# Has anyone tried "instant preserve"



## cast&blast (Sep 14, 2009)

I was flipping through my Van ***** catalog and came across this "Instant Preserve" it says "simply rub it on the flesh side of the prime skin and proceed with mounting" Are you serious! That sounds WAY too easy to be worth while. If it really is that simple, why are people still tanning? Is it worth a shot?


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## chris_kreiner (Sep 6, 2006)

I personally don't believe in instant preservatives but some taxi's do use it. 

Tanned hides are the only thing I trust!!


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## waterfowl-artist (Oct 12, 2008)

It looks real good for a while, then it just plain falls apert (from what I have seen mounted with it). If you ever saw a mount where the nose or other parts are cracking badly, most likely dry preserve or instant preserve. Some taxdermists swear by it, they say its great stuff, but for me Ill stick with tanning !


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## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

Dry Preserve or DP (ie.powdered borax) was mixed with arsenic to form a paste used in Taxidermy way back in the day. General George Custer was an avid Taxidermist and in one of his journals he refered to his "Taxidermy preserving powder" and requiring a "great deal of it" for an Elk he planned to work on.
Roy Rogers horse "Trigger" was also done using a form of this powder as well. Last I read it was still around but in bad shape.

Chemical tanning has been around for a very long time as well. Speaking in _VERY_ general terms, tanning skins for Taxidermy purposes and Home tanning of skins for mounting became the industry standard or accepted way of doing things sometime in the mid to late 1940's. Thanks in part, to the Germans during WWII. When they could no longer import leather, a company called BASF came up with a chemical tan (Lutan F) that was very well suited for Taxidermy and "Home Tanners" making the process cost effective to everyone. Again, these are very general time lines.

DP does work and a lot of us still use it today straight out of the box (minus the poison) for birds and fish. 

Using it for Deer is viewed as "cutting corners" or "Hack work" ...and I know there are some Taxidermist who are still using it today. They usually are the guys charging WAY LESS than the average and their work looks like crap when you pick it up and only gets worse with time. 

DP is a lot like the flintlock rifle. They both work, but I wouldn't want my Deer mounted with it or fight a modern war with one.


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