which is better after liquitan. washing or tumbling.
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I tumbled a deer cape today in hardwood sawdust for an hour and it came out great,it works for me.
Before I apply the liquitan, I put my cape in an old washing machine, hair side out, and spin it for 15 or 20 minutes to get the water out of it. Then I apply the tanning oil, let it sit for 12 hours or so, and then tumble it in an old dryer full of hardwood sawdust for 45 minutes to an hour. Works for me.
The washer to spin out the cape is a good idea, but tumbling for 45 minutes to an hour isnt. Try tumbling with clean dry sawdust for MAYBE 15 minutes, then shake it out. Its still really clean, but less chance of dulling the hair by overtumbling. Trust me, you just might like it better!
i have a 55 gallon tumbler. how many pounds of sawdust should i put in there for tumbling capes. thanks in advance.
a 55 gal tumbler is to small to do a proper job. The cape will only roll over and over.You need a 6' tumbler minimum.The sawdust cleans the fur,removes the excess oil. But the most important is it drives the oil the skin and brakes it. Only my opinion.
I'll try the dryer for 15 minutes and see what happens. I'm a beginner and just doing what the taxidermist taught me. I'm open to suggestions any time.
thanks guys! where can i purchase or how can i build a tumbler? very expensive in catalogs.
I think we are trying to do two things here. If you guys are talking 5 foot drop tumblers for breaking etc, Rittel is the guy to talk with, not me. If we were talking just cleaning them, and I thought we were...a small tumbler like you guys described is fine. I fill it about halfway. Now mind you, youll get different reasons why you should or shouldnt. My thought was, enough material to roll the cape around good for taking extra oil or water out, and cleaning and polishing the hair, but not so much that the cape cant move alittle, or not so little sawdust that the cape flops alot and gets twisted. Just my personal preference, Im sharing, do what seems best for you guys. Also, watch to make sure the sawdust doesnt get moldy in between capes!
I'm getting started in waterfowl taxidermy and can't afford $500.00 for a store bought tumbler. Does anyone have a drawing or a set of plans they would share with me?