This maybe elementary question, but how can I tell if a cape has been done in wet tan vs. dry tan? I have a bear cape that is tanned (looks and feels like leather on the inside) it has been in a storage bag for a year now. Any tips on how to tell the difference from a rookies point of view?
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Is the skin still wet? than it is a wet tan.
If it is dry? then it is a dry tan?
Pretty simple. Now you know.
Have fun
tanned ,if you tell the tanner you want a wet tan it gets ran thru the tumbler to remove some of the moister & oil then frozen ,thus WET TAN, dry tan gets tumbled longer to remove all the moister.i get all my whitetail capes wet tan, saves time,& $$ fur bearer skins get dry tan ,fur is softer& cleaner. hope this helps good luck
That supply company claim they have a dry tan, it is not and never was a dry tan, it is nothing more than anyone elses dry preservative.
A dry tan is a wet tan that has been taken to a dry and stable point.
The problem with dry tans is seldom to the get the stretch back, thay stay tight and in my opinion never have mounted up as good a a wet tan.
Like wetting a leather shoe and hoping to stretch over a deer form. Just dont work well for me.
Thanks Roadkill...well it is dry as a bone so I guess it is dry tan. I was at a friends taxidermy shop in Tennessee when he got a load of wet skins in. Guess those were all wet tans. So the goal is to keep them WET until your ready to stretch RIGHT?