The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Taxidermy Handling backskins...Axis deerGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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I'd like to start collecting a few Axis Deer backskins from my hunts and hang them on my walls and/or drape them over the sofas as I find them so pretty  I'll be doing my own euro mounts but do want to display a few backskins... How do I handle these skins properly? Wash, then apply Borax, then dry? Any help would be greatly appreciated  | ||
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My experience is limited to whitetail backskins, with which I've experimented for years trying to do a good home tan. For sure borax will produce a nine-square-foot potato chip...dry, crispy and unattractive. I've also tried a couple of the home-tanning kits, all of which promise a smooth, supple, soft piece of leather but which in my experience result in a stale potato chip, i.e. not as crispy as a fresh one, but far from supple. The closest I've come to the results I wanted was when I did the required kneading, stretching, pulling, tugging and working of the skin after tanning. This gave me a nice soft pelt but WOW...that was a LOT of work! I won't be doing that again anytime soon. I'd still love to know if there's an easier way, and I hope someone chimes in with it. I don't know the answer to your question, but I'm pretty sure that borax isn't it. Good luck with whatever you try. John | |||
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I appreciate the comments John  I'll wait...and see if I get some help here | |||
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Sending the skins to a commercial tannery is the best way to get them in the condition you desire for wall hangers and display throws. Home tanning, as John stated, will not leave the skins in a soft, supple state when completed unless you spend many man hours of "breaking" the leather fiber which still will not give you the end result a commercial tannery can give you. Skins that size would be very inexpensive to commercially tan. Kind regards, Mary Taxidermist/Rugmaker | |||
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Do yourself a favor, and send them to Mary. She does first class work! W. | |||
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Thank you Mary for your advice PM sent! | |||
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I second what Mary is telling you Roland. If you take a really nice hide (try for a high neck or head shot), skin it out, remove all fat and meat and salt well. You'll need to let fluids drain and keep it in a cool, dry place. Next day, brush off the salt, reapply and drain another 24 hrs. Get it to a taxidermist IF there is a tannery on the island. If not, you may have to send some dry, salted hides to the States. You'll only need tanning unless you get an exceptional one good enough to rug. Mary's your gal for that. She does high grade professional work that will last a lifetime. Regards, David Gray Ghost Hunting Safaris http://grayghostsafaris.com Phone: 615-860-4333 Email: hunts@grayghostsafaris.com NRA Benefactor DSC Professional Member SCI Member RMEF Life Member NWTF Guardian Life Sponsor NAHC Life Member Rowland Ward - SCI Scorer Took the wife the Eastern Cape for her first hunt: http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6881000262 Hunting in the Stormberg, Winterberg and Hankey Mountains of the Eastern Cape 2018 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/4801073142 Hunting the Eastern Cape, RSA May 22nd - June 15th 2007 http://forums.accuratereloadin...=810104007#810104007 16 Days in Zimbabwe: Leopard, plains game, fowl and more: http://forums.accuratereloadin...=212108409#212108409 Natal: Rhino, Croc, Nyala, Bushbuck and more http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6341092311 Recent hunt in the Eastern Cape, August 2010: Pics added http://forums.accuratereloadin...261039941#9261039941 10 days in the Stormberg Mountains http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/7781081322 Back in the Stormberg Mountains with friends: May-June 2017 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/6001078232 "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading" - Thomas Jefferson Every morning the Zebra wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest Lion if it wants to stay alive. Every morning the Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest Zebra or it will starve. It makes no difference if you are a Zebra or a Lion; when the Sun comes up in Africa, you must wake up running...... "If you're being chased by a Lion, you don't have to be faster than the Lion, you just have to be faster than the person next to you." | |||
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David, Thank you my friend! And that's the problem I was facing...NO TANNERY here in the islands so I have to consider shipping it out based on the comments I've received here!  I PM'd Mary as I know she does great work as shown here for many years...I know if I go with her it will be a fantastic product! Aloha! Roland | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Taxidermy Handling backskins...Axis deer
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