Having the top membrane to come off is a PH adjustment really, but home tanners without any PH test strips usually do it the "I guess thats enough way" politely called lots of experience !

When it starts to slip off, one needs to adjust the PH the other way to stabilize the solution or you risk losing the tail altogether. It's not just the membrane side that is being treated its the other side as well, leaving it to long will cause it to rot and be un-useable pretty quickly.

Once you have that done you can go on to the next step which is the tanning set, then finally the dying back for color, after which drying commences then shaving or sanding to a workable thickness.

I like consistency in the tails to work with and the ability to bend them almost in half with out even a sign of cracking when making my billfolds. I have yet to have a billfold sent back to me because it broke in half folding open and closed for years on some customers use, Usually the lacing wears out before the tail shows signs of wear.

Have never seen that with any home tan work or solution yet, have seen them used on bows or other applications where they are not formed around or bent to a 90 degree, so yes home tanning suffices for this use.

Guess I will have to find another tanner if Specialty Leathers is closing down, I don't have the time to tan in bulk what I need to use for my inventory base. Moyles used to do them but when Hector opened his own business he took that with him, and I really don't know if he is still doing his own work.