Commercial Tanneries Questions

[MichaelG]

Greetings all.  I apologize if these questions have already been posted.  I've been searching with no results.  I currently don't have a Fleshing Machine so the next best solution is to use a commercial tanner.

1.  Based on those that use commercial tanneries what would you say is the norm for turn-around time for them (I do understand theirs always circumstances).  I'm just looking for ball park numbers.
2.  Since I don't have a Flescher what would you recommend as the largest animal that can be done successfully using a dry preservative method after hand fleshing? 

[Luke77]

Hello, new on this forum, I was thinking about sending my whitetail capes off to be tanned just looking for some input and if anyone else would reccomend it. I have been using krowtann and it ok but i spend alot of time on in house tanning.

[Old Fart]

MichaelG, since you are in VA, Carolina Fur is about as good as it gets and they are close. As far as turn around time goes, I can't answer that. By now thy are pretty well backlogged, so you should call and ask them. I normally figure about 5-7 months on most tanning. The GOOD tanners are ALWAYS backed up a bit, because the product is well known and worth the wait.

[WBB793]

I can help you out.. No extra charge for rush service on small orders!!

Will Bruce
517 403 5830

Please call as I am not here that much..  Thanks

[Top of Ohio Taxidermy]

Hi Michael,

Since you do not have a fleshing machine, You might check into Microtan in Blue Mound Ill.
www.microtan.com

They offer a few options and the one that may intrest you the most at this point would be their frozen cape service.
You skin the deer and send it to them frozen.
They:
Turn everything
Flesh the cape
Tan the cape
Shave it, Freeze it
and send it back to you frozen.
About $85 and saves you a bunch of time
Last I heard they are still running about 13 weeks turn around.

Good Luck,
Bud

[oldshaver]

$85.00??? That is HWY robbery!

[Top of Ohio Taxidermy]

Well as for the price, everyone has their own opinions.
In this case I believe I'm getting quality work at a reasonable price.

Considering:
How much I would pay to have a cape wet tanned elsewhere?

How much time does it take me to Flesh a cape?

How much Time I would spend Turning everything?

How much time to Flesh the Eyes Ears and Lips after I turn them?

How much time to Salt and Shake, Salt and Shake, until its dried to ship?

How much I charge per hour for labor?

I add it all up and when I see what I get back for my money, I'm OK with it.

Everyone has to make that call for themselves.

Good quality work is what I try to sell my customers, and what I charge them for.
I don't want the cheapest service available from a tannery either, but a good value based on the results I get from them is what I'm after.

[oldshaver]

Its just my opinion, but I think $70.00 is more reasonable, especially if they are just going to Liqui-Tan em?(not saying ANYTHING is wrong with LT)

I can do everything you stated, up to the dry salted stage, in about 30 min, give or take 5min. I cant see that being worth $35-$40?

[Top of Ohio Taxidermy]

I'm not nearly as fast as you, unfortunately.... Wish I was, but I'm not.
That work takes me closer to 1 and a half hours, so I guess that's why we have very different perspectives.

At the end of the day, it's worth the 85 to me, but I defiantly see your position, and if I could even cut to and hour in it, I probably would feel the same way.

If I could find someone else that would do that work for me, with comparable quality, cheaper, and get me the turn around I need, I would love to save some money, but so far I haven't found them.