Do it yourself compared to paying for it

I found this place http://www.usafoxx.com/fur-tanning-pricelist.htm while doing an online search.

So I talked to the tannery - VERY nice people - and they said they would tan fleshed and dried rabbit skins for $10 each for ten or more. Add $8 each if they need to be fleshed.

How does that compare to the work and cost of doing it yourself?

That seems awful expensive to me. Can you even sell them and make a profit at that cost?

I bought the ez tan kit which gives everything you need chemical wise to tan your own for $50. I've done 10 hides so far and not even come close to using it all. I'd say I still have 40 or so more I could do before I needed to restock. I agree with Demamma, sounds kin of expensive. Just for 10 hides that's $100.

usafoxx makes top notch clothing and fur accessories but I have heard horror story after horror story about having them tan fur I have no personal experience with them tanning and because of the stories ive heard never will. This place is supposed to the one of the best http://www.moytown.com/services.html I would give them a call and ask about prices.

Edit to clarify. The horror stories ive heard about usafoxx all mostly related to getting your own fur back. People would send in a special Raccoon say a almost pure black one or a extremely large one and receive a normal looking or avg sized raccoon back. I dont think usafoxx does in house tanning I believe they stretch dry and then send pelts to a tannery which is were the confusion takes place. I have only heard good things about the fur products they sell and there workmanship is supposed to be top notch but the tanning side has resulted in alot of disappointment.

The pro's use a method called "garment" tanning. Very luxurious finish and extremely soft leather AND very expensive.

I've had all kinds of pelts garment tanned over the years. From possum to bobcat and all have came back in excellent shape. However, I use Moyle's Tannery exclusively. I too, have heard some negatives about the above mentioned business.

grumpy.

I've seen fully tanned rabbit furs for $10 or less, so...yeah, the price of tanning sounds very expensive.

grumpy":2xgpxlu3 said:

The pro's use a method called "garment" tanning. Very luxurious finish and extremely soft leather AND very expensive.

I've had all kinds of pelts garment tanned over the years. From possum to bobcat and all have came back in excellent shape. However, I use Moyle's Tannery exclusively. I too, have heard some negatives about the above mentioned business.

grumpy.

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So do you ever tan your own or only have them done?

I know it sounds expensive but so is time and I have very little of it to spare so I am trying to figure out which actually makes the best sense right now but as the hides pile up in my three freezers, SOMETHING has GOT to be done about them :lol:

GBov":392zi3jc said:

grumpy":392zi3jc said:

The pro's use a method called "garment" tanning. Very luxurious finish and extremely soft leather AND very expensive.

I've had all kinds of pelts garment tanned over the years. From possum to bobcat and all have came back in excellent shape. However, I use Moyle's Tannery exclusively. I too, have heard some negatives about the above mentioned business.

grumpy.

Click to expand...

So do you ever tan your own or only have them done?

I know it sounds expensive but so is time and I have very little of it to spare so I am trying to figure out which actually makes the best sense right now but as the hides pile up in my three freezers, SOMETHING has GOT to be done about them :lol:

Click to expand...

No...I've never attempted to tan a pelt of any kind. With rabbit pelts, the ones from fryers are poor at best. Their fur is un-prime because of their age. I would doubt very seriously if the leather could withstand a "garment-tanning".

grumpy.

I second that. Tanning anything under 6 mos by hand usually tears it, commercial tanning would probably destroy it.

Well, we have rented a doublewide so moving is in our VERY near future so the hides will all just stay frozen for now.

MANY of them are from older rabbits, two to six years old so they should stand up to tanning really well. There are also raccoon hides and a lamb skin and quite a lot of squirrell as well as rather a lot of fryer age rabbit pelts.

So after teh move I shall have a look at them all and see how we get on.

Can hides be packed in salt and just left at room temp? Like salt fish is? LOTS AND LOTS of salt, that is.

I have heaps of orange plastic storage crates that I was thinking of using, put down a two inch layer of salt, a hide, another layer of salt, another hide and so on and just keeping it in the shed.

Would it work, do you think?

I know of someone in Colorado who sends her BB sheepskins to a place in Pa-- she salts them really well before shipping-- the cost is probably still real high for rabbit. I'll try to find out the name of the business and get the rates...

I used to salt my pelts real well and just leave them in the garage. I never had a problem with hair slippage or spoilage. I've outlined how I salted a few times on the forum already so I won't do it again but nonetheless it can be done in order to preserve a hide for a while. I had mine salted for about 4 months outside. Tuned out to be on of the best pelts I've tanned.

If you salt the hides, allow to drain for 2 days, shake out salt then re-salt and allow to dry, you should be able to store indefinitely.