Do-it-yourself taxidermy???

[Hawken1911]

Do any of you skin your small and/or large game animals and preserve the skins yourselves?  I stumbled upon some tanning recipes online that made it sound pretty easy, pretty much just using salt and alum as the main ingredients.  I also discovered that even some professional taxidermists just flesh out small game skins, coat them with Borax, and mount them.  They claim to have great results.  Please let us know how you go about it and what techniques/materials work for you.

[wapitimike1]

I like the 55gal drum of Shalac, just dip the critter!

[e alexander]

I tanned the first deer I ever killed back in the early 80's.  I got the instructions from the public library. I still have the hide.

I also mounted a couple of deer heads that I killed. I fleshed the hides, and treated them with a product that I purchased from a taxidermy supply store.  They still hang in my parents home.

Go for it!

there are some products sold in taxidermy catalogs that work great, and they are easy to use as well and have great results.  check out vandykes taxidermy dot com- or mckenzey taxidermy dot com. they got what you need.  
i use the krotan special for my head mounts.

[Chris Shelton]

I've been tanning for a while now, kinda a dying skill, like canning. The alum formula you found online is really easy, but alum is not for rugged use, its not water resistant at all, if it gets wet it will shrivel up and get hard like those raw hide bones I give to my dog. Chrome, Vegetable, and brain tanning is best for anything useful . . . but if you goal is to have a nice wall hanging alum is the most effective and the softest tanning method!  Good luck!!

[zinndl]

No matter the tanning method, and there are alot, the key is that you have to flesh ALL of the membrane off the skin side or you wont get the best results.

[Red Tailed Hawk]

I agree with zinndl. I have found vandykes to be a good supplier.

[J-dog]

Research brain tanning - it is in depth but is fairly tough. Tavving with the acids is the best way to go and you can use some acids that are not too terrible on the health. Anyone can do it as it is not rocket science!!!! just time consuming and careful or you'll learn how to sew as well!

Good advice all, just got to spend some time and see what is right for you. And where you'll be tanning.

J

[Hawken1911]

Thanks!  I appreciate the info guys.

[caleb7mm]

I am a former full time master certified taxidermist. And I agree with J-dog: it is not rocket science! It is an art though and more people would be good at it if they just tried it. But there are those ive tried to teach over the years that just have no eye for it and no natural talent.

go to taxidermy dot net and ask a lot of questions. Do a bunch of searches. Get some videos and just soak up the information. There are some real good videos out there and there are some very awfull videos.

pm me if you like

[dink]

i use that tanning solution in the orange bottal that i get out of ffg too easy

[Hawken1911]

For those of you with some experience, do these instructions I found online sound reasonable.  If so, I'm inclined to give it a go:

•1
Prepare the pelt by scraping away as much visible meat and flesh as possible. A dull knife can be used, as it will scrape the hide without nicking.

•2
Make a solution of 5 cups of salt to 1 gallon of water in a 5-gallon bucket. Submerse the pelt in the salt solution for 24 hours. Scrape away any remaining flesh and membrane after the soaking time.

•3
Make your tanning solution. Begin with 2 lbs. of salt to 4 gallons of water. Stir it to dissolve the salt completely. In a separate container, mix 2 lbs. of alum in just enough water to dissolve and mix thoroughly. Add this to the salt mixture.

•4
Place the scraped pelt into the tanning solution. Allow it to sit for 24 hours, but stir it at least twice a day.

•5
Remove from solution and rinse the entire pelt under clear water. Hang the pelt, fur side up over a banister or railing out of direct sunlight. Let it hang for several days.

•6
Roll up the hide, by folding flesh sides together and let it sit overnight.

•7
Work the hide over a straight edge to soften the leather. Patio railings or table edges work well for this process.

•8
Work Neat's Foot or other leather lubricants into the leather with your fingers; this insures the tanned hide is both soft and pliable. Use a dog brush or other comb to work out any mats or tangles on the fur side of the hide.

[Hawken1911]

TTT

[mike hall]

Two or three years back I decided to give a taxidermy kit a try. I was pretty happy with my first and saved lots of money. Bought everything from VanDykes and added a bag of dry tan. Like most of my projects, it's not exactly how I wanted it to turn out but there is always next time.
 

[Hawken1911]

Wow...nice job Mike!

[mike hall]

Thanks man, next time you pop one you're not interested in paying to have mounted you should give it a try. I also bought a DVD that showed the whole process which helped a bunch.

[Mack Marine]

Mike you did good to be your first...

[goblism]

I am really tempted to buy a kit and try a doe this fall mostly just to try it.  $70 really isn't much

Nice job Mike, how many hours would you say it took to mount your deer?

[mnbwhtr]

Why a doe? A buck will work too and you'll be happier with it. With a doe you'll see your mistakes more, no horns to look at.

[J-dog]

You can do it - study alot of pics - get some DVDs by Rick Carter - just study alot of stuff- it is far from rocket science. Take your time and do not expect the first one to be a national award winner. And mount everything from bucks to does to whatnot.

Mike, That is a really good first deer, and from a kit! You really need to keep at it as you seem to have an ability for it.

J