With all of the great info on tanning from Boco and others (THANKS) on here I decided to give it a try. This season I saved back 2 muskrats, 1 mink, 1 opossum and 1 4XL prime raccoon fleshed with Necker, streched and dried.
I used the Trubond 1000B method and my process was started by re-hydrating then degreasing with Dawn and kept close track of my pickle PH between 1 & 2 with citric acid for 4 days then neutralized. The muskrats and mink turned out really well after scrunching/breaking. The raccoon and opossum are still a little damp/greasy in the neck and flank area after and they've been hanging for 2 days ? I'm guessing to much grease still in the skin but the good thing is no fur slipping. Trubond folks say to let dry several days and if that don't dry it then do the process all over again using Lipa Solve 77 in the pickle to remove the grease.
I'm curious to know other ways of removing this grease and also when & how in the process, do you thin the neck area down ? Is thinning necessary ? I'd like to use the raccoon for a hat but maybe this first one will be a wall hanger or exterior of a possibles bag.
I just purchased a skiving knife to try and I do have an old spokeshave and of course my Necker.
I sure would like to hear what you knowledgeable folks have to say about the matter.
Thanks much – Uncle Dave

I had the problem with that damp/greasy look a couple times. My fix seemed to be there was too much tanning solution after the 12-16 hour set time. When you open the skin side to the air wipe off all excess tanning solution

You need to de grease it again.shouldnt need to re tan it,maybe a bit of watered down lube on the leather after de greasing and rinsing.
You can thin the leather down after/during salting,after or during the pickle or even after tanning.
Probably the best time to thin down thick leather is during the pickle since the acid will swell the leather.
if you use a solvent to de grease a good time is after pickleing and shaving.

I'm curious about the possum...ive only done one, but it's leather was so thin, I can't imagine it to have had very much grease. The face on mine turned out pretty hard, but I didn't have a problem with any of it not getting dry. Are you drying skin out? I've contemplated drying on a board if I were to try tanning again.

Trubond products will serve you well. If you want a garment tan most skins need to be thinned.I have had pretty good results by dry scraping or using a wire wheel during the pickle stage. The wire wheel also works well to clean up around the face.

Good info Boco thanks, I'll start de-greasing tomorrow.
The opossum I caught was huge and very prime so he was fairly thick across the back but his belly was thin as most are. The head on mine did turn out a little hard around the mouth/eyes but I wasn't really concerned because I plan on using it as a wall hanger or give it to a buckskinner friend.
After neutralizing and wringing out I tossed my furs in spin cycle for 8 minutes and then dried them good with a towel until skin was tacky. I used my plastic ice fishing tobogan for applying the Trubond with a brush and then put them on stretchers for support skin side out. I really don't think I had any problems with to much Trubond on the skins. After about 20 hrs to dry I took them off and started pulling and stretching with my fingers for several hours. The muskrats and mink were very soft in no time. It's amazing how white the skin turns when pulling/stretching.
I have a 10" table saw blade I removed the teeth on and use for softening brain tanned deer hides so used that blade very carefully to soften these pelts and it worked really well. I just have to get after the coon and finish it. I'll post photos of my process and finished products soon.
Oilwell - I have a dry scraper made from a large file blade I use for scraping hair/epidermis off my deer hides so might try to incorporate that while thinning. I also have a small wire wheel on my Foredom flex shaft tool I use for decoy carving that I think should work well for thinning. I like trying different methods on projects like this. This whole thing is a blast and I'm learning a lot. Thanks for the info !

I've finished up my Trubond 1000B process and some of the things learned are that mink and muskrat are very easy to tan using this process and was very happy with results. Nice white pelts and very soft.
I need to do a better job of de-greasing during fleshing process for coon and will also try saw dust next season.
Dawn and Simple Green worked great for de-greasing solution.
Salt can be purchased very cheap at farm supply stores. I got mine at Farm/Fleet and for a 50 lb. bag of Champion's Choice feed mixing salt was $7
My toboggan worked very well for different parts of the process and was very easy to clean afterwards.
I learned a lot for the first time tanning furs and plan to try new methods as I go. Next batch I plan on using Boco's method adding the Aluminum Sulfate process.
Thanks to all who helped. Here's a few photos-
Uncle Dave

Looks good.