whats the best way to tumble hides???

[WMtaxi]

do i tumble then fur side out or in? does it really make a difference?

[muscle20]

   Drum with as much of the fur side out 15 - 30 mins. Stake, drum 30 mins.if sawdust used then cage or comb.You can drum without the sawdust and additives as this is for cleaning the fur side as well as breaking and adding sheen and luster to the fur, when just breaking without sawdust or additives it does not really matter as your just breaking the hides or skins make sense?

[George Roof]

If your drum isn't 6 to 8 feet in diameter, it won't matter what you use or how you do it.

[SivkoFur]

do i tumble then fur side out or in? does it really make a difference?

At a tannery

[WMtaxi]

what is staking? do we just let the hides dry for a while before i put them in the tumbler or can we just take them out of the tanner, ring them out and put them in the tumbler? our drum is 4 ft in diameter and we wount be doning much at one time so we figured that was big enough. and as for sending to a tannery ido that right now but am trying to do this as a hobby for myself so please just give me input on how to do it and not who to send it to thank you

[muscle20]

WMtaxi    After pickle , tan , oil,    staking, pulling, stretching, its essential for having a satisfactory supple stretchy skin. When the fibers are drying they will adhere to each other and dry like a piece of card board, to prevent this, the skins have got to be pulled flesh side down , back and forth over a stake, my stakers are made of hard wood and are in the shape of a half moon, and on a stand fixed to the floor. Staking must take place at the correct time and having the correct moisture content, otherwise the fibers can be damaged, if too dry they dry stiff and hard or sometimes crack or break,  you would have to dampen again,and start over, if there is too much moisture when the fibers dry the skin will be stiff and hard. To try to explain the correct moisture content and time to start would be about 30% dry weight of the skin is good, or when drying let them dry till  you stretch the skin it will turn a lighter color, then start staking, let dry some more then stake again, do this over and over till dry, then drum, stake, and buff, experience gained will tell you the time to start staking. George is correct you need a 6ft drop for the breaking action to be effective, your 4ft drum would be ok for cleaning action on the fur with saw dust or corn meal. If you had a effective drum you could let the skins or hides dry, then drum stake and drum. I hope this has helped you to understand staking in fur dressing.

[WMtaxi]

yes thank you alot for the advice! im sure we wont be pros right out of the gate but with time we might get pretty good. again thanks alot