How long do salted dried skins last if well kept (as in stored in a cool dry place away from moisture and insects) before you need to tan them or have them mounted? If there any suggestions to storing them please mention as well.

I had capes ( Mule Deer, Wolf ) dry salted and held by a taxidermist in Idaho until USFWS got around to issuing a Cites Permit, which took months. So, from the day we delivered to the taxidermist to the day they were received by my taxidermist in NZ was pretty much 6 and a bit months. Everything arrived in perfect condition.
Last year I had dry salted capes ( Buff, Kudu, Impala, Hyena, Civet, Bushbuck ) sent from Zimbabwe to NZ that took about 4 1/2 months. The same taxidermist here said they were the best capes he had ever received from Africa.
Possibly dry salted capes may last even longer than mine did if stored by folks who care and know how to properly store them.
My taxidermist did tell me that if stored too long it becomes difficult sometimes to rehydrate for the tanning process. Sorry, I can't remember how long that is.

Had a whitetail cape of mine sit salted for 5 years, sent to tannery, came back as good as the ones that just came in from new season. Heavy greasy skins such as boar can grease burn, best tan the sooner the better.

I'm glad you asked this.

I just picked up a 12' croc skin today that was salted in Zambia and has been in storage for 8 years. It is folded and stiff as s board, if I were to try and unfold it I am sure it would break.

Question for the taxidermists...does this sound like something that can be salvaged and tanned? I'm guessing it would need to be soaked in a water bath or something to rehydrate it so it can be unfolded and tanned.

I got a salted and dried elephant ear, from an animal I shot back in 2003. It is pretty stiff, but I think I could probably still get it tanned.

BH63

Send out to a tannery, never know if it good unless you try.

quote:

Originally posted by SquirrelNut:
I'm glad you asked this.

I just picked up a 12' croc skin today that was salted in Zambia and has been in storage for 8 years. It is folded and stiff as s board, if I were to try and unfold it I am sure it would break.

Question for the taxidermists...does this sound like something that can be salvaged and tanned? I'm guessing it would need to be soaked in a water bath or something to rehydrate it so it can be unfolded and tanned.

Salted hide that are free of moisture and kept dry will last longer than a tanned hide the key is dry and kept in low or no humidity meaning if you wrap in plastic be certain it is free of moisture

tanned hides will eventually dry rot unless it is kept oiled and dry, I had to deal with this when my tanned brown bear laid dormant at my taxidermist for a couple of years due to a serious illness. I was advised by other taxidermist as long as he hydrated the hide and froze it would last a long time. My taxidermist kept the hide refrigerated and did not tear when he finally stretched it for mounting.

I understand that you are talking about the quality required for further taxidermy work of sorts.
However, for interest, I have a blesbuck skin shot by my father in 1939 that was simply salted at the time and never tanned.
It is a very stiff (and always has been) but the hair is all present and really not too bad. I suspect museums have some that are a great deal older.

I had a borax treated skin of an unborn fawn for 20 years..it was dry as bone and I gave it to a taxidermist and he mounted it...I got the skin from a Mexican Federale for $5.00..he was the one who treated it. He told me the process which was the same as salt for the most part in that he cleaned the skin of all fat and meat which was very easy then sanded it with corse paper and rubbed lot of Borax into it and let it sit in the hot shade of the Sonora desert for 30 or 40 days, then brushed it clean..It was packed in a box of papers all the time I had it...Borax may be the best option?? Like to know more about the Borax treatment if any of you taxidermist know about it. I used it on a Mt. Lion hide and it kept for at least 3 or 4 years before I traded the hide for a rifle.