Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Mounting hippo skin

I have three pieces of my hippo skin which are about 20 inches by 20 inches. I’d like to mount them on a plaque or a picture frame so they can be viewed and touched. They have been tanned but still, though only about 1/8 inch thick are quite “stiff” and rough around the edges. Any ideas about how to mount them? Photos?

Real Hippo skin is much thicker than that. Is yours just a layer?

Yes. When the pieces were fresh off the hippo they were about 2 in thick. When they arrived at my home from Namibia they were about 11/4 inch thick. I just got them back from the tannery and they have been shaved to about 1/8 inch thick.

Take them to a Hobby Lobby and have them mount and frame them.

Is that normal shrinkage? That seems like a ridiculous difference that if it isn’t normal I’d be furious over. 🤬

I wonder what the tannery did with the rest of your Hippo hide?

What is shaved off is the tissue beneath the surface layer, where the grain pattern is. It’s not worth anything,just waste product. Shaving and thus thinning is normal for elephant and hippo hide. Otherwise the leather is too thick to do anything with. Even an 1/8” hide thickness would be too thick to make leather goods such as wallets, shoes, gun cases, etc from.

what will you do with a 2-inch thick hide, they are fleshed down to a usable thickness for boots, wallets, etc.

Have you considered turning your hide into a rifle case. I have a few rifle cases in Cape buffalo 🐃 and giraffe 🦒.

Or maybe having them made into a camp chair with a zebra 🦓 or giraffe 🦒 back. I have a couple of these.

I am waiting on an elephant 🐘 and hippo 🦛 camp chair that I should be getting in January at the DSC convention.

Did you have the hair removed from your skins sections?

I buy my wallets and boots already made but the thick hippo hide would’ve made a great chest plate for my ancient warrior Halloween costume. 😉

I have decided to trim the pieces which are now about 18”x18” so they have a neater edge and then glue them and using upholstery tacks around the edges to grey mounting boards I found at hobby lobby. I just want folks to be able to touch and feel the hide as it is fairly unusual. Thanks for the suggestions.

Yes. Tanneries even thin our local elk, moose, etc hides. Takes a long time to effectively tan something that's up to an inch thick and turn it into a usable product.

You are right. I thought this was well known, but I guess not.

Yes it is normal because the skins are generally dehydrated from being dried and treated with insecticide. Mine all came folded like blankets and you couldn't unfold them. The tannery had to re-soak them to soften before shaving them down to the 1/8" for the taxidermist to work with.

I have my Cape Buffalo and giraffe back skins which are super thin. The giraffe skin was way thicker than I ever imagined it would be when they showed me. I think my hippo skin was the thickest, but the giraffe wasn't that far behind at about half.

Call Russell Boot/Moccassin and see if they can do something with them..... they always advertise that they will make a pair of boots or slippers or whatever out of your own hides/skins.

sjambok