How do I make this soft, and that soft? Nothing in life is free! Tannerys have thousands of dollars invested in equiptment and supplies, and you want that advise for free? Give me a break! Screw up some skins, and pay to replace those skins,just like the Tanners have to do, and learn from your mistakes! Some of your chemical sellers will try to give you advice, but it is mainly guess work. If they were really good at what they give advice on, they would own their own tannery, and be making alot more money. Instead, they help start tannery after tannery, not caring if they succeed. They might start up 3 tannerys in the same state, and not think twice about their success, as long as they get paid for their instruction. Their instruction is not worth a crap, since they have not owned and operated a large scale Taxidermy tannery, and dont have a clue of the problems you will run into. Some of your so-called gurus, are just middlemen, peddleing tans and other products made by someone else. And the only things they know, is what the manufaturer of their products tell them. And still, the manufacture doesnt own a tannery! Go figfure!
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Now if this isn't a myopic post, I don't know what is.
Aubrey, oldshaver, have you personally "owned and operated a large scale Taxidermy tannery"? Go look at the turn-around time post. 100K skins per year or more, personal output over 5,200 "taxidermy" big game skins/year. No padding it with squirrels, foxes, and other "dress without a touch" species. Last I heard you were a grunt at Carolina and before that, a grunt somewhere else.
Hector Ramirez can probably claim more "fame" then you as he did the Moyle thing for X amount of years. I believe it was 15. Not to say they're any good or ever were any good, but, based on that opinion, then he must be a heck of a guy! He's usually seen around here trying to buy old fur machines, instead of peddling knowledge.
BASF doesn't own and operate a tannery and neither does Lowenstein's, and yet the 2 of them produce the chemicals hocked all around this site and even worldwide, these 2 chemical manufacturers combined probably cover about 65%-75% or better of the entire leather and fur processing business.
The only bit of advice worth a dam* in the original poster's post is "get some skins, screw them up, and learn by trial and error, just as those have done before you".
The rest is just pure bunk. If you buy that, I have some high end NYC waterfront real estate for you.
David Patton and Bruce Rittel are 2 guys with names that can really help you out. Pay attention to those 2. Both have the experience and the track records, and more importantly, the motivation, to really help you out. There was another guy who showed up here once, to explain the cationic charge of an alum tan, if he ever comes back, pay attention!
Hey, I'll cut you some slack. Maybe you had a bad day. Please don't be myopic though. Don't spoon feed them but don't pretend you know it all.
i think - is full of himself.
oldshaver knows what he's talking about. listen to him young tanners..
keep up the good words old shaver.
ej
that post was made while I was pissed! I had two e-mails this weekend, from people asking me tannery questions, and then talking junk back to me, cause I wouldnt answer them! I am, and have always been a little more than a grunt. My applogies for the remarks.
All young people and entrepreneurs, don't expect any FREE advice. You have to cough up to get into this business!
I didn't see any lies in there,and at least you had the stones to post a name instead of a DASH. Now you know what taxidermists on here feel like all the time. LOL
I am sick of hearing the big "WHY"? I took a head count of just the chemicals I use for tanning and whoa! can you belive 26 bottles and bags of stuff! and the worst part is... I use all of it! I know you CAN get a soft tan with a kit, but it takes more than chemicals! back breaking labor and lots of time! I am with OS on this one. Joseph R Osborn (Hunter's Dream Taxidermy)
The help offered in these forums is meant to help explain most of the good material that has been posted here over the years. I know people get offended by the phrase "use the orange button", but there is a lot of information in that resource.
OS, you wouldn't want to elaborate on those emails? Just curious why someone would ask for your help and then trash you if they didn't get their questions answered.
As far as FREE advice goes, until you actually get hands on experience, the advice just points you in the right direction. Anyone willing to try their own tanning will spend money sooner than later in one way or another.
The answer to your question on owning a tannery is-none! I have always been satisfied with working for others, and making a darn good living in the process. Not to mention not having all the problems the owner has to deal with on a daily basis. I have always made it a point to say multiple times that I dont know everything, and dont pretend to. I do speak from experience, the same experiences as the two people you mentioned. I will give you the manufacture, your right. The rest of the origional post is dead on. I have worked for 3 tannerys, but I have worked for my present employer most of my adult life. You seem to hold this up as some dirty little secret that I actually give a damn about. I started posting on here while I was working for another tannery, and to this day, me, myself, or I have never told where I work. Other people did because I was dumb enough to let it out. My mistake. Your probablly the same gutless bastard that likes to e-mail me once a month and tell me how full of myself I am. Probablly one of the guys I have picked on in the past about coming on here and begging for work. Yes,im a grunt, but im probablly the highest paid grunt youll ever see, in this business. For that im gratefull.
I'm not here to make money I just want to make my boys happy. They killed a rabbit today and I wouln't cook it because it is out of season so they wanted to keep the hide. I need to know how do I keep the hide and not let it go bad?
sorry about that