A customer just dropped off two bear hides here at the fire station. I don't get off for a couple of hours so they are just gonna' have to sit until I get off.
They were turned, fleshed and salted by the outfitter. They are currently rolled into a ball. The outfitter told the hunter to leave them this way for 48 hours before unrolling them to air dry the rest of the way.
I always send my hide out for fleshing and tanning. I have no experience with salt drying a hide. It sounds like an easy process...I've just never done it.
My concern with these hides is that they are rolled into a ball. I'm gonna' wait until I get home to work with them, but I'm afraid that I might find a wet, soupy mess on the inside.
My plan is to open them up, shake the salt off and re-salt. I will then hang them in the shop and put a fan on them.
Am I missing anything?
Thanks
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if they are dripping now at all rolled up and if so unroll them and resalt now; if not do not worry about it. If they even look like they may be a problem call the client and tell him so right off. How can you be a taxidermist and not know about salting and fleshing hides? Just wondering. I guess I have at this to long.
BNB skinning take care of that for me. I don't have the time (60 hrs/week at the firehouse) or space to salt deer hides before sending them to the tannery. I plan on doing it more in the future...but for now, I'll leave it to BNB.
The only salting I've done is per McKenzie Tan's directions, which doesn't require the hides to be totally dried.
Thanks for the advice on the hides. I unrolled them and they seem fine. It looks like one more salting will do the trick.
and a fan or two.
Normally no big deal. Two hours aint gonna help nothing.
If they are gone two hours will not help...
Dont stack them on top of each other or place on a floor, make a rack where the air can circulate around the hide on both sides.
Jim, not everyone salts hides, I dont I know about it but I dont salt hides. I also know many others who never salt hides..
Now that I went to Krowtann I will only use it. before that I used formic acid, raw hide right into it and it sets the hair every time.
Like I said I am getting old plus gray.. I started on deer mounts my dad shot when i was in the second grade with JW ELWOOD and thier and HERTERS supplies, my mom still has those mounts and will not let me tear them apart. When I first started "full time" in 1969 I got a job at Boondock Taxidermy in Eagle River Alaska fleshing and salting huge ribbon seals and then bears, lots of big oily, fish smelling, greasy bears. Three later I worked for a year for Tommy Ray in Anchorage as a go-fer taxidermist doing everything from MAKING oil clay, pulling staples to mounting caribou and moose, but Tommy changed everything I modeled or mounted, he was that way with everyone and very difficult to work for, but he did paid well and I learned alot from him.. two years after and another full time taxidermy job later I still considered myself a learner taxidermist's helper for the most part. In 1975 I moved here and opened my own studio. I guess I am hard on people that start or come and work for me now thinking they are great taxidermists or even taxidermists after a short course somewhere. oh well again.
a FORMER Alaskan, that DIDN'T come back? Unusual!
Krowtann or not, I'm smart enough to send bear hides out to where professionals can shave them, degrease them and have them ready for mounting when they come back. But then again, I don't doublespace my replies usually. (Undertaker, you get both prizes this time. LOL)
I have yet to find a tannery that does bear correctly.
I finally decided to go up on my bear prices and do them myself. Yes after getting hides that were not usable from EVERY TANNERY, I quit sending them out.
Maybe you cannot tan nor degrease, but that does not mean others dont have the KNOWLEDGE.
So guess you get the goose egg(S).
Never had a problem with bears they did. Of course an unprime early sept bear will ALWAYS have some hair pull through to some degree. But even those early ugly ones I have sent have come back looking like they did when sent in, only not dirty and smelly!
I guess I am starting to get grumpy like george.
I just saw them at the Altoona Show and their wet tan is awesome. I live 10 min from East Coast Tannery but they can't beat Carolina. I saw some of their Bear work too and I would send one there before anywhere else. I just had 6 capes done there and the capes are a pleasure to work with. Lots of stretch, clean , white, no sawdust and fresh smelling. You should give them a try Undertaker. You won't be dissappointed