Just want opinions on professional taxidermists sending out their capes to a professional tannery. IS it very cost effective in terms of a little more than what it would cost to do at home? I am interested in this route to somewhat eliminate me having to fool with fleshing ( I hate it). I much prefer just having the skin and the mounting process. Opinions?
Thanks.
P.S. I have read that tannery produces much better product than doing it yourself.
Return to Beginners Category Menu
tanning yourself and sending out to the tannery depends exclusively on what you like to do and what you want out of your hides as far as tanning quality goes. I for one don't enjoy the tanning process or the time it takes away from doing what I do enjoy - taxidermy. Nor do I believe that the average taxidermy shop saves money by doing their own tanning. Bigger shops probably do, because they have more employees, but if you're on your own, the tanning process can take up more time than you anticipate. There's also the purchase of all the equipment that is necessary (for the bigger hides at any rate).
I am sure there are plenty of taxidermists out there that tan their own capes and skins, and do a very good job of it. Many tan their own because they have more control over the end product. There's no one to blame but yourself if the cape's shaved too thin, or hair starts slipping because you forgot to check the Ph level in the pickle.
I'm sure you'll get quite a few other suggestions, I would not jump right into tanning by buying a flesher, tumbler, etc. If you want to give it a try, I suggest you start with something small and relatively easy to flesh - like a squirrel or fox.
Good Luck, Juli
Lori,
I am a part time taxidermist and I send all of my deer capes to a guy that fleshes and tans the hides for $40.00 per cape. To me, it's well worth the money.
Sean
Lori,
If you have more than ten capes a year it is financialy to your advantage to do your own tanning. You can buy a Quebec Lite for less than $525.00 and you get a very explicite video that will teach you step buy step how to master it. YOU can flesh a deer cape in less than 30 min.
Give me a call if you want to discuss it in detail, 1-800-567-5080
Gerry
Lori, I send most of my stuff out for tanning but do the small lifesize things such as fox and bobcat in my shop. I also tan any special color capes such as piebald deer in my shop to avoid the risk of them being lost in shipping. I don't save a nickel by doing it myself when I figure how much time it takes but then it takes a lot of time to prep a cape for shipping to the tanner and then you still have to fine shave the face when it returns. For me I figure the saving comes on those lifesize critters that mount up easier if they are wet tanned. The longer I do this taxidermy thing the more I find there are few short cuts, and there is definitly a place in my business for the commercial tanner. Enjoy, Aaron H.
But Juli just spoke parables to those of you listening. I figure if I only had 10 deer a year, I might bother with all that crap, but I don't remember those numbers. I'm only one deep in the shop, and though you STILL MUST FLESH them and salt them, I don't have to buy any fancy drum, agitator, or pH meter. They come back shaved consistenatly and all I have to do is mount them. You only save money if you consider your time as being without worth. While my tannery is doing that, I'm mounting the piddly little stuff and painting fish. When I can make money WHILE I'm tanning, I know it only happens when I send it out.
I'm a do it yourself person. My proplem is that's the way I was brought up. You can only depend on yourself if you want it done right. I shave my hides thin and get the detail I want by doing this by myself. No tannery can do this for they can't spend that much time on a shaving machine with out ripping holes in them. If you want the best hides for detail it's best you do it yourself.
BUT!
A tannery is a great asset. I will send out my flats and bear hides to them. They have the right tools to do that job properly. I won't waste my time doing these hides and the tannery I use are one of the best. I have used a few and found East Coast Tannery does a great job with my hides and they save me the trouble of degreasing and tumbling those flats. But they also know when they get a hide in from me there is no shaving to be done. I have a problem of fleshing a hide real close to the hair roots on the bear and they don't have to do any other work but what I need.
A tannery is there for you and you only. If you don't want to invest your time into all this work a tannery is best for you. I will save you time but for money. Gerry is right it will save you money if you learn on how to do it yourself.
Lori, I started out sending them out. Then I bought a Quebec light and the rest of the equipment. The machine worked great and was easy to learn BUT I soon discovered I hated tanning and now I'm back to sending them out (sold the equipment). I would recommend you base your decision strickly on whether you enjoy tanning or not. You will not get rich from doing it yourself and you won't go broke buying the equipment and doing yourself either. Life is too short do more of what you enjoy - which ever that is. Good luck.
I send all my hides off to a tannery. But the main reason being, that while they tan my hides I can mount my deer for customers. It frees me up to do other things and being able to take more animals in then if I would have to spend time doing the tanning too. Cost wise I believe it comes out to be the same if you take in consideration your time involved in the tanning process.
Lori, these guys have given you a lot of good information. I do 15-20 deer a year and don't see that it's to my advantage to buy all the necessary tools and equipment to do my own tanning. I feel comfortable in undertaking the process from the info and materials I've acquired for training, but it would take a long time for me to pay off the tools I need, they'd depreciate out before they were paid for and so, tax-wise, they'd not be "working" for me, and so that investment is cost-prohibitive. Further, I do my work on days off and evenings in my basement (currently) and do not like the idea of having large containers of chemicals around the family. My time in the shop is limited and I see it as being in my best interest to spend that time working on mounts rather than investing more time into fewer accounts. By sending my capes out, I can increase the total number of accounts I accept by 30-40 percent. Also, the $32 I pay to have my capes done is very much worth the price. If someone brought me a single cape and asked me to do what the tannery does for me, you can be sure that I'd charge more than that.
I have 4 deer hides from last year that I would like to tan. Could anyone give me step by step how to and what chemicals I need.
Thank you
David