Ok I have used the Search Function and have read a great deal about Auto Tanners, and from what I can tell they are the next best thing to sliced bread, My Question is am I missing something? I am about ready to invest in a large one...and from what I have read stainless in the way to go, would like a little more assurance that I"m on the right track. Also who sell the best Stainless tanner and is there a website that I can look at them?
Thanks in advance Keith
Return to Tanning Category Menu
I lay out a cape or skin the night before. Rough flesh it in the morning. Throw it in the tanner for an hour or two. do the final fleshing and thin. Throw it back in the tanner. Then work on some other projects. The next morning I pull it out. Go over it. Touch up the rough spots. Wash it, tumble it, mount it.
If you want to you can do it all in one day. But I find that leaving it in over night tans the spots that didn't quite as thin as you would like them to be.
what was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread? If you have any volume at all my opinion and experience is that you should be a taxidermist first and last with the business of taxidermy. NOT a tanner or panel maker, form maker etc. If you want to add to the taxidermy business do something semi related but seperate from it like retail sporting goods or art or hunt bookings.
YOU CAN CALL ME FOR ANY INFO ON THESE MACHINES 1 - 608 - 868 - 4022
Go with the original. 800-542-9489
I've seen the others...
It's a great tool, you won't be disappointed.
I have an auto tanner and I love it. However, the chems are hard on the paint and it looks rough but it still works great. I have a friend that bought a stainless one from Ron Wegner and man is that thing ever built and works great if mine ever gets so bad that it needs to be replaced I am with out a doubt going to be getting one from Ron.
Is the one I am going with next. We bought the "original" auto tanner. But have talked with Ron in great length and will be buying one of his very soon.
Hi
I am not being a smart @$$ here I am just wondering if it is worth the money. What are the advantages with an auto tanner? I guess I am still old school. I have talked to an old timer that has one of them and he bought one when they FIRST came out. He said he likes his but he said you can do the same thing in a Big plastic can and stir it every day and you can have 2 cans and do 6 capes at a time 3 in each bucket and it will be more then enough work to do if you keep it all going everyday . He said the auto tanner is nice if you want to do something fast. But he said that if you keep a plan going with 6 capes at a time in the two buckets it works out to where you have plenty of capes to keep you busy. I am NOT knocking the Auto tanner at all < So Please doesn't think I am. I am sure Someone will get upset with my post but what ever ... I was going to buy one myself till I talked to this old timer which I look up to with Great respect . HE lives and breaths taxidermy He has so much work to do that he will not even take in anyone that he ahs not done work in the past He is the best around. I only hope to be as good as he is some day. I would just like to know what everyone else's opinion is on this.
GG
All pressure tanning machines all have the same process they force the tan in to the hide in about 4 hours. The difference is the material of the drum and the stand.
Stainless steel will hold up to the chemicals for ever and always look new just wipe it down after use, the mild steel tanners will only last 2-3 year before you will have to reline the inside and will keep rusting because of the salt in the chemical you use in them. I will send you a picture of what the stainless steel machine looks like after I tanned 600 plus hides. It won't change the machine. I would like to help you if you call me. Wegner's School Of Taxidermy 1608-868-4022.
I'm not saying it's true of every case, but there are a couple thousand people with porcelain (not paint) lined machines out there that would ardently disagree with you on the need to re-line after 2 to 3 years. I still have my original machine (epoxy lined) that shows some wear but no rust after 8 years. At one half to one third the cost of stainless, it's still a good buy for many.
Ron, I'm sure you're just trying to be helpful, but suffice it to say, I disagree with the exaggerated contention listed above. I have a "live and let live" philosophy that has served me well, but if you want a fight in the marketplace, I'd be happy to make it one of my goals to beat you.
Automatic Tanners of the original design, in stainless or epoxy powdercoat, can be bought from Dan Rineharts at 800-542-9489. Replacement tanks that fit the original frames are also available in either material.
Nothing lasts forever; stainless will outperform other linings. You should make your decision based on all factors considered.
About the buckets:
GG, what you're describing has always been true. I would not risk the buckets on a raw skin however. The tanning agent does not penetrate fast enough to prevent all slippage in buckets on a raw skin. Speed of penetration is the whole point. So, you're back to salting, pickling, etc., if you want to be safe.
Cheers to all (including Wiggy) and good tanning!
Well that is what I do I flesh on a fleshing machine as thin as I can then I salt then after a few days of salting then I let it air dry then put in pickle then leave in pickle for at least a week sometimes as long as a month then shave the skin and put back in the pickle for a week and tanning cream in the fridge over night then mount yes I do neutralize it b4 the tanning cream and wash it really good. Is the tanner I time saver or does it give you a better tanned hide? Is it worth having the hides all done faster so they can sit in the freezer b4 you can get to them is what I am asking I guess? Once again. I am not trying to P!$$ anyone off just wondering if it is worth buying is all. Someone told me they SAVED a Hide that was slipping cuz of the auto tanner is this true?
GG
A 150 gal rubbermaid tub cost one tenth the price, and will hold more. It will also probablly outlast all of the above, if you include motor replacement, and sealing pressure leaks, or buying new liners. Are yall in that big of a hurry, that another day or two actually matters? Im not knocking the product, but I see this as nothing but a gimick, and as useless as tits on a boar hog. If you cant plan your skin tanning a few days in advance of mounting, or freezer space, you have some serious scheduling issues. To go through the expense of making one out of stainless, takes this gimic to a new extreme. Trying to re-invent the wheel, and eliminate skin salting is risky business, and is a little on the lazy side. My opinions are my own, and every time I hear this product mentioned, I wonder how it has survived this long. Elementary math shows otherwise.
Keeping your scalpels sharp? Do you call your fleshing machine a gimmick as well?
C'mon dude, 2 or 3 days? Make that weeks and you'll be a lot closer. By the time you're pulling capes from your tank, mine are mounted and out the door with a quality tan.
By the way, ever thought about moving to Illinois? Good hunting up here. Give it some thought.
GG. The automatic tanner will save most (not all) hides that would not otherwise survive the tanning process. Depends on what is causing the slippage.
The tan is just as good. You can tinker with the chemistry and get the product you want. The main benefit is the speed due to fewer steps and faster penetration.
Cheers from a true Carolina Fur fan.
Fleshing machines are close to 50 years old, and were used by furriers, long before one found its way into a Taxidermy shop. Quite a few times a year we will get a skin in on Monday, and ship it out on Thursday. Usually that is for someone who is terminally ill though. Weeks? I can complete a elephant cape in less than 2 weeks- just did it last week. Half lifesize rhino, 2 weeks before that, again, less than 2 weeks. Deer cape- 3 days- people who know what their doing, do it all the time.
But that's already salt dried.
Believe me, if I get an elephant or a rhino, you're going to see it there on the east coast.
I would in no wise challenge your speed or skill. You guys are the best. But maybe in 50 years or so the automatic tanner will no longer be considered a gimmick!
Hope we all live that long.
It's to bad some people cant't accept change even for the better. regarding Steve R's coomments to Ron Wegners.
The pressure tanning process has been a great advancement for todays modern Taxidermist or anyone else looking to speed up the tanning process, and we all know time is money. The tanner Reinhart sells was great in it's day but why pay about the same for something that rusts and rots out over time. Another thought for anyone who purchases a Stainles steel tanner from Ron after 20to 30 years and you decide to get out of Taxidermy you can clean this machine up and resell it. Also talk to ron about another new process it's great!
Best Regards
Norm N and Robbi N
If anyone is in the market for a tanner, I use Ron Wegner's machine, and have seen his original (that still looks as good as the new ones after years of use) Why not buy a unit that will last. I recommend it to anyone.
I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND going with the stainless tanning machine. When I first got in to taxidermy I made my own machine out of steel it did not last. Now I am using Ron Wegners tanning machine. This machine has ben very well designed and has done a superb job on the hides I have tanned.