Hey All! thanks for the great info! Was in Canada for a week and trying not to burn international streaming time (no Wi-Fi) ANYWHOO! I took three bears advice and bought the McKenzie kit (had the orange cableas stuff initially) and am going to use that. The kit I have now requires their acid, salt, and water. QUESTION: At what points can I reuse salt? I currently have about 100 lbs of salt on my spare room floor and have separated it to "first 24 hour" salt aka- dirty and "second 24 hour salt" aka- basically still white... from drying the hides... Can I reuse the clean white salt into a pickle? can salt only be used once? ALSO- these questions pertain to HIDE RUG TANNING... so much of what I see is for mounts (clearly that's what this site is for LOL) but I am strictly interested in hide material for rugs and other girly "fabric" purposes... THANKS!!!
I would use new salt in my pickle, think about what it does, draws out untannable fluids/contaminates, but do reuse the "Clean salt" to a degree for "dirty" salting, the first salting of new fleshed hides, but I mix it with fresh salt.
In the grand scheme of things, salt is cheap. Use fresh salt for the pickle. Yes you can re-use salt if it's clean and dry. I have reused salt on deer capes and back hides with no ill, but the customers are paying for the salt, so new salt is used.
Follow up- and possibly stupid- question... If that's the case where are you all disposing of these massive amounts of salt? ps- customer is me, we live on a hunting mountain and I was just tired of seeing all the hides go to waste
We have garbage service here. About 300lbs. goes into the 2 cans every week. If I was on a septic, I would consider potassium chloride as a salt substitute.
First hide just went into a clean pickle... I can't get the damn thing to sink lol I want to weight it with another plastic container but don't want to crowd it... I appreciate all the help!!! You all are fantastic
You can weight it down, just make sure to move the hide around a few times a day, especially the first couple days. If you really want to see a hide float, try caribou...LOL
I'm already overwhelmed by the white tail! Think I'll have to practice a looooong time before I get there! But it's a goal for sure!
did you rehydrate it prior to the pickle? They will always float, you can use clean water jugs to help submerge them but I don't, I just stir them multiple times a day and often keep em in the pickle longer than the directions say, not by choice always it's just the way things typically work out.
I only did the two that were still... not damp... but not stiff...? the one really bone dry one I will have to rehydrate is it possibly to do that with just water or no? This is getting to be an Uber expensive experiment dunno how people are out there selling tanned deer hides at $100 and making anything Not that I'm in it for any money- just an odd thought I had... does this look ok? And I'll just flip them every so often?...
I use the salt in small piles all over the woods around my parent's house for animals to use as salt licks.
Yes you can use just plain water to rehydrate, many throw a handful of salt in there but I don't. I figure the hide has enough salt on it, Dried hides don't soak up the pickle as readily as a rehydrated hides and often won't turn out as planned. From what I understand,the pickle needs to enter the cell structure and prepare it for the tan to bond with it and that requires the cell to be plump and softened. Yes they look fine. I use a stick or now I bought a small decorative canoe paddle at Hobby Lobby that works good to stir and flip them.
