Salt- Is There Too Much?

No rolling it up to fit in the bucket is not a good idea, it will have spots where the fluids collect and pool causing issues. Salt it and hang it to dry is the best way, then all fluids drip off, things such as full hides I will hang and rotate over a few days because the bottom will always dry last, once almost all moisture is gone I then fold up and prepare to either box up or wait to rehydrate and then into pickle. In your case I would salt for a couple days to pull out untannable fluids and start setting the hair, some may disagree with this first step but , it is how I do it, and then rehydrate do not stick a dry hide straight into pickle, rehydrate first and then into the pickle.

 

When I rehydrate, I use McKenzie relaxer/degreaser following the directions. Ive never heard of using vinegar to rehydrate.

 

Looks good. Drying completely is for storage and shipping mainly, a salt dried skin is lighter for shipping and can be stored that way for an undermined amount of time. Vinegar may be fine for pickling food but there are a host of better formulas for pickling hides. If you wish for professional results use what professional use, I know none that use vinegar on hides. If you bought a tanning cream off the shelf of your local box or hardware store, don't use it. They may be adequate to preserve a thin skinned small critter but not so much a deer hide. My best suggestion would be to order a tanning kit directly from a taxidermy supply company and ask specifically for what you wish to have as a final product.

 

You are welcome, I like to help when I can. Go ahead and use it, if you can't wait but, keep your expectations low. Use it as a learning experience and then it is not a waist. Good luck.

 

If you use krowtann you do not need to salt the hide at all according to their instructions and if after tanning you use krow oil and work it into the skin you should get good results. You can salt a hide and then krowtann if you want but is not necessary. And yes your salted hide looks fine.

 

I am using the Mckenzie tanning and oil solutions... I got the kit and they included video. They suggested the same pickle - 1 gal vinegar 2 lb non iodized salt for each gal water and leave in 24-36 hrs.. Going to test it out within the next week or so.

 

I don't salt dry anything that I tan in house . Ruff flesh turn and straight in the pickle. One pound of salt per gallon of water one half oz of McKenzie safety acid per gallon of water. I have no issues at all doing it this way that info can straight from Paul Cale with Pro 1 chemicals.
Tommy

 

I sometimes do the same Tommy and it works fine but I typically salt and dry because critters or hides aren't taking up freezer space that way.

 

Do not put it in a bucket with salt. I did that starting out with taxidermy years ago and ruined a perfectly good coyote hide. It causes the liquids to pool and rots out the hide because it can't drain.

 

I salt, not necessarily dry because they go in the freezer or I use relaxer/cleaner then in the pickle. I like putting a clean cape in the pickle and using the relaxer/cleaner gets a lot of crap out. I am confused though, Tayler, what McKenzie tanning kit are you using? I have not seen to use vinegar in anything that I have used of there's?

 

DSKD (mckenziesp.com) They include a video in this deer skin tanning kit along with tanning solution and oil. They said for pickle, for each gal water use 1 gal white vinegar and 2lb non iodized salt

 

There ya go, guess I had never seen that stuff.

 

I'm going to test it out within the next week or so, I can post updates on how it goes if you'd like