quote:

Originally posted by sculptor:
Moyle Mink tannery and all other reputable tanneries will NOT accept tanning directly from clients that do not operate a taxidermy or fur business. Most taxidermists double the tannery wholesale prices as S.O.P. They usually have to flesh, salt, box and ship the skins and count on a percentage of clients never picking up the finished product or being very slow payers and the general cost of doing business expenses also figured in. This is all figured into the RETAIL price. A QUALITY cape buffalo mount takes twice as long to complete, costs more to mount and requires more skill and knowledge of taxidermy than a American Bison mount. Your taxidermist quoted you honest and fair business prices for professional journeyman work.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by sculptor:
Moyle Mink tannery and all other reputable tanneries will NOT accept tanning directly from clients that do not operate a taxidermy or fur business. Most taxidermists double the tannery wholesale prices as S.O.P. They usually have to flesh, salt, box and ship the skins and count on a percentage of clients never picking up the finished product or being very slow payers and the general cost of doing business expenses also figured in. This is all figured into the RETAIL price. A QUALITY cape buffalo mount takes twice as long to complete, costs more to mount and requires more skill and knowledge of taxidermy than a American Bison mount. Your taxidermist quoted you honest and fair business prices for professional journeyman work.

I don't know anything about taxidermy.

Why does it take twice as long and require more skill and knowledge to mount a cape over a bison?

quote:

Originally posted by sculptor:

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:

quote:

Originally posted by sculptor:
Moyle Mink tannery and all other reputable tanneries will NOT accept tanning directly from clients that do not operate a taxidermy or fur business. Most taxidermists double the tannery wholesale prices as S.O.P. They usually have to flesh, salt, box and ship the skins and count on a percentage of clients never picking up the finished product or being very slow payers and the general cost of doing business expenses also figured in. This is all figured into the RETAIL price. A QUALITY cape buffalo mount takes twice as long to complete, costs more to mount and requires more skill and knowledge of taxidermy than a American Bison mount. Your taxidermist quoted you honest and fair business prices for professional journeyman work.

I don't know anything about taxidermy.

Why does it take twice as long and require more skill and knowledge to mount a cape over a bison?

Lots of reasons. One is the hair difference. Cape buffalo mounts most often have to be painted entirely because of little or no hair and the tanned skins come out colorless. The stiches for a cape buffalo mount have to be tiny and the form has to fit perfectly with the skin, if it does not drumming will occur. The natural wrinkles on a cape buffalo mount have to be restored to look natural. The horn bosses have to be rebuilt and painted and the ears on cape buffalo are large and tend to be tatered and split requiring custom liner fitting. All the stitches have to be seam covered and blended to the skin so as to disapear on a cape buffalo mount. None of these challanges and more exist for a bison mount. Mr. Moyle told me in person just two weeks ago while visiting my studio that they do not accept retail taxidermy tanning except from professional taxidermists but they do accept retail fur dressing tanning IF the client at least has a trappers lic. Thier work on flat tanning of North American game and fur is excellent. I know that Moyle does not tan African skins or capes. Moyle is working hard to overcome past problems with taxidermy tanning and now seems to have solved all the issues. For quite some time now I have used either Golden State tannery or Carolina Fur Dressing for all African tanning and both do great work. This is my 40th year full time as a taxidermist! Yikes.