Van Dyke Supply Co.
LUFTAN-F Tanning
1. After the cape or hide has been skinned from the carcass remove as much meat and fat as possible from the hide. Split the lips, turn the ears, and take the cartilage out of the septum of the nose. The longer the hide remains in its raw state the more likely the hair is to slip.
2. Lay the hide hair side down, flesh side up on a flat working surface. Salt the hide with a fine ground non-iodized salt, thoroughly rub the salt into the flesh side. Never use rock salt or reuse old salt!
3. Leave the hide salted for 12-24 hours.
Pickling
Mix the pickle at the following proportions:
For every one gallon of water add
1 lb. Salt
½ oz. Safe-tee Acid. or l ounce of Oxalic Acid, or 3 ounces of Pickling Crystals. or the add of acid of your choice, the pH should read at 1.5-2.0
4. Place the salted hide into the pickle. The minimum amount of time for the hide to stay in the pickle is 72 hrs. Remove the skin anytime during the pickle and shave the skin as thin as possible. The thinner the skin is shaved the softer and more flexible it will be. As soon as you are finished thinning put the hide back in the pickle.
5. Once the allotted time for pickling has been completed remove the hide from the pickle and rinse in cold water.
Degreasing
6. Degrease the skin if necessary. Skins such as bear. Raccoon, beaver all will require degreasing. Heavy degreasing can be done with 5003 Rittels Super Safety Solvent. 2 fluid ounces per gallon of water leave the hide in the degreaser for 30 minutes then rinse in clear water. For light degreasing Dawn dish soap can be used at a ratio of ½ fluid ounce per gallon of water. Be sure to rinse all degreasing agents out with cool clear water.
Neutralizing
7. Mix a neutralizer bath to the following proportions
For every 1 gallon of water add
1 ounce of Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
or use 2 ounces of Borax
Leave the hide in the neutralizer solution for l5 minutes for light skinned animals or 20 minutes on deer etc.
8. Remove the hide from the neutralizer and rinse in clean water.
9. Rinse a second time in a bath of room temperature water. Hang and
drain for 30 minutes
Tanning With Luftan-F
10. Mix the Luftan F accordingly:
For every gallon of water
Add 2 ounces of Luftan-F
Add 1/2 LB of non-iodized salt
Use enough water to allow the hide to float freely in the Luftan-F solution.
Raccoon 3 gallons water. 6 oz Luftan-F, 1 1/2 lb Salt
Fox 3 gallons water. 6 oz Luftan-F. 11/2 lb Salt
Coyote
4 gallons water. 8 oz Luftan-F. 2 lb Salt
Deer cape small 5 gallons water. 10 oz Luftan-F, 2 1/2 lb Salt
Deer Cape Lg. 7 gallons water. 14 oz Luftan-F, 3 1/2 lb Salt
Complete Deer 12 gallons water. 24 oz Luftan-F. 6 lb Salt
11. (Caution do not leave skins in the tan longer
than the recommended time!) Submerge the hide or cape in the Luftan-F for
12-22 hours depending on the hide.
12-14 hours for mink to raccoon and lbs sized animals
13-15 hours for coyote sized animals
16-18 for deer
20-22 for an elk or moose.
12. Remove from the Luftan-F. rinse in cold water and drain for 30 minutes.
13. Mix the Pro-Plus oil 1 part oil to 2 parts hot water. Rub the oil/water mixture thoroughly into the hide.
14. For rug work or furs the hide should be stretched and broken as it dries. The combination tool 7TLl4 works very well for breaking the hide.
15. If one has access to a tumbler, the hide may be tumbled for extra softness. A household dryer may be used provided it is set on no heat and your wife does not find out what you did.
Options
1 The skin may immediately be mounted alter the Pro-Plus Oil has soaked in for a minimum 8 hours
2. The skin may be rolled up and frozen. When ready to mount simply thaw and mount.
3. To re-hydrate after tanning, soak in water and bactericide for 2 hours. Roll up in large towel until completely re-hydrated. Re-soak for another half hour if necessary.