Helpful Tips

QUALITY RESULTS CAN NOT BE DERIVED FROM IMPROPERLY HANDLED/PREPARED MERCHANDISE

Freshly received specimens should be scraped FREE from grease and fat, the lips skinned and the ears turned, this is additional prep work you MUST do after the animal has been skinned. Salting is a VERY IMPORTANT factor and should be done carefully, making certain that EVERY part is covered. Stack hides and capes flesh up. The next day or two re-salt once more and leave in stack for another day, then hang or spread out hair up so it will dry. Don’t over-dry, leave slightly pliable - NOT WET!

SOAKING INSTRUCTIONS

Antelope, Deer, Sheep and Goats - all thin skinned capes - should be soaked in warm (90 - 100 degree) water for 15 to 45 minutes. Elk, Moose, Buffalo and Bear should be soaked for 30 to 60 minutes.

After soaking, hang capes up so excess water can drain off - 10 to 15 minutes. Fold head with ears and nose toward middle, roll up and put in plastic bag, leave at room temperature and let sweat 8 to 10 hours. At this time, capes should be soft and ready to work with.

If cape becomes rubbery, cut back on soak time. The fresher the tan, the shorter the soak time.

TIPS

• WASH BLOOD OUT OF EVERYTHING or try to comb it out if at all possible. The longer blood sits in/on a hide, the more difficult it is to get out - sometimes it’s IMPOSSIBLE.
• If you can, brush small furs such as fox and coyotes once before sending them. They can also be shampooed. This can make a BIG difference in the end product.
• Please flesh your hides - chunks of meat and fat left on a hide can cause lots of problems, and may incur extra charges.
• Always use fine stock salt when salting. NEVER use rock salt or mineralized salt.
• Make sure cape and hide edges are FLAT - not rolled or folded when salted. Folds can hold moisture and may cause slipping.
• If a hide is partially air dried, rehydrate it with equal parts salt and COLD water and then resalt.
• NEVER put a freshly salted hide in the freezer. Ice and salt counteract each other, and rot will result.
  
• Make sure you have punched your items with your own code. Please reserve the lower quarter for us to punch your account number into them on capes. We punch above the tail on bears and flat hides.
• Don’t over-dry hides. They should be flexible enough to fold and put in a box. Please fold them into pieces smaller than 4ft x 4ft. Fold head in first, folding ears down toward the center of the cape. Folding lower quarter up over head and around the sides.
• NEVER ship a wet or frozen hide.
• Watch for bugs in your salt pits. Bugs ruin hides.
• PLEASE make sure your name, address and phone number are in the box with the hides when you ship them. Order forms can be downloaded off our website.
• If you need something handled RUSH (50% EXTRA), write RUSH next to the item, and check the box on the order form. Try to ship rush items separate from regular orders, it helps to keep them from getting mixed up.
• Store all tanned items in a container in a COOL/DRY area.
• See soaking instructions located above the TIPS section.
• Thanks for using Glacier Fur Dressing. We appreciate your business.