Deer Hide Tanning

Bucksdeermanager

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

I'm looking to have a few deer hides tanned. I'm based in Oxfordshire. Can anyone recommend anywhere to send them? If possible, some costs would be great too!!

Thanks

Tom
 
I think that the commercial companies that do sheepskins etc all send deer skins abroad to be done. Something about the method that's commonly used in the UK being too harsh for deer skins, because the hair breaks so easily.
 
A company in the small town where I live used to do mine, and a lovely job they were too. But they no longer do Deer, I guess due to the reason given by VSS above. Real shame.
 
I do sheepskins myself from time to time, and have also done goat, pony and plenty of rabbits. Not yet tried deer yet.
 
I Suggest you look on previous threads on here as there seem to be very few places in UK that will/have the skill to tan deer skins. Fortunately all the ones I had tanned were done at Moorlands, now sadly long gone.

D
 
Hi all,

I'm looking to have a few deer hides tanned. I'm based in Oxfordshire. Can anyone recommend anywhere to send them? If possible, some costs would be great too!!

Thanks

Tom

Speak to a taxidermist: they all have tanning contacts. Paul Taylor in Dorset is a good guy.
 
Hi Tom, Mike, yes I had a roe skin done in Buckfastliegh, cost about £35 and took about 5 months! H&S has killed it, all skins get sent to europe for batch processing which means they are hanging around too long, on top of which they mixed them in with calf, goat and sheep skins, some of which were rotten. As has been mentioned better off getting a k-tan kit and doing it yerself. Only one person to blame then
Next headshot deer is getting tanned!
The key is salting the fresh skin asap to stop any decomposition+hair from slipping. Good luck let us know how it goes.
P.s. Mike...great f.a.w.+f courseta.
 
last thing I heard was to have any assurances you'll literally have to hand-deliver to a trusty place (or two) in germany (not that we can really trust 'them' right?)...but anyhows...been around that block for a few reasons for a few years and on a number of occasions,,, and always came back to...DIY..which ultimately led me to ditch the projects as I just can't get into the DIY investment and process side of things..

tried it the easy way with skinning and scraping and so on, then boiling alder branches and what now like they've done in alaska for centuries,,but just never really worked out...
 
Some advise firstly if poss head or neck shot. Don't even think of getting a skin tanned any where close to moult time, end Feb might be a cut off for roe does. When you skin it out try and be very careful to remove all flesh and fat. Salt immediately after skinning and I then leave overnight then tip /brush of salt which will be wet and might be slushy and re salt. Then fold skin to skin. Dispatch to your tannery if you can find one. Not sure if its been mentioned but I think there may be one doing deer skins in the Scottish Isles . I use ordinary table salt. When I used to take them into Moorlands they would unpack and straight into the salting area, big wooden block and serious amount of salt went on skin worked into edges and leg area. All the ones I had done were very good and years later little hair loss.


D
 
A lot of UK taxidermists send their skins to Germany to be tanned. Gary Knight in Essex doesn't though and i really recommend his work.
 
I sent a sheep skin to skyeskyns recently, returned within a month and a beautiful job. They do deer as well. Generally provate tans are september to february, so if outside these times just properly salt it. Cost about 50 returned and not sent away but done on Skye. I sent mine in a feed bucket woth snap on lid.
 
There are 3-4 home tanning kits in Aus,they are great value if you are hands on. Here is on e mob.

 
There are 3-4 home tanning kits in Aus,they are great value if you are hands on. Here is on e mob.


There’s some kits here some made by snowdonia taxidermy supplies and are good value but not as good a result as sending them off. Depends on what you’re after.
 
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