I'm getting ready to rough flesh, salt, dry and send out my first capes. My question is, will the tannery shave them down thin enough everywhere? Or will I need to do more if I want a real thin skin for competitions and commercial work too? If I will need to shave more, do I need to do it first before I salt and dry or when I get them back? Can you shave a tanned hide? Also, what are the pros and cons of receiving back wet tans or dry tans? Thanks!
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do all the shaving necassary, when you rehydrate you'll have to final trim the nose, lips and eyes, although there are even a few tanneries that take care of that too! With a wet tan the same goes, easier to rehydrate as all you're doing is thawing if you've frozen it and doing the final detail shaving. Hope I've helped with your question, feel free to email me for more specifics if you'd like or wait for more input here. Best of luck to you.....Ooops, yes you can shave a tanned hide once it's rehydrated.Wet and dry tans are simply a matter of personal preference in my opinion.
I was lloking at some hides from Keith yesterday, they are some of the best tanned hides I have seen, shaved perfectly evenly tanned. One was wet back for a flat rug and rehydrated in about 30-45 minutes. Great work. John C
...I switched from another tannery and started using Arlington Cape and the tinning was super! Keith and crew do a great job!
PS-John, As a 13 year veteran (and counting) of the US Border Patrol, I feel obligated to ask: Why are you making flat rugs out of "wet backs?" LOL
as I sit here on a Saturday morning, with a sore throat, aching head and throbing sinuses, trying to decide whether I should work on a cape buffalo or go home, it made me feel a little better to read those posts. (loved the wet back one Bob)