In general, the procedure of the chamois tan is as follows: The hydro-extracted, fleshed skins are rubbed on the flesh-side with a good quality of seal-oil. They are then folded up, and put into a 'kicker,' where they are tramped for two or three hours to work in the oil. The kicker is a machine such as shown in Fig. 8 consisting of a receptacle for the skins, and two wooden hammers which work up and down mechanically, turning and pounding the skins. (As many as 1000-1500 skins of the size of musk-rats can be worked at one time in such a machine.) The pelts are then taken out and hung up in a warm room for several hours, considerable oxidation taking place. Another coat of oil is then applied, which is again tramped in, and the skins are hung up once more and exposed to the air to cause the oil to oxidize. After the skins are sufficiently tanned they are rinsed in a weak soda solution to remove the excess oil, washed and dried. When skins with fine hair such as marten, sable, mink, etc., receive a chamois tan, they are not tramped in kickers as the delicate top-hair will be broken, and the value of the skin thereby reduced. Instead they are placed in small drums, together with metal balls of varying sizes and weights depending on the particular fur treated, and the oil is worked in by rotating the drum. Such a ball-drum, as it is called, is shown in Fig. 9.
In conjunction with the chamois tan may be discussed the process of oiling, inasmuch as the method of application and the effect are both similar to the chamois tan up to a certain point. It is customary to treat skins tanned by any other method but the chamois process, with some oil in order to render them more impervious to water. The greatest variety of oils and fats can be used, the action in most cases being simply the mechanical isolation of the skin fibres by such a substance, thus corresponding to the first or physical phase of the chamois tan. The chemical phase, if it takes place at all, is usually slight, and is merely incidental. Oiling is generally applied either before drying after tanning, or after drying, the oiled skins being placed in a kicker and tramped to cause the oil to penetrate. In some instances the oiling material is put in the same mixture as the tanning chemicals, and the tanning and oiling are effected simultaneously.