STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Please click on the below guides for direction. The basic steps in tanning are as follows:
- Salt-Cure (first step in removable of non-tannables / globular proteins…see “Effects of Salting” page)
- Rehydrate (opens dehydrated fiber for chemical process in solution…flushes globular proteins)
- Clean / Deodorize (blood-soaked and/or odorous skins…after rehydrating / before pickling)
- Pickle (converts rawness / acidifies – adjusts skins pH to accept tans)
- Shave (thins to improve stretch & reduce shrinkage)
- Degrease (removal of interfibrillar natural oils & odorous molecule residual from hair)
- Re-pickle (ensures all rawness converted after hide reduction from shaving)
- Tan (fiber filling of void created by removing non-tannables…prevents decay / controls shrinkage)
FYIs: (see formulas below)
- Too much salt in a solution will restrict chemical penetration, leaving rawness in skin.
- Degreasing is done during the pickling process.
- Degreaser can be and is recommended to be used “in the pickle”, BUT…
- an extended warm water degreasing soak after shaving is needed for full degreasing
- Wet-salted skins need rehydrated before pickling.
- Dry-salted skins need MINIMUM 16-24 hours / overnight rehydration before pickling (including fine furs).
