Tanning formula

[Coon hunter]

What is a good additive to a aluminum sulfate pickle

[FinsnFur]

Coon Hunter, welcome to the site.

Ya lost me a little bit up there. 
I'm not sure what it is your asking. The title of your post is Tanning Formula, but you ask for a pickling additive.

Pickling isn't tanning.  Pickling preps the skin for tanning, swells it to accept the chemicals, stabilizes and decreases bacteria levels, and sets the stage for the tan.

What is it your looking for your pickle to do, that your looking for an additive?

[Coon hunter]

Yes I'm looking for a pickling additive

[FinsnFur]

Ok... I got that part. But what is it your looking for your pickling solution to do that you need an additive?

[studabaka]

  I'll bite...... I like to add hides to my pickle  , but depending on what your using as a pickle solution I guess you could add cucumbers 

Sorry..... I use riddel's safety acid for my pickle and the only other thing I add is salt [42 + salinity]. When I need to use blood remover, I do that as part of the relaxer. When I need to degrease I do that as a seperate step [though I have read you can combine that with your pickle, though probably couldn't reuse your pickle solution if you did it that way]

Net, you want a pickle solution with a ph around 1.5 and 42+ salinity. Anything else is something else.

[FinsnFur]

I'm wondering if he's looking for a pickling recipe 

[Coon hunter]

  yes

[Bopeye]

Back in the day I use to use Makers Mark for getting pickled...............oh.........sorry.......you guys are talking about some sort of solution for tanning..........

[FinsnFur]

Coon Hunter....I think what your looking for is the aluminum sulphate tanning formula, there really isn't an aluminum sulphate pickle.

The aluminum sulphate (alum tan) recipe is;
4oz of salt
4oz of aluminum sulphate
....to 5 pints of water.

Use HOT water to mix it. Stir it until everything is dissolved, and let it cool.
Submerge your skins in the cooled solution for 48 to 72 hours, or until the skin is white clear through. Make sure it's in long enough, and longer generally doesn't hurt it.

Now...like I said....that is an actual tanning formula. I will say that the "auto tanner" which is a fairly new machine, nothing more then a tank you fill with air and hides and it force tans the hides....uses an alum recipe and considers it pickle and tanned all in one. I disagree with that....but that's just me.

My opinion is a properly tanned hide needs to be pickled in an acidic formula and then neutralized before going into a tanning solution, for a more thorough tan. maybe that's why the "auto tanner' is using the pressurized tank....I dunno.

Another thing about the aluminum sulphate tan. If the finished hide gets wet it's no longer a tanned hide. The aluminum sulphate is leached out of the skin at an unbelievable rate.
I don't know for sure...but I think the aluminum sulphate tan is widely used for taxidermy purposes because of that.

[Coon hunter]

Thank you thats what i needed to know.