hides ripping??????

did you neutralize and why did you soak for a couple hours and what did you soak in

 

that step is not needed with krowtan because it is a wet tan
you rehydrate dry tans just follow the directions for krowtan and you will be fine

 

being in the freezer for 7-8 months is nothing
i am not saying the rehydrate step is what did it is just not needed
is sounds like acid rot to me not properly neutralized

 

All you need to do after taking a cape from the freezer is shampoo and rinse before you mount it. Let it drain after rinsing, and if it seems dry, I would roll the fur side in a towel to wick moisture from the fur to help prevent epidermal slippage around the eyes and such, and bag in a plastic bag overnight.

 

Krowtann directions call for 15 mins in the soda/water to neutralize, why you do 30mins? Also its a wet tan, not sure why you are putting it in salt/water before you mount it?

When I take mine out of the soda/water neutralizeing mix, I wash it with liquid tide, rinse well and let it drip for a little while then bag it and freeze it til I need it. Ive not had any problems of skin ripping etc. Once its been washed there is no need to wash again. Nor should you have to rehydrate it unless you are letting it dry out before you are freezing it.

It does sounds like acid rot... Was your soda fresh?

 

Sounds like you neutralized too long and the soak afterwards probably did not help. I started shaving before neutralizing. Allows for a better neutralization. Plus you will get a better stretch and the cape will be a little easier to work with.

 

I don't know about acid rot here. You can leave skins in KT for a year and they are not going to rot.

 

Yep that is very true I had a doe cape in krowtan for 2 years.. just to see.. And it is just fine..
I was thinking of a dry tanned skin that acted the same way and it was definetly acid rot.. But Ive never had that problem with Krowtan.

 

Why Did You Salt After Fleshing ?? After Rough Fleshing I Believe It Goes Right In The Krowtann Per Instructions

 

That's true, but salting after the rough flesh doesn't hurt a thing. I neutralize after the final fleshing also. Not 30 min, I'm thinking that's too long....but that's not the cause here. The over neutralizing would cause slippage, but I don't think it would be the cause of the ripping. That's classic acid rot symptoms. I think something went wrong in the neutralizing...

Hard to tell what the cause is unless we get a complete rundown, step by step, of how it was done. Why these two and not other capes? We'll probably never figure it out...I think a step was skipped somewhere on these. I've moved away from Krowtan for the majority of my work, but I still use it occassionally when I need to.

 

Over neutralizing will cause ripping. The hide starts to get almost gellish. I have neutralized too long and that is what happens. He didn't fallow the steps like they were suppose to be followed. But you are right it is hard to pinpoint one certain cause. Too many variables.

 

I have had fantastic results with KT. I do follow the directions to a "T" though.

 

The skins are over neutralized or shaved to thin.

I have only had this problem when I did either of the above.

Its not the KT fault.

Also if the skin was ready to mount when it went in the freezer, I dont think you need to brine it again after you thaw it. I dont see the need.

 

You OVER Neutralized. Guarantee it. I am sure soaking it in what ever you did too didnt help. Follow the directions.

 

One thing I found with Krowtann is the directions say 6 ounces of sodium bicarbonate to 2 gallons of water then neutralize for 15 minutes. My capes were rubbery when I first started using Krowtann. I contacted Ozark Woods to see what I was doing wrong? I am using baking soda and Brian Harness says to DOUBLE the amount of baking soda if using it rather than sodium bicarbonate (yes, I know they are supposed to be the same thing but it has something to do with particle size). ALSO---BIG ALSO!-- the amounts in the Krowtann formula are VOLUME amounts, fluid ounces, not weights. Now I use 12 ounces by volume of baking soda. 12 VOLUME/FLUID ounces of baking soda weights 15-16 ounces. As for your tearing problem, I think you are over-neutralizing big time.

 

I would say over neutralizing too. We have Krowtanned deer, elk, caribou, antelope, bears, mountain lions, alligators, african game, desert and rocky mountain bighorn, and on and on and on. We have not had problems with anything like what you have had. All of the above have turned out REALLY well.

 

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Sounds like you neutralized too long and the soak afterwards probably did not help. I started shaving before neutralizing. Allows for a better neutralization. Plus you will get a better stretch and the cape will be a little easier to work with



When I first started I had that on a few capes and I found that over neutralizing was my problem