those are expensive
are they really that labor intensive to do?
It is labor and materials. Yeah there is a lot of work to a Bear Rug. It is hard to do a 100% accurate break down of suplies and materials because each Bear varies.
In a nut shell these are the material costs for a 6' Black Bear.
* Tanning @ $28 per L/F = $168.00
* Shipping to Tannery (ship multiple hides@one time) and for Supplies (large order) = $20 - $25
* Head Form w/ Jaw set (price has gone up) = $157.75
* Eyes = $8.50
* Badding (2 yards @ 6.99 per yard) = $13.98
* Backing (2 yards @ 7.99 per yard) = $15.98
* Felt (2 yards @ 4.99 per yard) = $ 9.98
* D-Rings (5 @ $.35 each) = $1.75
* Adhesive = $14.99
* Miscellaneous ( Bondo, Clay, Glues and Hide Pastes, Thread, Paint, Epoxy, Screws) $25
TOTAL = $435.93That's $435.93 for supplies and we haven't even touched yet on Labor. These can only be approximate times because again each Bear varies.
* Splitting and Fleshing (2 Hours)
* Salting 2 x (45 minutes)
* Head Assembly (1 hour)
* Install Rug Shell ( 2 - 3 hours)
* Stretching the skin and sewing up bullet holes (2.5 hours)
* Rug work including sewing on felt, installing batting, and hand sewing the backing (8 hours)
* Finnish Work (1 hour)
That is 17.25 hours of Labor @ a shop rate of $35 per hours = $603.75.I should be charging $1039.68 for a 6' Bear Rug. In 2011 I am $165 per L/F that's $990 for a 6' Black Bear Rug.
Shop rates ($35 per hour) are based on my Hourly Wage, Shop Utilities (Electricity, Water, etc), Purchase of tools and equipment, etc.
Keep in mind that those prices are based on if everything goes right.
If someone brings in a Bear that is not skinned out correctly, shot in the face, exit wounds I can put my fist through, knife cuts all over the Bear, and I have to make unnecessary repairs than I charge $35 per hour to make those repairs. Most of the time if I can make the repairs needed within 45 minutes I don't charge. Anything over that I have to charge.
Here is an example of a Bear cut wrong for a Rug. This is pretty extream though.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,28803.0.html