Neutralizing a Pickled Hide

[DOUBLE-Z]

Hey guys looking for a little advice. I bought some mckenzie tan and have been wanting to tan some hides. Two bobcats in the pickle now. On the web I've read to prepare a neutral bath to transfer the hide into, also I've read to slowly add my baking soda at intervals to slowly neutralize the hide. Which way should I go with? and to what pH? Ive read 5 and also read 7.

Thanks

[orlybow]

Spin hides or wring out by hand as much of the pickle solution as possible and then weigh your hides. You will need 1 gallon of neutralizing solution for every 3 pounds of hide. The neutralizing solution consists of 1 lb of baking soda per gallon of water.
Anywhere between 5 and 7 PH is fine. As long as the hide is no longer acidic, it will allow the tanning agent to penetrate the hide fully.

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[PondPopper]

Spin hides or wring out by hand as much of the pickle solution as possible and then weigh your hides. You will need 1 gallon of neutralizing solution for every 3 pounds of hide. The neutralizing solution consists of 1 lb of baking soda per gallon of water.
Anywhere between 5 and 7 PH is fine. As long as the hide is no longer acidic, it will allow the tanning agent to penetrate the hide fully.

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DO NOT DO 1 POUND PER GALLON!!!!!!!! You will slip ALL of the hair..

1/2 oz of baking soda per gallon is what you want.

[PondPopper]

Hey guys looking for a little advice. I bought some mckenzie tan and have been wanting to tan some hides. Two bobcats in the pickle now. On the web I've read to prepare a neutral bath to transfer the hide into, also I've read to slowly add my baking soda at intervals to slowly neutralize the hide. Which way should I go with? and to what pH? Ive read 5 and also read 7.

Thanks

You want your skin around a 4.5-5 PH. That tan is designed to bound(fixate)to the hide fibers at that PH range..

For 2 bobcats use 5 gallons neutralization bath.. Feed a total of 2.5 ounces of baking soda into solution.. You can do this in intervals of 3 OR you can do it all at once.. I personally do 3 feeds to reduce "PH shock"..
You can leave them in the Solution overnight but 3-4 hours will be long enough on those thin cats..

FYI.. There are much better tanning formulas to use for a soft tan, wall hanger type skin..

[yanta61]

1/2 cup of baking soda and 2 cups of salt per 5 gallons water. Soak for 30 minutes, stir every 10 minutes.

[yanta61]

You can leave them in the Solution overnight but 3-4 hours will be long enough on those thin cats..
.

What tan do you use that says to neutralize overnight??

[orlybow]

DO NOT DO 1 POUND PER GALLON!!!!!!!! You will slip ALL of the hair..

1/2 oz of baking soda per gallon is what you want.

You're right, thanks for catching that...my bad! I meant 1 oz. soda per gallon of water
I actually made another mistake...should of said 2 gal. of neutralizing solution per 3 lb. of skin.
30 to 40 minutes in the solution, stirring occasionally is all that it takes to completely neutralize. If you're leaving it in the solution for hours/overnight, then I would definitely add the salt, as mentioned above, to help control any bacteria growth.

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[PondPopper]

What tan do you use that says to neutralize overnight??

I can do that with all of them I use. I use submersible tans. Mineral tans and synthetic tans. Lutan, Para Tan, Pro1 chemicals and a couple of homemade recipes.. These all require neutralizing/basifying/fixating in the tanning solution.... You can't over neutralize unless you use to much baking soda. Although I haven't used them in years Ive done it using the paint on tans such as McKenzie Tan and Liqua tan..

Where are you reading a 1/2 cup per 5 gallons.. That's a lot. That can cause loose hair.
If your only soaking for 30 minutes you don't need salt.

[PondPopper]

You're right, thanks for catching that...my bad! I meant 1 oz. soda per gallon of water
I actually made another mistake...should of said 2 gal. of neutralizing solution per 3 lb. of skin.
30 to 40 minutes in the solution, stirring occasionally is all that it takes to completely neutralize. If you're leaving it in the solution for hours/overnight, then I would definitely add the salt, as mentioned above, to help control any bacteria growth.

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I figured it had to be a typo. The salt helps prevent acid swell too..

[breadman]

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[DOUBLE-Z]

I figured it had to be a typo. The salt helps prevent acid swell too..

So neutralized and tanned today. About to put a layer of leather oil on them to try and help with softness. I brushed on tan for about 7 hours in total. I just rinsed off the tan. The hide just doesn't seem much different than before. I hope the tan worked. I'm just slightly paranoid maybe at this point.

[PondPopper]

So neutralized and tanned today. About to put a layer of leather oil on them to try and help with softness. I brushed on tan for about 7 hours in total. I just rinsed off the tan. The hide just doesn't seem much different than before. I hope the tan worked. I'm just slightly paranoid maybe at this point.

It wont seem different at all until its starts drying and you start "breaking" it.. Breaking it is a must or it will be hard and stiff.

[DOUBLE-Z]

Soft as can be. Once it was done tanning I rinsed and dried then coated with leather oil. It spent the last 4.5 hours in the dryer with a pair of tennis shoes.

One question, why does the hair look the way it does??? It looked wet but it’s not!




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[DOUBLE-Z]

Oh also the hide is like that cause I wanted to keep the belly together to make a hat.