I have search but cant find a straight perfect answer.
I want to tan but am led to believe that you need to shave the hide when tanning. I dont have a fleshing machine. I use a wire wheel and DP. Please tell me if I can tan but not shave the thickness down. and if so how and what process should I use for just doing a few mounts a year.
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You can't expect to to tan a hide properly without thinning it. If you don't have a fleshing machine and have no intentions of getting one then you may want to send your capes to a professional tanner. Otherwise you need to just stick to thin skinned critters like coyotes and the like. Start trying a thick skinned critter like an elk or most deer even and you'll have problems. Your tan wont penetrate the thick skin, but more than that is you'll suffer trying to sew through that aweful thick skin and when you dry your finished mount that thick skin will pull away with the force of Hercules from antler burrs and your stitch line. BTW a wire wheel wont help you on thick skinned critters.
wire wheel only for removing the meat, not any attemp to thin