Lutan® FN

Size: 1 pound

This is one of the very best tanning systems in the world. BASF's Lutan® FN has been used for years in many of the top commercial tanneries as well as individual shops of some of today's top taxidermists. It is easy to use after salting, pickling and shaving, a simple one-step soaking process does the trick. The directions are easy to follow, and it produces consistent results every time. BASF's Lutan® FN creates a nice white-colored tanned skin with excellent stretch and pliability for mounting. It has been the favorite tan for years of such notable mammal taxidermists as Brent Houskeeper, Bob Elzner, Jim Hall, and many others. Free illustrated instruction sheet is included with any Lutan® FN order. One ounce by weight of BASF's Lutan® FN effectively tans 1 pound of raw skin. For optimum results, we suggest that you also use non-iodized salt, acid bath crystals, baking soda, and Soft Tan tanning oil.

Lutan® FN Instructions:

1. After the cape or hide has been skinned from the carcass, remove as much meat and fat as possible from the hide. Split the lips, turn the ears and take the cartilage out of the septum of the nose. The longer the hide remains in its raw state the more likely the hair is to slip.
   
   

2. Lay the hair side down. Flesh side up on a flat working surface. Salt the hide with a fine ground non-iodized salt. Thoroughly rub the salt into the flesh side. Never use rock salt or reuse old salt!
   
   

3. Leave the hide salted for 12 to 24 hours.
   
   

4. Pickling

   
   

   Mix the pickle at the following proportions:

   
   

   For every 1 gallon of water add:

   
   

   1 pound salt.

   
   

   1/2 ounce Saftee Acid, or 1 ounce of Oxalic Acid, or 3 ounces of Pickling Crystals, or the acid of your choice. The pH should read 1.5-2.0.
   
   

5. Place the salted hide into the pickle. The minimum amount of time for the hide to stay in the pickle is 72 hours. Remove the skin anytime during the pickle and shave the skin as thin as possible. The thinner the skin is shaved the softer and more flexible it will be. As soon as you are finished thinning, put the hide back in the pickle.
   
   

6. Once the allotted time for pickling has been completed, remove the hide from the pickle and rinse in cold water.
   
   

7. De-greasing:

   
   

   De-grease the skin if necessary. Skins such as bear, raccoon and beaver will require de-greasing. Heavy de-greasing can be done with Super Safety Solvent (2 fluid ounce per gallon of water). Leave the hide in the de-greaser for 30 minutes then rinse in clear water. For light de-greasing, Dawn dish soap can be used at a ratio of 1/2 fluid ounce per gallon of water. Be sure to rinse all of the de-greasing agent out with cool, clear water.
   
   

8. Neutralizing:

   Mix a neutralizer bath to the following proportions:
   

   For every 1 gallon of water add:

   
   

   1 ounce of Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)

   
   

   or use 2 ounces of Borax
   
   

   Leave the hide in the neutralizer solution for 15 minutes for light skinned animals or 20 minutes for deer, etc.
   
   

9. Remove the hide from the neutralizer and rinse in clean water.
   
   

   Rinse again in a bath of room temperature water. Hang and drain for 30 minutes.
   
   

10. Tanning with Lutan® FN:

    
    

    Mix the Lutan® FN accordingly:

    
    

    For every gallon of water add:

    
    

    2 ounce of Lutan® FN

    
    

    1/2 pound of non-iodized salt

    
    

    Use enough water to allow the hide to float freely in the Lutan® FN solution.

    
    

    Raccoon                        3 gallon water, 6 ounce Lutan® FN, 1 1/2 pound salt

    
    

    Fox                                3 gallon water, 6 ounce Lutan® FN, 1 1/2 pound salt

    
    

    Coyote                           4 gallon water, 8 ounce Lutan® FN, 2 pound salt

    
    

    Deer cape small            5 gallon water, 10 ounce Lutan® FN, 2 1/2 pound salt

    
    

    Deer cape large             7 gallon water, 14 ounce Lutan® FN, 3 1/2 pound salt
    
    

11. Submerge the hide or cape in the Lutan® FN for 12 to 22 hours, depending on the hide. (Caution: do not leave skins in the tan longer than the recommended time!)
    

    12 to 14 hrs for Mink, Raccoon and Fox size animals

    
    

    13 to 15 hrs for Coyote size animals

    
    

    16 to 18 hrs for Deer

    
    

    20 to 22 hrs for Elk or Moose
    
    

12. Remove from the Lutan® FN. Rinse in cold water and drain for 30 minutes.
    
    

13. Mix the Pro-Plus Oil, 1 part to 2 parts hot water. Rub the oil and water mixture thoroughly into the hide.
    
    

14. For rug or furs the hide should be stretched and broken as it dries. The combination tool works well for breaking the hide.
    
    

15. If one has access to a tumbler, the hide may be tumbled for extra softness. A household dryer may be used provided it is set on No heat.

    Options:

1. The skin may be mounted immediately after the Pro-Plus Oil has soaked in for a minimum of 8 hours.
   
   

2. The skin may be rolled up and frozen. When ready to mount, simply thaw and mount.

   3. To rehydrate after tanning, soak in water and bactericide for 2 hours. Roll up and cover with a large towel until completely re-hydrated. Re-soak for another 1/2 hr is necessary.

   Lutan® FN Instructions:

3.  Trouble Shooting:
   Hair falling out or bald spots: Slippage or hair falling out is caused by bacteria growing on or within the skin structure. If the hide is not taken care of properly before pickling, a bacterium starts to attack the skin causing the hair to slip. There is no way to stop the slippage once it has started. As long as the hide is wet the slippage will continue and grow progressively worse. Hides must be removed from the carcass immediately, excess fat and meat removed. Temperature effects the bacterial growth. The warmer the temperature the faster the bacteria will grow. As a guide, we recommend that the hide be removed from the carcass withing the following time schedule. 60 degrees    1 hr.
   

   50 degrees    1 hr.

   
   

   40 degrees    2 hr. 

   32 degrees    4 hr.

4. 20 degrees    6 hr.
5. Hides must be salted immediately after the fat and meat have been removed. Improper Pickling: Pickling or the removal of globular proteins can only be accomplished between 1-2 pH. Check that your pickle is at that pH range before you add skins. It is not necessary to maintain the 1-2 pH range once the skins have been added to the pickle. Be sure to add all the skins at once! Do not add skins to the pickle at a later time, even if it is only 30 minutes later. The hides must stay in the pickle 3 days or 72 hrs. Improper neutralizing--hide must be neutralized in Sodium Bicarbonate for exactly 20 minutes; any deviation from that time will result in a surface tan. Stiff Hides: The hide has not been thinned down enough. The thinner the hide is shaved down the more flexible it will be. Thinning or shaving the hide may be done after the hide is tanned if you have done a thorough job of tanning. The tanned hide was not broken properly. Breaking of the hide refers to the actual breaking down of the fibrous structure of the skin. This can be accomplished by tumbling, sanding, or working the hide over a thin dull edge of a piece of metal or wood (a disc blade works very well). The longer a hide is broken, the softer and more pliable it will become. If the hide has dried out, reapply some tanning oil and thin or re-break the hide.
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7. Australian Taxidermy Supplies does not assume or accept any responsibility or liability for any product or method described herein, any errors or omissions made herein, or any loss or damage that may occur from the use of this information.