fur tanning a deer

[YoungPupNE]

I am at a point where I have more money than time, but just barely. :wink:   I am looking for a company that I can send my deer hide to and get back a fur tanned hide.  I've looked on the internet quite a bit and don't find a lot.  The current leader for my money is USA Foxx & Fur -- $39 + $19 s&h.  Also a guy named Jay there was very helpful on the phone.

Does anyone have a recommendation?  Thanks!

(I have worked with Uber Glove for years with getting back just leather w/o the hair and like them very well.  I also wear gloves and mittens they're made for me from my deer.  Uber doesn't do fur tanning.)

[JPSaxMan]

My local taxidermist sent out my deer hide to be tanned for $30. Then again that might have been b/c I was giving him the head of my buck to be mounted, but I believe him and I'm sure many others will send out furs and pelts to be tanned at around $30-$40.  

[redneckd1]

MAN! My local taxi guy charges $60 for a tanned hide and it 'can' take up to a year to get back. I never thought of having items made from my own deer hides does Uber glove have a website?
Thx,
R

[iiibbb]

What kind of preparation do you need to do before you give a hide to a taxidermist?

[YoungPupNE]

Uber can be found here:  http://www.uberglove.com

I typically fleshed out the hide (not really good) and salted it pretty well.  Then, I put it in a plastic bag in a cardboard box and UPS'ed it to them.  I am close enough, they get it in about 2 days.  This was done in mid-November, usually, right after shooting and skinning the deer.  In about April or May I got a postcard, sent them a check, and received the goods in the mail.  When I ordered gloves/mittens, they would send the left over leather scraps back with the finished goods.  I really like that I usually can see the bullet hole and remember the whole shooting sequence from the fall passed -- good memories!

I hope you enjoy working with them as much as I have.  Use the order blank from their website.

[dougk]

I have never had any gloves made from deer hide.   How well do they hold up?

Thanks, Doug

[JPSaxMan]

I got the hide to the taxidermy within a few days of the kill. However, conditions of the elements were cold which preserved the hide I'm sure. Prolly best to do the salt trick. Don't use table salt. Best stuff to use is ionized salt. Might have to shop around for it but I think it does a better job than table salt does.  

[YoungPupNE]

I wore a pair of deer hide gloves for "dress gloves" -- driving into the office, Sunday mornings to church, evening activities for about 4 years.  They wore as well as any other gloves I used that way, I think.  They are a soft, subtle leather and won't hold up nearly as well for bailing hay and fixing fence.

I prefer to use canning salt.  It is a larger grain of salt.  USA Foxx & Furs suggested contacting a local agricultural supply store to get salt from them; it should be easier to get in larger quantities and in the larger grain size.

For completely drying a hide before sending it in, you'll need quite a bit -- maybe more than 25 pounds.  This is because you salt it once and let the liquid build an be removed, then you salt it again and monitor it for the right dryness/stiffness.  If you're going to send it in to be fleshed, but are salting it to help preserve it during shipping, you can get by with half as much or less.

Good luck!