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Don't throw away that deer skin

allen griggs
Get it tanned! These guys do great work. I just got two hides back, total cost $50 including shipping. How they do it that cheaply, I don't know. This is tanned with the fur on.
I sent the hides in around Christmas, got them back Sept. 12. The tanned hides are just beautiful.
Several years back, I got four big hides tanned by these guys. I sewed them together with a little hand leather stitching awl, and made a blanket. That thing is beautiful, and really warm. Made a great present for my girlfriend.
I have gotten 16 hides tanned by these guys over the past 12 years.

Sebring Custom Tanning
429 Webster Turn Dr.
Sebring, Florida 33870
863-655-1600

To prepare your deerskin:
You don't do much prep. Cut off only the big chunks of fat or meat. Thin layers of fat and meat, leave alone! DO NOT try to scrape the hide down, Sebring Custom Tanning will do that with special draw knives. If you try to scrape the hide down you will probably damage it. If you spend more than five minutes cleaning the hide, you have spent too much time.
Get one or two of the two pound cardboard/plastic cans of table salt.
Salt every square inch of the flesh side. You cannot use too much salt.
A bunch of cruddy liquid will ooze from the skin. You need to set the skin where it can drain. A good trick would be to lay a 55 gallon drum on its side. Lay the hide on that, fur side down.
Or, you can lay the hide, fur side down on a table, and set a shoebox under the middle of the hide. Fix it up so that the fluid can drain off.
For God's sake put some plastic down, maybe a kiddie wading pool, under that hide to catch the nasty fluid that drains off.
Put the hide in the shade, direct sunlight is bad for it. You want it to slowly cure and dry. A garage or a shed are good places to cure the hide.
Watch out that the coons or dogs don't get it!
On the second day, re-salt the hide. There will be places where the salt has washed off. Don't be shy with the salt.
Re salt on the third day.
This process will take from 3 to 7 days.
DO NOT let the hide dry out. Check the hide a couple of times a day. When the hide has quit dripping fluid, but is still moist, it is ready for shipping.
If the hide is completely dry, and you fold it, it will crack and damage the hide.
If the hide should dry all the way out, just get a spray bottle and mist it down until it is nice and damp again.
Fold the hide, flesh side against flesh side, so that only the fur side is visible. Then roll up the hide. Pack it up real good and ship it to Florida.
If I figure I will get several hides during the season, I salt cure the first hide, put it in a plastic bag, and stick it in the freezer. Then at the end of the season I send in all the hides together.
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Comments

28 comments

Date Votes
  • non mortuus
    would you happen to have any pictures of the finished hides??
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  • Jacob2008
    quote:Originally posted by non mortuus
    would you happen to have any pictures of the finished hides??
    Beat me to it!
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  • tccox
    Allen, thanks so much for this info! I usually have access to 10-20 hides a year but I always manage to let them ruin. I am too lazy to try and process one myself.
    My buddies kill enough here to cover a house. I just may send several to this guy to have tanned. Tom
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  • tccox
    NONMORTUS: do a search on gunbroker for "remote girl". That will give you a pretty good example of what a well tanned hide will look like! Tom
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  • tccox
    ALLEN G, did it take 9 months to get them back or am I reading your post wrong?? Thanks, Tom
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  • Jacob2008
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    ALLEN G, did it take 9 months to get them back or am I reading your post wrong?? Thanks, Tom
    I read it the same, but at that price, im sure they're backed up!

    edited for TCCOX
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  • tccox
    JACOB, I'm playing english police today. that should have been "they're" backed up. This is one of my pet peeves. Their, the're and there are probably the most misused words in th english language today.
    I'm going over the're to get there stuff and take it over their. T
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  • Jacob2008
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    JACOB, I'm playing english police today. that should have been "they're" backed up. This is one of my pet peeves. Their, the're and there are probably the most misused words in th english language today.
    I'm going over the're to get there stuff and take it over their. T


    Meh. I didn't read over it, first.. or I probably would have caught it.. I get busted around ALOT by my brother - he is a Journalist with a minor in English or something to that effect... and his Girlfriend is going for English Teacher.. Whatever it is, it takes a LONG time for hers..
    Either way, sorry. [:)]
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  • tccox
    JACOB, I feel so sorry for you!! You may have to learn to speak the english language. Tom
    ps
    Too, to, and two are also pet peeves, but not as bad as there, the'ir and there.t
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  • Jacob2008
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    JACOB, I feel so sorry for you!! You may have to learn to speak the english language. Tom
    ps
    Too, to, and two are also pet peeves, but not as bad as there, the'ir and there.t


    Hah! I'm also taking a Spanish class.
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  • iluvguns
    I bought one of those kits at Gander Mountain to cure your own. Did two last year and they turned out great. Will try to get some pics up later. But for $50 for two, that is pretty cheap. Might have to use them for my hides this year! Thanks for the addy!
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  • tccox
    JACOB :Mississippi, I just heard(herd) has the fastest growing hispanic population in the us. I suppose I should be studying spanish also.

    PS not many miles from here is Vardamin MS which is the sweet potato capital of the world. The mexicans are comming here in droves to work the potato fields. Couple of years ago I went into local resurant and menu was in english, now the menu is in spanish. Did not order, went on down to next town which is Bruce.
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  • Jacob2008
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    JACOB :Mississippi, I just heard(herd) has the fastest growing hispanic population in the us. I suppose I should be studying spanish also.

    PS not many miles from here is Vardamin MS which is the sweet potato capital of the world. The mexicans are comming here in droves to work the potato fields. Couple of years ago I went into local resurant and menu was in english, now the menu is in spanish. Did not order, went on down to next town which is Bruce.


    There are stores around here that have signs on the doors that have English, and spanish, guess whats at the top.. SPANISH!

    You've got to be kidding me.
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  • allen griggs
    Yes it does take nine months to get the hides back.

    I knew y'all would ask for pics. I will now try to accomplish this, never have posted my own pics before. God please be with me.
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  • shoff14
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    ALLEN G, did it take 9 months to get them back or am I reading your post wrong?? Thanks, Tom


    This is actually the reason some taxidermist take so long. It always takes a while to get the hide tanned and back. I saw it on dirty jobs, and I can understand why it takes so long. It is a nasty job to do and I don't think to many people do it now a days.
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  • allen griggs
    OK, I took the photos. The deerskins are beautiful, and the photos are great, the hides setting out on the autumn leaves.
    I have the little cable, I hooked the camera to the computer, I can't get the photos to transfer on to the computer.
    I have Windows 2000.
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  • Jacob2008
    quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
    OK, I took the photos. The deerskins are beautiful, and the photos are great, the hides setting out on the autumn leaves.
    I have the little cable, I hooked the camera to the computer, I can't get the photos to transfer on to the computer.
    I have Windows 2000.
    uh


    do you have the program to transfer them?
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  • allen griggs
    I have this disc, it looks like a CD [as you can tell, I am a computer dumb ass].
    It is called Picture Project.
    It says to install it into the CD ROM drive.
    I don't know what that is.
    There is a little shelf that pops out, that is in the front of my computer, that the Picture Project will fit into. Is that the CD ROM drive? I put it in there, nothing.
    Directions etc. are supposed to pop up onto the screen, but, nothing happens.
    When I tried this I had the computer turned on, but was not dialed onto the internet.
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  • allen griggs
    I can't figure how to post these photos online, but any of y'all who want to email me your snailmail address, I will mail you some photos, as long as my printer is still working ok, I haven't used it in a couple months but I think it will still make a few good prints.
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  • non mortuus
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    NONMORTUS: do a search on gunbroker for "remote girl". That will give you a pretty good example of what a well tanned hide will look like! Tom

    Is remote girl someone from this 'Sebring Custom Tanning' place??

    I wasn't really looking for pictures of any given hide, but rather the specific hides meantioned from the place being promoted... I'm not greatly familuar with hide n fur but wanted to see what allen griggs calls great work [;)]
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  • Kimbercolt
    I have done a few, its pretty time consuming, but its worth it
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  • Flyin_Paulie
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    JACOB :Mississippi, I just heard(herd) has the fastest growing hispanic population in the us. I suppose I should be studying spanish also.

    PS not many miles from here is Vardamin MS which is the sweet potato capital of the world. The mexicans are comming coming here in droves to work the potato fields. Couple of years ago I went into local resurant restaurant and menu was in english, now the menu is in spanishSpanish. Did not order, went on down to next town which is Bruce.
    JACOB, I'm playing english English police today. that should have been "they're" backed up. This is one of my pet peeves. Their, the're and there are probably the most misused words in th englishEnglish language today.
    I'm going over the're to get there stuff and take it over their. T

    Well, Mr. English policeman, I couldn't resist correcting you.[:D]
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  • callktulu
    I'm still waiting on those pictures!![8D]
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  • flyingtorpedo
    No need to pay someone to do it, brain tan it yourself[:D][:D]
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  • A J Christ
    Will they do fox hides? Got a family of them hanging around, see them about every day, will have rifle in hand one day when I see them, don't want to waste the hide. Little beggars spread rabies, been eating my chickens and geese when they can. On the other hand, they do help keep the rabbit and squirrels population under control.
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  • callktulu
    PICTURES!!!!!
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  • allen griggs
    Sorry, callktulu. I just can't post photos from my camera. I spent three hours trying. Four days after I quit trying, the photos did pop up on my Photobucket account! But, only the top half of the picture appeared! I don't know how that happened. And, while I had that disc program running on my computer, to upload photos from the camera, my computer was bogged down big time. It was running at about half speed. When I deleted that disc photo program, I was back up to full speed.
    I can take photos online and post them, and I can take prints to the library, digitalize them, email them to my Yahoo mail account, and then post them. But photos from my own camera, no can do.
    Nevertheless, I did make this offer, see above:

    quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
    I can't figure how to post these photos online, but any of y'all who want to email me your snailmail address, I will mail you some photos, as long as my printer is still working ok, I haven't used it in a couple months but I think it will still make a few good prints.



    That was three months ago. I was willing to spend the 29 cents per shot, and the 42 cents per stamp, and the trip to the post office. Nobody took me up on it.
    Now, the deal is off. I had bought one of those 100 packs of paper and ink from Best Buy, I have that little printer, about the size of a toaster. Really makes great prints. Well, I tried to make some prints just yesterday, no dice. The ink cartridge has gone bad, I only had used about 25 of the photos. I read the directions, the cartridge is only good for 6 months. I bought that cartridge about 8 months ago. So, ya should have taken me up on my snailmail offer three months ago, the cartridge was still good then. I am not going to buy another one just now.
    Anyway, callktulu, the guys on the forum who know me know I am an honest man. Take it from me, these guys do great work. As my girlfriend said, "The fur is so beautiful it looks like the deer is still wearing it."
    Give sebring custom tanning a try, all you have to lose is a ten buck shipping fee, and 60 cents worth of salt.
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  • callktulu
    Sorry, Allen, I must have missed that post with your offer. Had I seen it at the time, I would have coughed up the money. No worries, I do plan to use the company when I get the chance!

    Thanks for all the good info![8D]
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