Pelt Tanning

[UrbanTrapper]

  I've seen several people on here asking about where to get pelts tanned.  I just got these otter pelts back from Moyle Mink and I'm very pleased with the result.  I specified that I wanted them garment tanned.  Now I will ask Harts Lake Trading Post to make me an otter fur Russian hat! My wife wants an otter fur vest. 

  I'm going to try to home tan a beaver pelt this year.  Even if it comes out with stiffer leather it will still be good for a willow-hooped cabin wall hanging and maybe pillows for the couch but I'll have to learn to sew.  Might be able to sell these too. 

[JakeLand]

Looks great ! I'm sending all mine to moyles

[ouchfoss]

Looks great ! I'm sending all mine to moyles

Same here.
When did you send those to Moyle's? Curious about their turnaround time.

[bear hunter]

 

[Machias]

Their turnaround time right now is 7 to 8 months.  Normally it's 3.5 to 4 months but since fur prices are so low, everyone is sending them furs, they are swamped.  But IMHO it is worth the wait.

[jasnt]

Look great.  Otter hat would be warm

[Kit Carson]

Nice! 

[wags]

Otter make great hats imo. Here's a picture of a Yupik style one I made last week.
The pictures could be better, but you'll get the idea.

[JakeLand]

Otter make great hats imo. Here's a picture of a Yupik style one I made last week.
The pictures could be better, but you'll get the idea.

 That's awesome post one of the beaver hat

[jackelope]

Otter make great hats imo. Here's a picture of a Yupik style one I made last week.
The pictures could be better, but you'll get the idea.

What is that hat worth?
That thing is sweet.

[Woodchuck]

 

[wags]

What is that hat worth?
That thing is sweet.
[/quote]
I'm trying to figure that out. I might start making them. It's been suggested that I should charge somewhere between $75 and $100 to make them out of other peoples tanned skins, and maybe $225-$240 retail out of my skins.
Any ideas?

[JDHasty]

Back in the 1980's or so I had Harts Lake Furrier make a baseball length jacket for me out of some really nice silver color coyote hides I had taken in Montana.  These babies had four inches of fur on them and were prime pelts.  I waited and waited and paid a pretty penny for it and finally went to pick it up and...  I looked like a Q-Tip in that damnable thousand dollar jacket, either that or a pimp.

Anyway I did wear it a few times and low and behold I ran into a guy at a Tacoma Rockets hockey game who just had to have it.  Russian or Ukrainian or some such eastern European like Hungarian or something like that.  Anyway the long and short of it was that I actually turned a pretty profit on it.     

[Kit Carson]

Wags,

$75-$100 seems fair (providing ones own fur).
I'd pay that

[Humptulips]

That seems low to me. So, does it take about one otter? value of the otter plus the dressing even at todays low prices you still are going to have $70 in materials. That only leaves you $30 for your labor. Not enough IMO.