Do most of you send your hides off for tanning, or do some yourself.
How do tanneries charge? Are they expensive?
Theres so many different options for chemicals to do it yourself, has anyone found a easy and inexpesive method, or am I better off just getting them done professionally?
Thanks for you time!
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I have been tanning my own here recently. I have been using a cheap and easy method that seems to be working well.
I completely flesh, salt, and rehydrate. Then I spray the hide down with Ben Mears spray tan till it is completely soaked. Then I roll the hide up skin side in and let it sit in a refrigerator over night.
The next day it's ready to mount.
I have not had any problems with this method so far. It's quick cheap and easy. A 1/2 gal. of spray tan is around $20. And 1/2 gal.
will go a long way.
The book I have on tanning doesnt explain rehydration very well. Is it soaked in just water or do you and anything to the solution? How long do you soak it? Do you keep it in the refrigerator?
Get a tub large enough you can completely submerge your
hide in. Fill it with enough water to cover it. Use cold water
only. I add 2 or 3 caps full of lysol and a little Dawn antibacterial
dishwashing liquid. Soak it anywhere between 15 minutes to an
hour depending on how fast it loosens up. Every inch of the
hide may not loosen up (especially in the thicker spots) but
it should be okay. The tanning solution will still do the trick
if you let it soak into the hide over night.
When you remove the hide from the water you will need to
remove as much of the water out of the hide as you can.
To achieve this you can throw it in a tumbler and tumble dry it
or if your wife is not home throw it in the washer on spin cycle
for 5 minutes or so. Then spray it down with spray tan and
put it in the fridge. Thats it.
Hi Jimmy, I do both. You can't beat the price of a good tannery tanning your capes. I also tan my own capes if I don't want to wait for the tannery and want to get the job done. I also send all my greasy hides out,such as fox, raccoon, bear, etc.and don't have to worry about slippage. Any finished dry tans, such as deer hides for customers which you want soft, all go to the tannery. Hope this helps.