Got a hide from a lady up the road. It was fleshed very well, salted, and folded... heres where the process went haywire... It then spent the next 3 years in an opensided shed subject to snow, rain wind etc. When I picked it up it was slightly soft and wet. I got it for free so there is no harm in trying.. Its a beautiful Red and white spotted hide. It doesnt smell or appear to be rotting.. yet. This will truely be a test for Stop rot... I see if its everything everyone says its cracked up to be. Personally if when I rehydrate this hide all the hair doesn't fall out it will be a miracle.
What do you think the chances are it will survive?
I'll let you all know how it goes.
Shelby
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on how wet it got.
you have pointed out that the hide was slightly soft and wet.
The translation on that is that the salt had bonded to the fiber structures of the skin (collagen) at the chloride "end" of the molecule leaving the sodium "end" to draw water.
Now you're going to need to look at the skin in two parts so to speak.
The supporting structural part (collagen-leather fibers), and the actual cell layers over that, which in most cases will not be a whole lot thicker than where the end of the hair follicle terminates.
The collagen fibers, by their very nature of structure, are fairly resistant to enzyme attack, if not we would all be falling apart every time we started to walk. The collagen fibers can be broken down with acids or heat. The collagen fibers also support muscle structures, that's why a lot of us cook our meat, makes it more tender and easier to digest.
In the archives is an information loaded articel:
Salting and its effect on cellular material
Granted, the article was written from the standpoint of a DNA perspective, BUT the very information also pertains to taxidermy and tanning.
It is pointed out that fluids are drawn as a result of the salting process, which in essence means that the "nutrient" part of the cell is still there. If you think of a chicken egg as one cell, you can think in terms of that cell being able to be dehydrated for later consumption.
Enter into here, halophylic bacteria, the salt loving bacteria. What the incidence of such is on dry land, and as an air borne,I have no idea, but I would not totally dismiss that as a possibility with three years of exposure to the elements.
"Should" something like that have taken place (halophilic exposure), the metabolic processes of the bacteria will produce acids as a byproduct. Remember, collagen fibers can be broke down with acids, and bacteria will be producing enzymes to break down food stuffs into their next most simple form. Your own stomach is working on the same principles as you read this. Hydrochloric acid is being produced, along with the enzyme pepsin. That just enters another possibility of the softness of the hide. "Might" be some breakdown of the collagen fibers.
Let's wander back up to the cellular layer, the powdered egg part. You will need to get the remainng nutrient gone ASAP upon rehydration.
Paint the STOP-ROT on with a paint brush, let the STOP-ROT work to help rehydrate the skin as much as possible. Misting DISTILLED water on periodically will help.
For a rehydration solution, mix one pond of salt to one gallon of water. To this solution add enough of the acid you are using to take the pH just below 6. A 5.6 to 6 will get you there.
The above is a spin off of what was originally done to make chromosomes available in solution, in other words the cell contents were ruptured into the solution. As far as I know, that technique was always used on fresh tissue.
After that proceed as normal.
Remember the name of the product is STOP-ROT, not Fix-Rot. If I could fix rot I might have to focus my attentions elsewhere. LOL
Regardless, please do keep us informed. Success or failure, doesn't make any difference, just let us know.