I am new to tanning... bought a bunch of supplies and I'm in the process of my first. I have rehydrated the skins (coyote & coon) and they are in the pickling solution. My solution is 5 gallons of water, 5 lbs of non iodized salt, 1 oz of Acid Bate and started with 2.5 oz of Safetee Acid. I have a Hanna PH checker. I checked it a couple hours after I mixed it and it was about 1.3. The next morning it was 1.6. That night it was up to about 2.6. I added some acid, about a cap full, and a couple hours later it hadn't changed much so I added more. This has gone on about 4 times now and I can't get it below 2.0. It hovers around 2.3 - 2.6. I'm up to about 4-5oz of acid. Am I doing something wrong? I believe I read that it needs to stay between 1.0 and 2.0 for a pickle. Thank you for any help...
Hey Tanners... Pickling Problems...
- Thread starter pd_buster
- Start date
Tommy Johnson
New member
Too many impurities in the water not allowing the ph to drop any further??? Im not a tannist but that would be my guess.
I did a few several years ago and remember having to run and fetch 5 gallons of ro water. I also would use Lemi Shine (dishwashing additive) found at walmart to pickle. Cheap, works and easy to manage. Just letting you know in case you happen to have some under the sink. Shouldnt hurt the pickle you already have, low ph is what youre after.
I did a few several years ago and remember having to run and fetch 5 gallons of ro water. I also would use Lemi Shine (dishwashing additive) found at walmart to pickle. Cheap, works and easy to manage. Just letting you know in case you happen to have some under the sink. Shouldnt hurt the pickle you already have, low ph is what youre after.
StuDaBaka
New member
What did you use as a rehydration solution? Did you rinse out the fur and let it drain for a bit before putting them in the pickle? Does your pickle look clear or is it dirty looking? How much fur did you put in the 5 gallons of pickle? Your using non-iodized salt right?
I agree ya want your pickle below 2, but your fur hasn't been hurt as long as ya keep it below 3..... check the calibration of your meter. Give it a good stir a couple times a day....... You could mix your self a fresh batch of pickle and rinse your hides real good before putting them in it.
Sounds like the ph issue is coming from the hides you added. .... call me.
I agree ya want your pickle below 2, but your fur hasn't been hurt as long as ya keep it below 3..... check the calibration of your meter. Give it a good stir a couple times a day....... You could mix your self a fresh batch of pickle and rinse your hides real good before putting them in it.
Sounds like the ph issue is coming from the hides you added. .... call me.
I just checked again this morning and still about 2.3... I'm not sure how much of a difference this makes, but I checked our tap water that I used and it's about 7.5.
My rehydration solution was 4 gallons of water, 4 lbs of salt and about a capful of Lysol Concentrate. Soaked for 24 hours.
I then took them out and hosed them off and let drain for about 30 mins. I must not have hosed them well enough. It was below freezing when I did this so I may have hurried... My pickle is real dirty looking. I put both the coyote and coon in the pickle. Non iodized salt...
I have checked the meter several times. It's right on.
I'll try rinsing them real well, and making another pickle solution.
Thank you!
My rehydration solution was 4 gallons of water, 4 lbs of salt and about a capful of Lysol Concentrate. Soaked for 24 hours.
I then took them out and hosed them off and let drain for about 30 mins. I must not have hosed them well enough. It was below freezing when I did this so I may have hurried... My pickle is real dirty looking. I put both the coyote and coon in the pickle. Non iodized salt...
I have checked the meter several times. It's right on.
I'll try rinsing them real well, and making another pickle solution.
Thank you!
StuDaBaka
New member
I'm thinking that if the problem was with your tap water it would have shown up when you tested before putting the hides in. The dirty pickle is the red flag to me. The cleaner those critters are before you put them in the better your pickle will be able to hold it's ph and the longer you can use/reuse it.
I will often wash critters in dish detergent either before or after skinning and then towel them dry before salting/freezing.
A brine solution will work fine to rehydrate, but it doesn't do much for getting started on the cleaning/degreesing that needs to happen before you can tan. Some of the relaxing agents out there are very helpful in that regard. Cleaner earlier will pay dividends in subsequent steps.
I will often wash critters in dish detergent either before or after skinning and then towel them dry before salting/freezing.
A brine solution will work fine to rehydrate, but it doesn't do much for getting started on the cleaning/degreesing that needs to happen before you can tan. Some of the relaxing agents out there are very helpful in that regard. Cleaner earlier will pay dividends in subsequent steps.
Made a new batch of solution and rinsed the critters real well. The water is nice and clear now. I mixed it at 10:00 am today and before putting the hides in, the PH was 1.38. A couple hours later it was 1.76. At 9:00 tonight it's up to 2.17 again. I added an oz of acid, we'll see what it looks like in the morning. I may have top try what Tommy suggested and buy some pure water. I'll give you a call tomorrow Stu. Thanks for all of the help!