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I’ve been using safety acid since it’s introduction, this last year I’ve experimented with the citric acid, and plan on switching over totally this coming year, I find the citric pickled hide easier to shave and I like the grainy leather it produces, also in my opinion it makes the skin thirstier for the tan, it is more expensive than Safety acid, looking for your thoughts on the matter.
I have never tried it (Citric). But I would like to give it a try at some point.
wildlife1 wrote: I have never tried it (Citric). But I would like to give it a try at some point.
Same here, I’ve always used safety acid.
You guys need to give it a shot, citric acid really helps with the degreasing of your skin seeing that it is a natural degreaser, in my testing I think that the ph held more stable with citric than with safety acid, but I have my own well and the water is super pure. City water may react differently seeing that it does contain additives.
July 22, 2011
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Citric in my opinion is much better than the safe acids on the market. But, at the same time Formic is better than both. But it is hard to get unless you have a source that can buy it. The supply houses don’t sell it due to safty restrictions in shipping. It’s just not economical to sell in small quantities.
The Citric will hold the pH down better than the safe acids. It more stable and just gives a better final product.
For some reason when the “safe” part come out in terms of acid, everyone thinks it is non-hazardous. But anything with a pH of 0 sounds dangerous to me.
D.Price
July 23, 2011
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in my shop with my water safty acid holds the ph better. With citric i have to add a lot more to keep it down. Other than that i havn’t noticed a different. Btw i do very little in house tanning
I went to the city but I didn’t fit in!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pag…..3144543881
http://shipmanstaxidermy.com/
I am on a well also and have a whole-house filter system on it due to iron content. I wonder it that would effect it much. I know that I can just get distilled water and use it. Because that is what I have had to do in the past with safety acid.
July 22, 2011
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I do not recommend dumping any of these chemicals down your drain if you are on a septic tank. If you are on city sewer it will be treated before it is returned to the ground water. But I would recommend neutralizing your pickles before dumpimg because the city can trace it back to you, and you could be fined. Just my thoughts.
D.Price
I have used both. I would rather use citric. I find myself chasing the pH the safety acid. But to be fair, I live in a city in the north east. Our water is always being messed with, be an additive to stop it from freezing in the winter, or an additive to stop bacteria growth in the summer. Keeping the pH stable can be tricky.
I also do like D said and neutralize before dumping down the drain. Some will say it’s a great fertilizer. But it can ruin your lawn.
Haven’t used citric in too long of time to give a good opinion between the both. I have heard that citric would be better on some of the greasier type hides. Also heard that once neutralized, the saftee acid will break down in basically what is in fertilizer, but it’s the salt content in pickles that will harm the grass along with any other plant life. Saftee acid has been my choice for the little that I tan at home now.
I am using formic at this point, have been back and forth over the years. I was never happy with the safety acid. I also use Oxylic acid as its cheap, but have had some problems with epidermal slippage with the oxy. I also went to pottasium chloride in place of salt, sodium Chloride.
Pottasium chloride can be put on your lawn!. it is what Mortons sell for lite salt. Just neutralize and its safe for the lawn or yard. Pottasium Chlorode if 0-64-0 if order as fertilizer. I could be wrong on the number is been a while since I ordered some.
I have ran three deer capes through the PC and Formic this week and have to add a touch of formic to drop the pH each time.
wildlife1 wrote: I am on a well also and have a whole-house filter system on it due to iron content. I wonder it that would effect it much. I know that I can just get distilled water and use it. Because that is what I have had to do in the past with safety acid.
wikipedia wrote: Citric acid’s ability to chelate metals makes it useful in soaps and laundry detergents. By chelating the metals in hard water, it lets these cleaners produce foam and work better without need for water softening.
Look up Chelation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation
Well water is anything but pure…Citric can bind to those metals and take them out of the tanning equation..
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