Hide tanning update......

bswiv · June 4, 2009, 09:00 PM

Here is the promised update on the hog hide and how it turned out. Took one my brother in law shot last season..........this one........................

and skinned it carefully, no knife holes. Also skinned the head, leaving the ears on too. Did not remove the shield and also left a few tags of meat and fat on it. Salted it down and stored it in the cooler for a while while I decided if I really wanted to mess with it.

Ended up Sending it to Size Doesn't Matter Tannery here in Fl. Asked them to do it hair on and to get it soft.

Got it back today. Now I am no expert on hide tanning but I do have two other hog hides here, done by two different tanneries to compare the new one to. They are both hair on. Also have deer, coon, aligator, nutria, possum, skunk, coyote, jackrabbit, badger and muskrat hides.

One of the old hog hides is what I would rate as only just passable, it has issues. The other one is very nice.

I would rate the one that came back today as not quite as good as the very nice one but way better than the other. They did a good job removing the shield, which I know to be a real pain. And they got the hair to set very securily, something I understand can be dificult on hogs.

And with the exception of the buckshot holes my brother in law put in it there are no new holes from where they worked on it. And considering the shield removal and the cleaning up of what I left on that's a good point.

They also finished splitting the tail all the way out, something that even on the very good hide was not done. A nice touch.

On the down side, and mind you as this is going to end up like the others, put under a glass table or hung behind something as a backdrop, this in not a big issue for me, but it is not as soft as the really good hide. But again it is much more so than the not so good one.

All in all I would rate it a better than average job on a hide that is much harder to do than something like a deer.

You'll get a second update on their work in the not to distand future. A friend in Boston sent them a cow hide (Long story, and yes he shot it and yes it was legal. ) to do up. As soon as he gets that back I'll give you a report on what he has to say.

FrontSight · June 5, 2009, 12:17 PM

Thanks for the writeup, I always look forward to your posts!

simonkenton · June 7, 2009, 06:27 PM

Thanks for that report!
Always good to know about a good tannery.

VaFisher · June 8, 2009, 06:26 AM

Thanks for the update, very informative.

FrontSight · June 8, 2009, 09:35 AM

Can you post a pic of how the finished hide looks?

hogdogs · June 8, 2009, 09:41 AM

Thanx, scrap... I didn't want to be the first picture whore to ask! I been waiting for "we need pics" post...
Brent

bswiv · June 8, 2009, 07:52 PM

Will post pictures as soon as we finish catching snook, trout and reds down here on the grass flats behind Captiva Island.......... Yep, vacation.....and yes Louann is well aquainted with a fishing rod too.............

FrontSight · July 9, 2009, 07:25 AM

Not to sound like a broken record, but any pics available yet?

June 4, 2009, 09:00 PM	#1
bswiv Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: NE FL....... Posts: 1,081	Hide tanning update...... Here is the promised update on the hog hide and how it turned out. Took one my brother in law shot last season..........this one........................ and skinned it carefully, no knife holes. Also skinned the head, leaving the ears on too. Did not remove the shield and also left a few tags of meat and fat on it. Salted it down and stored it in the cooler for a while while I decided if I really wanted to mess with it. Ended up Sending it to Size Doesn't Matter Tannery here in Fl. Asked them to do it hair on and to get it soft. Got it back today. Now I am no expert on hide tanning but I do have two other hog hides here, done by two different tanneries to compare the new one to. They are both hair on. Also have deer, coon, aligator, nutria, possum, skunk, coyote, jackrabbit, badger and muskrat hides. One of the old hog hides is what I would rate as only just passable, it has issues. The other one is very nice. I would rate the one that came back today as not quite as good as the very nice one but way better than the other. They did a good job removing the shield, which I know to be a real pain. And they got the hair to set very securily, something I understand can be dificult on hogs. And with the exception of the buckshot holes my brother in law put in it there are no new holes from where they worked on it. And considering the shield removal and the cleaning up of what I left on that's a good point. They also finished splitting the tail all the way out, something that even on the very good hide was not done. A nice touch. On the down side, and mind you as this is going to end up like the others, put under a glass table or hung behind something as a backdrop, this in not a big issue for me, but it is not as soft as the really good hide. But again it is much more so than the not so good one. All in all I would rate it a better than average job on a hide that is much harder to do than something like a deer. You'll get a second update on their work in the not to distand future. A friend in Boston sent them a cow hide (Long story, and yes he shot it and yes it was legal. ) to do up. As soon as he gets that back I'll give you a report on what he has to say.

June 5, 2009, 12:17 PM	#2
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	Thanks for the writeup, I always look forward to your posts! __________________ To kill something as great as a duck just to smell the gunpowder is a crime against nature. - Alan Liere Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. - George Bernard Shaw

June 8, 2009, 09:35 AM	#5
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	Can you post a pic of how the finished hide looks? __________________ To kill something as great as a duck just to smell the gunpowder is a crime against nature. - Alan Liere Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. - George Bernard Shaw

July 9, 2009, 07:25 AM	#8
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	Not to sound like a broken record, but any pics available yet? __________________ To kill something as great as a duck just to smell the gunpowder is a crime against nature. - Alan Liere Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. - George Bernard Shaw

June 7, 2009, 06:27 PM	#3
simonkenton Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2008 Posts: 891	Thanks for that report! Always good to know about a good tannery.

June 8, 2009, 06:26 AM	#4
VaFisher Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2006 Posts: 596	Thanks for the update, very informative.

June 8, 2009, 09:41 AM	#6
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Thanx, scrap... I didn't want to be the first picture whore to ask! I been waiting for "we need pics" post... Brent

June 8, 2009, 07:52 PM	#7
bswiv Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: NE FL....... Posts: 1,081	Will post pictures as soon as we finish catching snook, trout and reds down here on the grass flats behind Captiva Island.......... Yep, vacation.....and yes Louann is well aquainted with a fishing rod too.............