I just finished reading a half hour of problems with shrinkage of commercially wet-tanned capes via the orange button. I have several wet-tanned capes just back from a well-recommended tannery, and they are too tough for me to stretch back to size. (or I'm too weak)
Should I soak, rewet, sweat, use fabric softener, baking soda, or what? I'm dizzy from all the archive banter.
I had this problem once before, but not as bad.
Thanks in advance.
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If the hide is still thick run it over your fleshing machine. I will also stretch over a small 4" wood ball this works for me.good luck
The ultimate awnser to your problem is on page 576 of the McKenzie catalog. This will stretch capes better than any other method I have tried.
I gave up on the short Y incision now because of the stretch issues..ie, nowhere to get ahold of it to pull, so you have to stretch with something inflatable or with the stretcher that Joey M posted above.
I cut them all down the back now..long incision. You get a good hold on both sides of the cape, and it will restore if you pull hard enough.
I may try one of the stretchers from McKenzie in the future, but for me, the only way to restore my measurements completely has been with a long incision cape.
I am not going to short the customer by undersizing a form because I couldn't stretch the cape back to it's origianl measurements.
If it's wet tanned, it should be WET and my innertube works great without another piece of junk machinery cluttering up your shop. Try it. A lawnmower innertube is about $10 at Lowes.
Have you ever tried the speed cape stretcher?
I have been tanning for 25 years and I think you need to find another tanner,90% of my tanning is wet and never had a complaint of stretch, they were over tanned and I also ship my wet tanned skins worldwide by mail and never had a complaint about slippage.Tanneries that claim they must be shipped overnight is absolutely not true. I have had skins out of refrigeration for thirty days and the only thing that happened is some milldew on the flesh side with NO problem with epidermis or hair slip.
This type of stretcher is great. In just a few minutes, you can forevermore stretch the sh*, sh**, (I almost said it!) "shrink" out of a cape. I tried inner tubes (which popped), laying over a beam and pushing with tin cutters (John Rinehart method), and "sweating" all with mixed success. The speed stretcher is another piece of equipment sitting around my shop...one that I use on every cape. To heck with fighting a cape over a form. This booger will relax it better than anything else. Now don't get excited and think you are going to get a 17" cape on a 22" form. But if it measures 20", you can mount it on a 20" form without having to pull and tug on it.
Thanks for the reply. I'm not looking to dismiss George's inner tube method, but I've also had less than desirable results with it. I blew up one inner tube because the nozzle stuck inside while inflating, and another because I wasn't getting the stretch, so I added some more...(becoming way to familaiar with the explosions sounds of a ruptured inner tube).
I tried a basketball, and ripped an 11 inch hole on the side of the neck...(not a fun repair)
Before years end, I'm thinking I will own a speed stretcher as well.
Just as an added note..I'm not trying to supersize any deer, I'm just trying to mount my capes on forms that are based off my exact measurements.
Like you said - a 20 inch cape, on a 20 inch form.
The reason that I have to stretch so vigorously is that my capes are salt dried ROCK HARD. I do this to save on freezer space, and to protect my capes in a power outage. Re-hydration/relaxing of a cape this hard takes 24-48 hrs in brine. Then it is pickled and tanned and frozen. A cape that was not allowed to dry this much would probably relax sufficiently using traditional methods. Up until two years ago all of my capes were DP'd, never had to worry much about stretch---it was shrink and movement after mounting that drove me bananas!
i use krowtann 2000 and seldom have many probolems with size - i dont check to see if it will stretch back - if the carcass measures 20" behind the ears that is the size i order... not 19 1/2 or 19 - one out of every four is a little titght - when this happens i oil overnite in krowoil - i get as much as 4" stretch when i do this - i know i sound like a broken record but if you would just try this stuff you would be a believer - it is brain dead easy and even a 10 year old girl could do it so i know most of you could too (LOL)