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hydrated lime?

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deersled:
What is it? First attempt at tanning a deer hide. Got the book....can't find lye...or potassium hydroxide. I'm not sure if hydrated lime is something in concrete mix or regular powdered garden lime. Can you get it at a home depot or lowes? No one seems to know what "hydrated lime" is?

Pat B:
Hardwood ash and water will do the same, I believe.

DanaM:
Everything ya ever wanted to know about hydrated lime :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_hydroxide

Check with your local water treatment plant, if it is a softening plant they will have tons of the stuff

JackCrafty:
The kind of hydrated lime that I use is the garden (soil additive) variety.  I got mine from ace hardware.  I mix about a pound of it in a 15 gallon bin with about 10 gallons of water.  I wash the hide with dish soap and then throw it into the lime/water mix with a little bleach (to keep down the bacteria).  It takes a couple days for it to work but I've left it up to a week in the solution in order to be sure the lime reaches all parts of the hide.  Stirring every day helps a lot.  Try pulling on the hair to see if its slipping.  When it comes off REALLY easy, it's ready to be scraped.

Dave Dellinger:
I used pickling lime from the grocery store.

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