Tanning Tips and Formulas

SALTING

Once the skin has been removed from the animal, it should be salted immediately. DO NOT spend additional time removing small traces of flesh and membrane before salting. Rough flesh, turn eyelids, lips and ears. Lay skin out and salt. (Use fine grain, non‑iodized tanner's salt.) Apply salt generously, coating all of the flesh side. Shake salt off the following day, resalt with new salt. After 12 hours you may proceed to the tanning process, or dry the skin for storage until tanning. If you choose to freeze the skin rather than drying, never roll up a skin and place in a plastic bag to freeze. This causes sweating plus it takes longer to freeze, promoting bacteria growth. Lay out the skin in the freezer until almost frozen, then roll up and freeze.

REHYDRATING

Always thaw a skin in a solution with Bascaryl NB KU or other bactericide. This prevents bacteria growth. To rehydrate a dry salted skin, first place the skin in plain water at room temperature. The use of Bascaryl NB KU is recommended. Soak until semi‑relaxed. Then place in a salt or pickle solution. Trying to rehydrate in a strong salt or pickle solution is a waste of time. The salt and/or pickle is astringent to the pores of the skin, preventing absorption. The use of Relax R or Bascal S helps to speed up rehydration.

PICKLING

Pickling is the process of acidifying a skin to kill bacteria makes the skin easier to flesh and creates a positive ionic charge in the skin fibres to attract tannins. A solution of acid and salt is used. The salt is necessary to prevent acid swelling the skin. Never place a pickled skin in water without salt or it will acid swell. Acids commonly used are Citric Acid (Ph 1 ‑1.5), Oxalic Acid (Ph 1 ‑ 1.5), Formic Acid (Ph 2.5) and Acetic Acid (Ph 2.5) In general terms, a pickle solution is made from any one of the previous acids and 1 pound of salt to 1 gallon of water.

TANNING

Neutralize pickled skins in a solution of 1 oz. of Sodium Bicarbonate or Soda Ash to 1 gallon of water. Raise the Ph to 4.5 -5. Skins can be tanned using an aluminum tan method Eg. Lutan FN or Aluminum Sulphate) or Tanning Cream method. Both methods tan in an acidic Ph range of (3.5 to 4.5). Aluminum tans are processed in a water and salt solution.

Tanning creams are processed by coating the pickled skin with the tanning cream and allowing time for absorption. Both tans produce an open fiber and soft white tan suitable for mounting and rug work. Cream tans seldom produce as soft and supple a tan, with as much stretch as Lutan FN.

+  SKIN, ROUGH FLESH, TURN EARS, EYES AND LIPS

+  SALT (NON‑IODIZED) ‑ LEAVE OVERNIGHT

+  REMOVE FIRST COAT, RESALT ‑ LEAVE 12 HOURS.

+  PICKLE, DRY OR FREEZE SKIN

+ SUGGESTED FORMULA ‑ To each 1 gallon of water.

1 oz. Bascal S

1/8 oz. Bascaryl NB KU1

4 oz. Salt

1/2 oz. Greasebuster, Kemsol,  or Relax R

+ SUGGESTED FORMULAS ‑ To each 1 gallon of water.

#1

1 lb. of Salt

3/4 oz. of Oxalic Acid or 3 oz. of Citric Acid

Ph 1 ‑ 1.5

                                         OR

#2

1 lb. of Salt

1 oz. Formic Acid or 16‑32 oz of 5% White Vinegar

Ph 2.5

+ SUGGESTED FORMULAS

#1 ‑ per pound of drained skin weight.

3 quarts of water.

1 oz. of Lutan FN and 11 ozs. of Salt

Ph 3.5 ‑ 4

                                         OR

#2

Neutralize Ph to 4.5.

Remove skin, drain and dry

Apply Liqua Tan or Bollman's Tanning Cream.

Allow minimum of 8 hours for penetration