I am planning on tanning a coyote skin i have stretched and dried . My question is due i have to pickle the skin still and if so what is the purpose. The hide has also been through the washer with de greaser twice . Also i can not decide between trying to brain tan or use trubond 1000b solution. Please help

You don't have to pickle. If it's a wall hanger skip it. If it's garment then you can still skip it but mine have been easier to break and come out softer since I started pickling. I just use white vinegar, salt and citric acid from the canning section of the grocery store.

Its recommended to pickle.

The pickling step is necessary since it's the acid in the pickle solution that essentially digests the proteins that glue the leather fibers together. That's not really a good scientific description, but it's more or less how it works.

The pickling bath also swells the skin so it can be shaved thinner this is how you get softer leather after oiling.

Remember to neutralize the pelt after pickling. I was lazy once and didn't neutralize well enough and made a had that left the wearer tingling.

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