Hide Taxidermy
Hide Taxidermy
Tell me if my taxidermy/hunting question is correct. The details are below!!?
Is curing a hide using salt or borax to remove the moisture and tanning a hide the process that makes it not stiff like a board? Also if you are doing a squirrel mount which do you need to do? Can you leave the hide hard if you mount it well it is soft? Thanks
Salt is not a tanning method but rather a preserving method until the tanning process is started and completed. Salt is used to remove water from the hide. Moisture, combined with warmth is the environment in which bacteria thrives and it is this bacteria that begins the rotting process that destroys a hide. Be sure that when you salt a hide to use ONLY non-iodized table salt rather than iodized or rock salt. Rock salt is too coarse and iodized salt stains white hair a rusty red color. Borax is a natural; preservative that is often used for small game animals and for bird skins which are both relatively thin. There are commercial preservatives that are more suited to thicker skinned animals such as medium sized predators or the larger sized big game animals from the size of deer on up.
As for tanning, the actual tanning process only makes the hide into leather, but there are additional steps that are required, called "breaking" that make the leather soft. These hides are more the norm for fur garments than for mounted game animals.
(You can get a complete catalog of taxidermy supplies by calling 1-800-555-1212 and asking the information operator for the 1-800 number for RESEARCH MANNIKINS in Oregon or WILDLIFE ARTIST SUPPLY COMPANY in Georgia. Both of these companies will be able to supply you with any and ALL your tanning supplies and give you ample advice to decide which will be best suited to your immediate needs.
Tanning A Deer Hide At Home- Taxidermy
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