Never sent a deer cape to a tannery before
could someone please enlighten me as to what condition the cape should be in ie how much fleshing is required before shipping.
Is the cape ready to mount when returned or is considerable fleshing need before mounting.
Thanks
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Make sure you turn the lips and nose well and flesh thoughly. Formic acid is the best i have found to pickle. A tannery that uses it is your best bet- try H and H fur dressing in MI, or Modern fur dressers in MI. Good luck.
Make sure to get all the flesh off and salt heavy.
Why would you pickle a hide before you sent it to a tannery?
Just rough flesh the hide. That means the big chucks off. Turn the ears, but I'd suggest leaving the cartilage attached to the inner ear and remove it after the hide comes back. Split your lips and clean the nose and eye brows. IF YOU DON'T, it'll be tanned "as is" and you'll have a very tough job afterwards.
I only salt the hide once usually. The big game (elk, moose, buffalo, etc.) may require two saltings. I hang the hides so that the salt can leech all the water off. When the hide stops dripping, I fold it, skin to skin and fit it in the box I'm going to ship. That saves you lots of heartache in finding a box to fit a badly folded hide. It also prevents you from cracking a dried hide by attempting to fold it later.
If you're planning on mounting the skin, I'd suggest having it wet tanned. If you're going to rug it, have it soft tanned.
I was simply telling the guy to use a tannery that uses formic acid, not to pickle it first. You really need to stop.
First, you're new here. I know because I've always been here and I've never seen you here before. Secondly, you come on here and immediately start your pissing and moaning about my "attitude". Well, first, foremost, and indelibly, I protect beginners from hearing a bullsh1t answer and taking it for granted as being the best information available. If you think that formic acid is the best pickle available, thats simply YOUR OPINION, not a fact. There are much better and safer choices available to the industry today and many of the better tanneries don't agree with your perspective.
Only Ken Edwards controls who comes and who goes here, but this forum lost an invaluable contributer in Bill Yox because some jerk with an attitude just like yours gave him the insult that was the straw that broke the camel's back. The fact that I don't impress you matters not one whit to me, and I can assure you from the last two days of reading your remarks, you don't exactly put sunshine in my daylight either. Get over it. I was here before you got her, and God willing, I'll be here long after you tire of being here. You don't know one single thing about taxidermy that I don't and you're not going to change the character of who I am. Get over it. And if you lose sleep over it, I promise, I won't.
You have given me incredible amounts of insight to this business! I personally...like your presence here! I miss Yox too!
Yea, before this goes further, im not a newcommer in here. Ive probobly been in here alot longer than you. As far as Yox goes, he knows who i am. Why dont you ask him. My former name in here was bird. Now that you know, i agree- lets end this. That would be a good idea. Have a good day.
If your as knowlegable as you let on, you wouldnt be so quick to tell people where to get off. I been doing taxidermy for 30 years-how bout you?
your answers are the only ones that matter Right GOD?
All should respect the search button but the facts are, people are to lazy to find things out for themselves. Not all of us have enought time to sit here and answer silly questions. But if you think it is disrespectful, then just dont answer. Move on to more deserving questions. We dont need to call eachothers names or make someone feel stupid for asking a questions. My grandfather always told me, there are no stupid questions. This is how we learn if there are people willing to teach.
That's OK too. I'll still sleep well tonight. But for YOUR information, some people actually probably shouldn't be taxidermists. Those that take exception to that remark are the ones who ask after they've exhausted all other efforts to find an answer. Those that aren't won't be around in a couple years anyway. That's just the way this business is and we all know it. And BTW, your grandfather was full of it. There are stupid questions and they always come from stupid people.
To answer your question, BIRD, I've been a taxidermist for 47 years.
Why wont you two just back off of George, or better yet why don't you shoot him an email and maybe hook up on the telephone. After all, to do with sending to a tannery, Ralph said that he had never done it before why didn't you go into more details about it since you took the time like marking the hide for identification or folding the cape. You did come back and tell him to salt it heavy but is he to assume he is to shake it off or to box it with the salt, I found out in an earlier post that assumptions can be wrong. To me it appears that Ralph has a tannery in mind since he did not ask where to send it, so a simpler answer would have been to tell him to call the tannery to see they have certain ways that they like to have them sent in.
H. cart, I'm sorry but your response doesn't make much since to me, I get it that you are calling George God, but are you also calling all beginners lazy, or are you referring to Ralph? Then you say that all of us don't have time ... silly questions, Then why are you here? and who's question is silly? Hey, I know that I have asked some pretty stupid questions on these forums but then I realized there are more ways than one to do most anything. So I have decided to do the trial and error thing with the advice given here on this site.
Jon you say you have 30 years under your belt ASSUMING That you were at least 10 when you started then that would make you at least 40 now and in forty years you should have learned something about respect so I would us it. You came on here a few days ago offering wholesale bird work just as you have in the past. But I promises you If I am ever lucky enough to get to the point where I know what you know or 25% of what George knows and get half as busy as you make out to be, I will Not send you even one simple little feather to puff up for me or one of my customers. Lack of respect deserves none.
Jon and Holly, I don't have anything against you except for what you lack to George. As a beginner myself I thank you for any response you have to any question asked here. just gives me more to learn and study about to make my own mind up if I like it or not. George doesn't like Krowann2000 but that doesn't mean that I have decided that I wont use it. I am going to try it out on some small personal stuff and see for myself. When I decide to try tan some big game I'll will look in to your favorite and decide to or not to use it.
Joey Arender
The lack of respect started with you and george- not me. All i did was respond to someones question, and you two shot it down very rudely. I think you guys enjoy it. As far as you sending me birds, i dont need the work that bad. Why dont you get to know someone a little before you make unwanted rude comments. Yes, i started doing taxidermy young. I had no teacher, and taxidermists then didnt give a kid like me the time of day. All you beginners got easy. Back to the piont-I wont so called disrespect any of you as long as i get the same courtesy. I have alot of friends in this industry, and have never gone out of my way to make enemies. On that note i will no longer respond to any rude obnoxious comments. I pride myself as a proffesional, and will not humor this any further.Have a nice day Joey, and take care George.
This is where it started for me.
George
This response submitted by J. Cart on 3/23/05 at 5:45 PM. ( ) 68.79.123.168
Well George, obviously you have nothing better to do with your time (like work). If your going to be a smart ass, just dont reply- its easy.
You are right it does need to stop so I will. I promises you I will not ever try to correct you on any of you advice to anyone. I don't have the experience to do so. But I do know when someone is being disrespectful to someone like George. If it was taken out of context then I apologize to you. As far as Beginners having it easy well, yeah the info on how to mount any given creature is there for the taken, but its not that easy to start a business out of your home anymore, if you want it done right. As for as the industry goes 15 years ago I tried to talk to taxidermist around me but everyone told me to order the correspondence books, I did and destroyed some of the stuff I tried to mount and just gave up, until now. I have the patience now that I lack then and have managed to put together 30 or so mounts that aren't to bad, with the help of this site mostly. They wont win a ribbon in a national competition, even I can see my mistakes, so I know a judge will tear them apart. Over the next few months I will be mounting stuff to start competing on a state level just to get the advice needed to improve. Then I will take some, one on one courses to get more advice.
I am very well aware that George doesn't need me or anyone else to fight his battles. I was just typing my ponit of views and meant you no disrespect, Jon. So I will to stop it here.
I hope you and Holly have a great day as well.
Joey A.