i checked out the search botton, some says use salt ,some dont.
how should i relax this hide before i pickle it, i plan to tan it with liqua tan. could someone help me out ,Thank you
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Use 1 pound of salt for every gallon of water. I used to use only a handful but was terribly mistaken. Let it soak for a couple of hours and then put in a plastic bag in the fridge over night. If you are in a hot area, which hasn't been too hard lately, let it soak in the water in the fridge. I have a enough room in the shop fridge to put a 5 gallon bucket in and I let it soak over night.
Your best bet is to use a commercial relaxer, I like Rittel's "ultra soft relaxer". I have found NOTHING it will not relax! and NO slippage! One pound of salt to each gal of water will work, but ultra soft relaxer is much faster and safer (slippage). Joe
be carefull wolf are a "dry" [not greasy] hide. relax in salt one lb per gal. for about 2-3 hours tops. stirring every 15 min.. rinse twice, quickly, then go directly into pickel. stir 3 times a day for first 5 days.
ej
Eric, if you actually tanned wolves, instead of buying them tanned and reselling them, you'd know how incorrect your statement is.
Wolves are like coyotes, and foxes. Some are bone dry, and many are completely greasy down to each hair root.
I relax my air-dry wolves in a very large vat with 80-85 degree, warm city tap water, a little bacteriacide, a little liquid soap to get the omnipresent blood out of the hair, and no salt. The pH of this mix is usually about 7.5 to 8 which is not high enough to start slipping the skin for a few weeks. I stir them every 20-30 min. for about 12 hours. Working temp. in vat area is always over 70 F. Once the ears, nose, legs, and feet are soft, they get rinsed clean, then wrung out, drip dried for half an hour, then placed straight in to the pickle. Have not found a wolf yet that will not relax down in 12 hrs. using this method, and no slip either. Pickle is stirred 4-5 times per day.
You can use a commercial relaxing agent. I used to use Atesan-LPW but found it to be less effective then the above method. ANY surfactant plus water will effect a good relaxation, given the right temp. water and plenty of effort.
You can sub degreaser in for liquid soap. Blood-Eater, Epo-Grip, etc. Anything to get that blood out of the hair, plus make the water wetter and really get in to those interfibrillary spaces.
The really greasy wolves, the lates and earlies, will give you more trouble them the primes and the "prepped by taxidermists". Some skins are trouble from the start to the end, others are smooth sailing all the way through. Just like any other species.
The above method works for any species. Cut the time down for smaller stuff. You can get an ermine soft in 30-40 min., most mink in 2 hrs. Fox take 4-6 hrs. depending on how many years they were air-dried before put in to the vat. Ranch animals, mink and fox, are always faster because of much better fleshing & better care. Coyotes 8-12 hrs.
If your advice is so good then why not leave a name. A post was left by Old Shaver that I have to agree with about folks that don't leave name. Either your advice really sucks or it is really good so why not leave a name so we can see who is posting the info just in case we can ignore or take your advice.
Is a nickname any different than just a first name or a dot. For whatever reason anominity is much more common on here than not, and I dont expect that to change without some sort of registration or something. If your comment is so important why not leave your name?
anonimity
i go straight to the pikcle with no relaxing in between - no worrries about slipping at all
I did leave my name. I was just trying to say that if you give good advice others will know to look for what you say. It's kind of like OS, Mr T, or George Roof, everytime I see that identity I read it. If I see others I know I don't agree with I can ignore them. It's just a courtesy thing but nothing personal. I just like to know who the advice is coming from.
this is for -
i bet i've tanned more wolves than you got brain cells!
like i said before - your full of yourself.!
full of -!
to tell young tanners that you can hold a wolf at 7 to 8 ph for a couple weeks. well, i dare you to try it.!
you'll lose it for sure.
so..
young tanners take heed. i thick this - guy is full of himself. full of -
ej
I have to agree with you. That is why I questioned his advice. Leaving any hide for a few weeks with a 7 or 8 PH sounds insane. Besides, if it only takes 12 hrs to relax, why leave it for so long.
this - guy at 216 144 58 52. is an animal rights mole. sent to this site to create havoc, confussion and kaos.
ej
How did you find out?
That IP address 216.114 is pretty close to your neck of the woods.
Thank you for the help. My boys got a rabbit today and wanted to save the skin so I told them I would try. With your help it just might work.