pre-pickle with Rittels?

D

DixieDuke

New member
If pre-pickling is needed on my hides, would I go ahead and pre-pickle with the Saf-Tee acid? I have the EZ-100 kit now.

BTW, I finally figured out how to get the whole face of a coon in one piece. And breed of rabbit does make a difference, a big one, when skinning and fleshing. My rabbit hides are pretty dang thick especially the older they get, I have domestic meatrabbits. The thickness maxs out when they are about six months old.

More than one response to more than one previous post... :rolleyes:
 
Ey Dixie, long time no hear /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Rittel's Saftee Acid is a pickle. Er uh I mean, let me rephrase that, LOL. The Saftee Acid, mixed in the right proportions is all you need for a pickling solution. There's no such thing as a "pre-pickle".
What you may be seeing with the words "pre-pickle" is a treatment or chemical that can be used prior to the actual pickling process.
 
I guess the question is can I use Saf-Tee acid to "pickle" the hide to make fleshing easier and then pickle again at that stage? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
I forgot to ask this question... It is about 60 degrees in my house, is this too cool for the process to happen. That is about what my room will be all winter as it is the basement. Will the process still take place and just take longer or should I just raise the temp?

Thanks much, haven't been on in awhile as I've been busy with the buns, the kids, and church. If you've never had rabbit, find someone that makes really good chicken fried steak to cook it for you..... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Yes, you can use the saftee acid to pickle the hides, that's what it's for.
Follow the directions and use the right amount of salt and water, keep your PH level around 1.5.
And yes it will make fleshing easier, just besure to put them back in the pickle for atleast 24 hours after each fleshing to pickle the newly exposed flesh.
The temperature of the room won't play a big role in the pickling process, but when your ready to soak them in the tanning solution, you should warm the room up or find a warmer room. 65 to 70 degrees is best otherwise the chemical tends to coagilate in the water.

How good you cook rabbit depends on how well you can cook chicken fried steak uh?...hmmmm
 
Originally posted by River Runner:
[qb]
How good you cook rabbit depends on how well you can cook chicken fried steak uh?...hmmmm[/qb]
Click to expand...
Yes, it does. If you are butchering your own rabbits (mine get up to 10 pounds), then it helps for the rabbit to soak in water in the fridge for about a week. Yes, young rabbit is tender but some of the belly meat is a bit chewy. The soak helps to get the blood out and cures it just right. Cubed steak needs to be cured, till brown on the outside, before becoming a great CFS.

Guess this should be in the recipes section.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Thanks for the info!! Will get on this stuff right away. Did I mention my freezer is looking like I do taxidermy for a living??? :rolleyes:
 
Yep.
Pickling isn't a substitute for fleshing. It makes fleshing easier, but it's real intent is to kill any bacteria on or in the skin and it prepares the structure of the skin to accept the chemicals of the actual tan.
 
River,

Once fleshed with a wire wheel how long would I have to pickle the hide before putting it in the tanning solution?And would I need to flesh any more after the pickle before the tan?
 
It's common practice to leave the hides submerged in the pickling solution for at least 3 days (36 hours) while keeping an eye on the PH level.

More fleshing after that?....depends on how well of a job you did the first time around. It needs to be completely free of any traces of meat and or fat. The inner membrane is what will trick you. You'll think the hide is ready to go and it still has the membrane on it. It needs to be removed also. The skins will usually have a porous appearance once the membrane is removed.

You also always want to put the hides back in the pickling solution for a minimum of 24 hours once you do any additional fleshing. It acidifies the newly exposed flesh.
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top