Making fletchings

[Morgan]

My nephew is an avid waterfowl hunter. He has offered me the wing feathers off of any geese he takes this year. Do you have to season feathers? What is the easiest method for a newb to split and grind them without messing them up?

[bentstick54]

You do not need to season them. I use a single edge razor blade to split the quills in half, then I have a Great Northern jig I use to grind to finish product. I am sure others can give you ideas on homemade jigs that you could make yourself.

[Buck67]

If you lightly hit the quill with a hammer over an anvil the entire length of the quill it will be easy to split the feather with a sharp scissor.  Then fasten the half feather in a vise.  I shave off excess quill with a razor knife.  Then I use 40 grit sandpaper fastened to a block of wood to smooth the quill surface.

I made my feather vise out of two pieces of hardwood and a few bolts.

[DC]

I use an old door hinge as a clamp to hold the fletch for grinding. I use 5" fletch so I epoxied two larger pieces of sheet metal to the hinge. I just put whole feather in it for illustration. You have to split them first.

[Aaron H]

You can always just strip them off instead of grinding...

[Morgan]

Thanks guys.
Aaron, what do you mean strip them off?

[Hawkdancer]

Another recent thread strongly suggested storage in mothballs, borax, similar pesticide to get rid of any creepy crawly critters. 
Hawkdancer

[Pat B]

Morgan, if you grab the feather by the barbels on one side of the quill and pull down and out quickly that side of the feather will  peel(strip) off with only a thin membrane attached. Fresh feathers work best for this but if the feathers are old you can rehydrate them by placing them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for an hour or so.

[Aaron H]

^ Exactly as Pat just described ^

[DC]

Be prepared to waste a bunch of feathers trying to learn stripping. I quit trying after about a dozen feathers went in the trash Idea just hit me!!  Maybe a guy could practice on the thin side of the feather.

[JW_Halverson]

I always run my feathers through a stream of steam from a kettle on the stove before I strip them.  It helps to pl;ump up the fletch as well as restore the integrity of the "skin" of the central spine of the feather.  I much prefer stripping to cutting feathers.  And even with lots of experience and plenty of feathers to practice with, I can still find days when it just ain't gonna happen the way I want it to happen.

[Aaron H]

I'm gonna have to try that steam trick, thanks JW

[Swampman]

  I much prefer stripping

I didn't know this about you JW.   

[Pat B]

JW is full of surprises. 

[JW_Halverson]

Especially when I am at Pappy's place and drinking crick water from a mason jar.