# Preservation????



## M.Magis (Oct 2, 2003)

After complete fleshing/splitting the skin is salted well and allowed to drain. It is then dried until time for tanning. 
No, dry preserve can not be substituted for salt.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

lil_king_12 said:


> After the animal is skinned and the fat is removed... What is the next step or steps in preserving an animal until it can be tanned and mounted?
> 
> Also, how does instant preserve powder work? Can it be used on rugs or hanging capes? Can you use it for the first question and then mount it once the forms have arrived or will it harden the cape making it unmountable? Thanks


 after salting the 1st time clean the wet salt off and salt again. use a good quality non iodized salt overnight and then clean it off and roll up in a ball till you start your next move wash with a mild detergent throughly to get all the salt out rinse and squeeze out excess and move on to your acid pickle. dry preservitive is really subject to humidity. will crack your hide with age and will cause drumming. doesn't take to hide paste very well. it is not a tan. it doesn't cost but a few more steps to go 1st class with a good tan. such as luftan. not hard to do.


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## M.Magis (Oct 2, 2003)

scrapewatcher said:


> after salting the 1st time clean the wet salt off and salt again. use a good quality non iodized salt overnight and then clean it off and roll up in a ball till you start your next move wash with a mild detergent throughly to get all the salt out rinse and squeeze out excess and move on to your acid pickle. dry preservitive is really subject to humidity. will crack your hide with age and will cause drumming. doesn't take to hide paste very well. it is not a tan. it doesn't cost but a few more steps to go 1st class with a good tan. such as luftan. not hard to do.


Not saying it hasn't worked for you, but some of your steps are inviting problems. Rolling a skin traps all of those fluids in there. If you fold it, the fluids can drain away. Why do you wash your skins in a detergent, *before* the pickle? The pickle is full of salt, washing away what is on the skin won't help anything. Plus, if you don't rinse out the detergent (didn't see it mentioned) it can raise the PH of the pickle. My skins are rinsed in luke warm water *after* tanning. The salt content of the pickle ensures that salt crystals will form in the hair when it dries, if it's not rinsed out. 
Again, it must work for you, but I would be worried that a beginner following those steps may have trouble. I'm guessing that you have a detailed system that you do, and not every little thing is listed here. Missing one of those steps could cause failure.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

well according to what he asked i didn't figure the guy would be waiting long to go to the nerxt step. as far as rolling the hide up thats after the hide has been salted and drained and scraped of wet salt.. it should salted again. i don't consider a salt brine a pickle. and in my opinion a dirty cape shouldn't be put in a clean salt brine. it should be washed and rinsed first and cleaned. i wasn't wanting to give detailed inst. for tanning. just giving an option from dry preservitive. that's not what he asked. most tanning kits give detailed instructions.


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## M.Magis (Oct 2, 2003)

I realize you weren't giving detainled instructions. My worry would be that some beginners might think that those ARE detailed instructions, that's all.


> i don't consider a salt brine a pickle


I didn't think that I implied that it was. Oh well, never mind. Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

M.Magis said:


> I realize you weren't giving detainled instructions. My worry would be that some beginners might think that those ARE detailed instructions, that's all.
> 
> I didn't think that I implied that it was. Oh well, never mind. Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers.


: you are right there my bad.


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## buck617 (Feb 18, 2009)

just my thoughts..washing with the detergent and water is asking for trouble..detergent will raise the ph of the skin and water is a major enemy of a cape.personally i would hang the cape ..not roll it up...as was said the fluids will lay in an area and could very well result in slippage..and before it is put into a pickle it needs to be rehydrated.JMO i do hundreds of these a year.


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## scrapewatcher (Apr 14, 2009)

buck617 said:


> just my thoughts..washing with the detergent and water is asking for trouble..detergent will raise the ph of the skin and water is a major enemy of a cape.personally i would hang the cape ..not roll it up...as was said the fluids will lay in an area and could very well result in slippage..and before it is put into a pickle it needs to be rehydrated.JMO i do hundreds of these a year.


well i really did not say anything about rolling it up while it was draining and wet. where did i say that.


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## buck617 (Feb 18, 2009)

use a good quality non iodized salt overnight and then clean it off and roll up in a ball till you start your next move ....That is what you said.


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## GenesisAlpha (Jun 26, 2009)

You must DOUBLE salt. It is the only way to assure you have all the bad fluids out and can then move on to the next step or hang to dry for future use.

Step 1. Clean and flesh as much fat and meat off the cape as possible. Turn lips, eyelids, toes/pads, tail and ears. Again get all soft flesh off the hide.

Step 2. Use only coarse NEW Non-Iodized salt, pour a pile on the hide and get down and rub............RUB it into all areas of the hide/ all the turned details as described in step 1.

Step 3. Fold skin or cape with salt on it right side to left side, flesh side to flesh side. Roll up the skin and place on a angled board with the cut line pointed to the down slope so it will drain. leave for 24 hours.

Step 4. Unfold hide and brush off all old salt. Check for any fat or meat you missed and then repeat Step 2. Again Use only fresh New Non-Iodized salt. Fold and roll up again and leave for 24 hours on sloped board to drain.

Step 5. After 24 hours unroll and brush off all salt. Hide now can be moved to next process or hung with lots of air circulation around the flesh side to dry and store. 

Caution: if you rinse your hides before pickle or tan you must rinse in water/non-iodized salt solution. Without the salt you risk hair slip. No detergent. Use Kermal4 as a clean and pickle prep.

:darkbeer:

Bob


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