I was wondering how much tumbling really makes a difference. I think it does even though i have never tumbled a hide. I mounted a raccoon last year and i did not tumble it and the fur came out dingy looking and matted down. I figured tumbling would take care of my problems. Well i just acquired a badger and i want to mount it in a couple of weeks. I do not want the fur to come out dingy looking and was wondering if there was any alternative for somebody who doesn't have a tumbler or the money to purchase one. Could i buy sawdust or corn cob grit and place in bag, put the hide in and shake it up for like ten minutes. Also which is better for tumbling sawdust or grit and where could i purchase these. Most of my mounts would be mammals if that makes a difference.
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Convert an old dryer...(Dont use the heat option if its electric) and yes tumbling does make a difference...At present i use corn cob grit but only cause I also use it to tumble brass during reloading. I add mineral spirits(1/2 cup) to the grit and it leaves a nice clean cape...dont see why a pillow case wouldnt work either.
Where can i find con crob grit and mineral spirits around here. I know i can purchase it online but i do not want to pay shipping for a fifty pound bag if i dont have to. Could i fing grit at a feed mill or something like that
Trapper, you use an old dryer and put mineral spirits in the media? And doesn't that sound like,,,future fire?
did you also slow the rpm's down with a gear reduction or what did you do if this is not it to slow it down.
is where I get our corn cob grit it is used for animal bedding.
We also use an old dryer had no problems at all.
Kim C
Bubba's Taxidermy
its been 12 years now and no fire yet..just converted a stacked combo washer and dryer...not only saves space but spins out capes as well!
I'll bet trapper has a couple beat up wrecks in his front yard as well. A converted drier and TURPENTINE? ON FUR?
I still maintain that if you want to pretend to be professional, you should buy professional equipment. I had REAL tumbler when I worked out of an 8x10 metal shed 40 years ago. You can buy corncob flour from most of the suppliers who sell tumbling medium. You CAN add "brighteners" to the mix, but if you wash your hide thoroughly, I find it's completely unnecessary. A "dingy" hide is cause by DIRT and putting turpentine on it isn't going to make it do anything but be greasy and stink. (I wonder how you'd pour a cup of turpentine into a drum of grit without getting a wet muddy ball?)
I wash my hides in pert shampoo and use a hair dryer to fluff up the fur. No use for a tumbler when doing it this way.
like fox, beaver, mink, otter, and black bear you can spray them with afro sheen let it sit for a couple of minutes and then brush through the hide (Afro Sheen has it's own unique smell as well). This will leave your hide with a sheen. You don;t have to spray it on thick just a bit goes along way on hides. because afro sheen is like a spray oil so when you brush through the hide it will move through the hide when you brush it. You have to have a clean hide to start with though. Pert is good like mentioned above to clean up hides, I also use dawn and era. Era works great for getting out blood. As far as the turpentine goes I bet that the inside of your hide looks dingy and nasty more than the fur if you leave it in the tumbler long enough. The turpentine will discolor the corn cob grit and cause that color to fade into your hide especially noticeable on the skin side. Good Luck in the future. Dan Hudzik
Turpentine and mineral spirits are two totaly different chemicals. I never said turpentine did I. That was Georgies inflection. As for Mr.T...I understand your concerns..I had them as well. Wife is a furrier from Europe. I had a chance to visit her place of work before we came state side. Their tumblers were of keen interest to me. Now she works for Dittrich furs in Mi. The tumblers here are not that much different from Europes. The glazing media both share the same ative agents...mineral spirits....Both machines are app.1 1/2 stories high, are enclosed units with huge open mess cages inside. My converted dryer unit has worked well for the last 12+ years without a single incident. As for the beat up wrecks in my front yard..I find no reason to be condescending.... George
I DID say turpentine and you didn't. I read one thing and saw another. But Mineral Spirits is refined coal oil, isn't it. I still don't think I'd use it over conventional brighteners.