I am not a taxidermist and know next to nothing about the craft but I am selling six old African hides for a friend who recently lost her husband. The skins are 30 years old and have been stored in a dry loft of an unairconditioned metal building for the last 25 years or so. The hides appear to be in good shape, they are soft and haven't suffered any dryrot or bugs. Is there any chance these could be mounted? To look at hides please go to ebay and lookup Item # 3611553749. any help would be appreciated.
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Most tanneries will warn agains attempted to mount hides over a year old. The chemicals that tanned the hide are still present and if not used in a timely basis, the hide tends to disintegrate when it is rehydrated for mounting. I wouldn't touch them for a mount if they've been stored outside a freezer for 25 years. I ain't what I was 25 years ago, and I figure a dead hide is in worse shape than I am.
It is very risky trying to rehydrate anything that old and expect it to hold together.