The belt is such an attention-grabber that quite a few people have elected to tan their Beltie hides. Andy LeMaistre in Maine has a beautifully tanned sleigh robe, soft and supple. It has been used in Beltie booth exhibits where visitors are unable to resist petting the soft, wavy fur. Dr. A.R.C. Butson in Canada elected to have his tanned Beltie hides fashioned into vests by a coat-maker.
 
Diane Mohn in Texas turned her tanned hide into a wall hanging. She relates, “Our Beltie hide hangs in the office next to Homer’s shop and barn. The reason it’s on the wall instead of the floor is because it’s so stiff. We gave it to a taxidermist who sent it to a tanner in South Texas. It took about 8 months or more to come back. The cost was right at $350.
 
“This animal weighed about 1300 lbs. when butchered. The hair is very lovely. It’s soft, shiny and clean. But the edges of the hide are buckled up a bit and hard. We tried using it as a rug, but people would trip on the bumped-up parts. We decided it was a hazard, and put it on the wall. I think that you must make it very clear to the tanner that you want the hide tanned until it is glove-soft. Butter-soft, actually. If we were to try and fold ours it might crack in two, it’s so stiff. But it does look great on the wall.”

Donna Brooks in Kentucky tackled tanning as a do-it-yourself project. She relates, “I’ve tanned several Beltie hides. It is a lot of work! The fleshing is long and hard but we found it easier when we used an electric hand grinder with one of those little black discs that auto body shops use on cars. I used a chemical tan obtained from Knobloch’s in Lafayette, CO [(303) 666-9045] which worked great. But I was never able to make the larger hides soft enough to use as throws.

“I first soaked the hide in salt water, then hung it to drain off excess water (it is soooooo heavy!). I draped it over a landscaping tie and used the hand grinder to flesh the inside. I learned that thinning the hide too much does not make it softer, but more brittle. After fleshing I soaked in Bascal’s to remove proteins, then drained again and spread with tanning oil #1. 

“After I had tanned the hides I put them into the dryer with old tennis shoes and rubber balls for hours and hours. They came out wonderfully soft like a blanket, but after cooling they were so hard you could use them as Frisbees.

“I tried Lanolin and Neatsfoot Oil. No luck. The only thing that worked to soften was hours of working the hide with my hands, hard to do on a full-sized hide. We skinned and tanned a stillborn calf’s hide once. Because it was so small I was able to work the hide with my hands until it was really nice and soft.
 
“Stiff or soft, they are beautiful. I use one as a seat cover in my truck, and the smallest, softest one is a throw over my office chair. All are conversation pieces.”

Marlin Sherbine in Pennsylvania recounts tanning success but marketing disappointment: “In the mid-1990s we had four hides tanned (two with natural winter coats, one with natural summer coat, and one show steer with clipped coat), all from 1200-lb. steers. Two were done by a major tanner in Philadelphia and two by a tanner in California. Locals are geared to deer and elk hides with their tumblers limited to a max of 90 pounds. Our 110-lb.+ hides (after we scraped flesh, salted, and air dried) were just too bulky and heavy.

“The end products are beautiful -- full, finished hides weigh about 25-35 pounds, do not shed ANY hair, and are about 6 by 7 feet in size. The cost at that time was in the $450 range. We still have three of them, but how many wall hangings, bench covers and so on does one family need?

“We took one to several shows where it was touched by many, loved by all, but no buyers met the asking price of $500. Two were on display as consignment to a local upscale home furnishings store which decorates over 2,000 resort units. No takers at $600. They were offered as lap robes at a ski resort with sleigh rides, but were deemed too heavy, too bulky, too hard to fold for storage. Another no sale.

“Our hides have stayed very soft and pliable. I have not explored cutting and processing for coats, gloves, etc. Whichever kid has fallen out of favor when my final will is written will probably become the proud owner of our three remaining Beltie hides.”

Greg and Chris Stuart of Australia’s Galloway Cattle and Beef Marketing Association say, “Our main business is direct marketing of packaged Galloway beef. As a value adding exercise that began during Australia’s recent 5-year drought, we started marketing full winter coat tanned skins. We pick up the skins on day of slaughter, spread them flat and salt them for a week. Then we remove most of the salt, package them in plastic bags and then in a rigid sealed plastic box and send them by courier to a tannery 400 miles away. They come back by post in about 3 months. Cost is about Aus$350 per skin, which we sell for Aus$600 to $800. Beltie skins are the dearest because they’re more popular.

We also use the skins as a marketing tool for both our own beef operation and the GC&BMA. They are a drawcard wherever you show them. They invariably get the breed more publicity at our equivalent of County Fairs because they draw the press in and, hey, presto! there will be a photo/article in a rural magazine.
 
Word-of-mouth marketing has been good. We have been approached to sell skins at a monthly Farmer’s Market in a well-to-do rural area where we will use them as a drawcard for our beef sales.”

Patricia Pruitt in Montana owns a full-length Galloway coat over 100 years old, sold in quantity through the Sears, Roebuck catalogs in the early 1900s. Patricia reported,

“Here is a bit of good information for anyone who has been in a quandary about possible uses for that Galloway hide. When I was in Denver last January, I set out to find someone who might be able to work with a hide. Everyone who responded to my query gave me the same name ... Frank A. Markay, Colorado Leather & Furs, 3441 S. Broadway, Englewood, CO 80113. Phone (303) 934-7940 or email Coloradoleatherfur@yahoo.com.

“I stopped by Frank’s place of business and took along my 1902 Galloway hide coat to show him. He said it would be no problem to duplicate my coat or to fashion any other style the customer liked. He is a third-generation leather finisher and works with everything from rabbit fur or sheepskin on up to the fabulous sable. His work is absolutely beautiful.
 
“He said the customer would need to provide the hides and that he might have some recommendations for tanners, etc. He is very easy to visit with and a real ‘find’ for anyone with Galloway hides.”