Zuma....Outback is correct in his statement.Back in the early 80's when I wanted to start tanning my own hides I had aspirations on using a tumbler like the big factories to soften hides.Found out through trial and error that it did'nt come out too good.I realize large tanneries have tumblers to soften but that's after the hides are almost dry and using chemicals to tan the hides it breaks the connecting fibers down to be tumbled with hard items to soften them.Brain tanning needs a lot of air circulation and stretching/roping/prodding or whatever way to keep the fibers stretched as they dry.Brain tanning does not break the fibers down as chemicals do.The oils in the brains actually surround the fibers to allow them to be stretched and not cling into themselves as they dry.That's one reason why brain tan is such extremely tough but soft leather.No loss of initial integrity of the leather.It's unique!!!
I do have a tumbler though with cob grit in it that turns around 13 to 14 times a minute.That's the proper speed.It's a 2' by 5' cylinder of galvanized sheet metal mounted on an "A" frame with piilow block bearings. A 2' diameter 3/4" plywood butt ends glued and nailed on each end.A door to get access to the inside on the butt end.I'll get you a pic sometime.I used an electric motor/ accounted for the speed per minute it had/and reduced it mathematically with reduced sized pulleys from motor[2"] to [10"] on the speed reducer then to the shaft on the tumbler.It has length wise 1" by 4"'s along the inside of it that serve as paddles to lift and carry the hide to the top.Then the hide tumbles down into itself along with the cob grit to get degreased properly and dry as a bone.I use it to degrease put up coon/coyote hides after they are dried prior to sending them to Canada to sell.Usually it only takes 5 minutes to degrease hides nice.I got sick of using towels to degrease the hides.The tumbler with the cob grit actually shines the fur up very nicely then too.Top dollar for the furs then.
Some pics...Not very good pics but you'll get the idea.These items have been stored for a while without use.Still work fine though.The tumbler/fiberglass fleshing beam/gear reduction machanism.In background a few of the frames I used to dry hides on.All fur and hide working equipment.Used to always put up my own fur for many years.These tools are fairly well retired nowadays [sorry for the mess]but paid for themselves many times over.To buy these items is pretty expensive so I made most of my own.
Not trying to be too grandious but I knew from the awards sent to me from North Ameraican Fur Auctions I was doing things proper when they would send me notices of rewards on paper.Just a couple here and have lost the others.See there are hundreds of thousands of hides at those fur auctions with buyers there from around the world and to get your own into the top lot is an accomplishment.Pic.
$21.00 may not seem like much but in those years it was top dollar.The early eighties coon went for 3 times that.All fur was up then actually.Prices on fur have been on a steady decline since the early 2000's.That's why just tanning a few for yourself like you want to do is encouraged by me.
