How To Use Knoblochs Liqua-Tan

 

Liqua-Tan is a blend of specially developed oils and tanning agents for the tanning of animal skins. Can be used for hair-on or hair-off tanning. Will produce a supple tan with good stretch longevity, and minimal shrinkage. Once dried into the skin, Liqua-Tan cannot be washed out, thus making it most suitable for taxidermy tanning.




Skinning - Salting


Skin the animal as soon as possible. First turn the ears and split the lips and nostrils.


Only remove any large chunks of meat at this time. DO NOT flesh the skin yet.


It is important that the salt be applied as quickly as possible after the cape is taken off.





Salt - Drain - Re-salt


Now salt the hide heavily, working the salt into all areas of the flesh.


Allow the skin to drain overnight.


Shake off the wet salt, re-salt heavily, and leave it overnight again.






After the second overnight salting, the skin is now ready to be soaked in a salt solution.


Mix a solution of 2 pounds of salt per gallon of water and soak the skin for three or four hours. This will loosen the skin up enough to allow it to be fleshed.


At this point, it is recommended to pickle the skin or go right on to fleshing.






Pull the skin out of the pickling solution and neutralize the acid by soaking it for 15 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda per each gallon of fresh water. (If you didn't pickle the hide, pull it out of the salt solution and let it drain for a couple of minutes.) Now flesh the skin using a beam or fleshing machine. It isn't nearly as important what method you use to flesh the skin as it is to end up with flesh that is thin and evenly shaved.







Pickling is an optional but highly recommended process, especially for carnivores and any skin that is not fresh.


For pickling with McKenzie Ultimate Acid use: 1/2 fluid ounces of McKenzie Ultimate Acid and 1 pound of salt per each gallon of water.


Leave the capes of skins completely submerged in this solution for 2 to 3 days depending on skin thickness. The pickling solution should have a pH level of about 1.1 to 1.5 when skins are placed in the pickle.


An average deer cape will require about 3 gallons of pickling solution.






After all the fleshing is complete, take the skin to a sink and rinse it thoroughly in cold water. It is important that you do this in order to rinse all of the salt out of the skin. After it has been rinsed, it should be dried with towels or drummed until the majority of the moisture is gone (the Liqua-Tan will penetrate faster with the moisture out.) Lay the skin out flat and apply the Liqua-Tan with a brush or work it in by hand over the entire flesh side of the skin.


After applying the Liqua-Tan, roll up the skin and allow the tan to penetrate for a least five hours.



You now have three choices:

  1. Mount the skin immediately.

  2. Freeze it and mount it when you wish ( it will keep indefinitely in the freezer.)

  3. Allow it to dry out hard and re-soak for later mounting.


Note: If you are not ready to immediately mount the skin, we find that Choice #2, freezing the skin, works best.


A Liqua-Tanned hide will thaw quickly compared to an untanned frozen hide.

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