On my return from Zim last December, in the airport in Bulawayo, I met the gentleman who runs the commercial tannery there. He had met with Vincent at Collets shortly after I was there. He told me he would be tanning my elephant panels as he does all Collets elephant work. His facility also does buffalo by the thousand, he said. I would assume most taxidermists send their elephants at least and possible buffalo to his place.
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Recommendations for elephant skin tanning
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Mtn_Infantry
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You could always book an elephant hunt and you’ll get some panels
cwickgo9
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True. currently on my "to do" list, which is way above my "can afford" list but I have a plan. In the mean time, part of filling my coffers to afford it, I can transform panels into sellable items - wallets, belts, slings, money clips, key fobs, passport covers, etc.
Mtn_Infantry
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I’ve seen leather panels for sale at some of the Taxidermy auctions, but they typically don’t go cheap. Is there an avg cost per sqft on elephant leather? Does it go up when talking big panels vs the smaller scrap sized stuff?
cwickgo9
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I've tried to find them to determine that exact thing. I would "hope" buying a panel is cheaper than buying by say the square foot. But honestly I've not found any panels on the auction sites in a while. If you see one/some - I'd love to know. I'll be down at the Waco leather show and I know there are some tanneries there that have pieces, but I've never talked to them about buying a whole panel as I simply wasnt up to the skilset, machinery or time to be able to use something that big. But I've attained that skill and machinery now so I'm looking to build rifle/pistol cases, folders, etc that require a much larger piece to cut from out of zebra, elephant and some others as I can get them reasonably. I've got pieces that I have made smaller items for members here, but no big pieces to make something larger.
Mtn_Infantry
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I’m speculating but I’d think it was the inverse. IMO a panel would bring more dollars than the sqft stuff since most of what I’ve seen is scrap left over from the bigger panel jobs. You get the big piece plus all the smaller scrap. It’d be interesting to see if one could supplement some of their elephant hunt costs with the leather.
cwickgo9
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Yeah - not sure. Its kind of both ways - there's only so many people that can use a large panel, much less afford it - so demand may be limited and the economies of "buying in bulk". Retailers selling cutoffs or pre-cuts have a pretty good mark up when selling pieces 12X12 or smaller.
Hombre
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I had Andy Hunter in Zimbabwe tan my hippo two years ago, fantastic leather. Made a carry on bag and two gun cases out of it. cwickgo9, I have a black elephant panel I might be willing to part with or partial trade? I will be needing a knife scabbard made out of my hippo.
cwickgo9
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I can do that - PM sent
spotnspook
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Stupid question here but I didn’t realize the leather was sellable? Asking because I am elephant hunting this month and had planned to save some skin to have a few things made for myself and to give to family within budgeting reason. Should I consider keeping more or all of the usable skin? Planned to have it tanned and maybe finished in Zim since I’ll already be eventually crating the tusks home if I’m successful.
Mtn_Infantry
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This is a VERY VERY VERY fine line. Cites animals and parts can only be sold within certain states and only to residents of that state. Doing so to finance part of the hunt or make money may blur the line of sport hunting and commercial hunting.
spotnspook
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Yeah that’s what I thought. I didn’t realize it was as sought after as some have implied in the thread. Thanks. Think I’ll just stick with my original plan and not balloon my budget up anymore.
Mtn_Infantry
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Unless you plan on hunting multiple elephants, you can never have too much leather. You can always find something to do with it from furniture/upholstery, boots/shoes, gun cases, bags, wallets/purses, briefcases/notebooks, even canvas for paintings. One of my favorite things is a tanned/painted ear. @VertigoBE framed the tanned soles of his bulls feet and it looks really cool.
spotnspook
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I plan on doing a painted ear, front feet stools, the tusks, and a few leather goods. I assume the panels are the whole mid section sides from the center of the back and down? A whole panel is pretty huge isn’t it? Any estimate of tanning cost if I kept both panels?
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Hombre
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I had my landcruiser seats upholstered in brown elephant. Upholstery shop in Houston said he could make anything in a boastful way. When I went to pick them up, he said, "Never bring me another piece of elephant". He said he burned up a sewing machine trying to finish those seats. LOL Dang, they were nice.
cwickgo9
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I bet!
Huntforever
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What will you do with the tusk?
Huntforever
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I really like this and seriously thinking about doing the same thing. Mind me asking who did it and any special instructions on preparation?
This was done by Collett’s in Bulawayo.
As far as I know this is the first of its kind. The main thing will be the instructions to the skinners, as they will not have done this before, they do not understand. Which is why mine are not quite how I would have wanted them. I basically wanted to take from each foot a circle cut around the foot perpendicular to the sole, at the height of the top of the nails. For mine they cut too low towards the sole, at the back. But it still looks good nevertheless.
For Collett’s, instructions were to build a box frame that can take a piece of glass in the front. Backed by a neutral canvas cover. And then they had to fabricate some kind of stumps to mount the soles over.
Finally putting my recovered bullet in the middle, with a plaque in bronze below, stating date, age and (rough) location of the shot, and the names of both PH’s and myself.
As far as I know this is the first of its kind. The main thing will be the instructions to the skinners, as they will not have done this before, they do not understand. Which is why mine are not quite how I would have wanted them. I basically wanted to take from each foot a circle cut around the foot perpendicular to the sole, at the height of the top of the nails. For mine they cut too low towards the sole, at the back. But it still looks good nevertheless.
For Collett’s, instructions were to build a box frame that can take a piece of glass in the front. Backed by a neutral canvas cover. And then they had to fabricate some kind of stumps to mount the soles over.
Finally putting my recovered bullet in the middle, with a plaque in bronze below, stating date, age and (rough) location of the shot, and the names of both PH’s and myself.
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Andrew NOLA wrote on Huntforever's profile.
Lbarr might be a scammer
it appears he sold the same brass to me and another member
it appears he sold the same brass to me and another member
30-06Ken wrote on ftothfadd's profile.
I'll take the Vortex scope cover you have listed in the Pay it Forward thread.
Ken [redacted]
Ken [redacted]
