour cover of salt prior the pickle will draw allot of the body juices out so the pickle will have less juices to kill off. There are a few dozen kinds of pickling acids that can be used. There is a safety acid that is very popular; a citric acid works well, and others. The pickle will plump up the hide enough that a second fleshing or shaving by hand or machine can thin it, if it is a thick hide. After the acid has done its thing and the hide has been shaved, the hide needs to have the acid neutralized in a bath of baking soda and water. After a good rinse in cold water it is ready for the tanning process.
if you can see the orange button to your left, click on it and type in something like how to pickle or something similar. Also search for hydrating. I hate not to answer your ?'s but there is tooo much information to explain and I can't type real well. I need this one good finger for other things. Check it out there is sooooooo much info behind that little orange button.
Hydrating or re-hydrating is when a raw hide that has been salt dried, or a dried tanned hide, can be brought back to a flexible working condition by soaking in a salt-water brine. There are a few hydrating recipes but almost everybody has there own way of rehydrating. One way if it is tanned, is to soak for 1 hour in water with a little salt or bactericide, drain and place in a plastic bag and let it sweat in the fridge overnight. A raw salt dried hide should be put in a stiffer mixture of salt and water or bactericide and soaked until flexible enough to go to the pickle. Teachers please feel free to add anything if I left something out.
Mr. T
I commend you on your response. Now that was sharing. Orange button! Yes, but Awfully confusing for some people. AND you have to read a bunch of fights in between the good info.
Thanks a lot guys. I think ive got the whole process correct now. Happy tanning!