What You Need To Know About Salting Skins

You can’t produce an excellent mount if you don’t begin making preparations while still in the field. Before you take the hide to the taxidermist, you will have needed to have salted it properly. Doing so will get rid of excess moisture so that it can dry properly. If you don’t salt the hide, then the hairs will start to slip.

Before you can begin the process, you will obviously need to get your hands on a large amount of salt. There are various types that you can use. It’s best that you use fine, food grade non-iodized salt though. The specific amount that you need will depend on the type of game that you’re working with. Smaller game requires less salt. You should never run out of salt since it is very inexpensive to purchase in large quantities.

Before you go about salting, you will need to remove all of the flesh from the hide. Make sure that you remove every bit of meat, fat, and connective tissue that you see. If there is any left up there, the salt will be unable to penetrate the skin. After all of this has been removed, then you will need to apply the first layer of salt.

Apply salt thoroughly over the entire cape. There will likely be folds and creases that the salt won’t be able to penetrate without your help. To ensure that you do a thorough job, manually rub the salt into the complete cape. The layer should be approximately 1/8 inch thick.

Your job won’t be done after salting the skin once. You will need to apply more than one application. Whenever the salt gets too wet and clumpy, you will need to remove it and add a fresh layer. This usually occurs anywhere between 12 and 24 hours. Whatever the case, don’t leave the first layer of salt on for more than 24 hours. Scrape the layer off and wash the cape in cold water to ensure that there is no residue left.

Although salt is very inexpensive, you don’t have to throw away after you remove it. You can dry it using a fire or the power of the sun. Just make sure that you break up the larger clumps so that it dries thoroughly. Also, it’s important to note that fresh salt will be more effective than salt that has been used once before.

After you have finished salting, you will need to store the cape in a suitable location. It needs to be cool and out of direct sunlight. If you keep it in the sun, you may have problems with hair slippage. Also, the cape should be stored in a dry location. Never expose it to rain because it will ruin the curing process. Rain can even wash the salt away completely, causing certain areas of the skin not to be cured.

Salting is very important if you want your capes to be preserved properly. Hopefully, you will remember these tips the next time you’re out in the field so that you can come back with something that will turn into a nice trophy.