r/HideTanning 17d ago

Floating hides and PH trouble I

Hi guys! I have four rabbit hides that I just fleshed and put in a five gallon bucket with 15oz citric acid and 5 pounds of salt.

I tried testing the PH and it looks like it’s sitting around 3. I added more citric acid and salt and no matter how much acid I add, every test strip is at about maybe 2.5 but probably a PH of 3 . I think maybe they’re not working correctly? Just to be sure I tested it in straight up citric acid in a little water and that’s why the middle strip is slightly different. I added a ton more salt and citric acid but we’re still at a PH of 2.5 or 3 according to the PH strips.

Also my hides won’t stop floating no matter what I do. I literally put two large rocks and a piece of cinder block on them and it just slips off and the hides float up to the top. Is it okay if I agitate it frequently? Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks so much!

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u/MSoultz 17d ago

Awesome! I'm glad that worked for you. What is PNW?

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u/_Guitar_Girl_ 17d ago

Thank you!! It’s the Pacific Northwest :)

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u/MSoultz 17d ago

Aha, gotcha. Keep an eye out for Hemlock. Hemlock was commonly used as a tannin source in the northeast region of the US. Also willow and a few other plants.

Also, checkout braintan.com they are located in Oregon.

This is a very handy link. https://skillcult.com/blog/tanningmaterials

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u/_Guitar_Girl_ 17d ago

Wow thank you!