Dying turkey feathers for fletching and other ramblings

[RGKulas]

I enjoy making my own arrows. Ive been making them for about 35 years. While I enjoy compounds and recurves,, I also make my own longbows and my own broadheads to hunt with. Likewise I make my own cedar arrows. I took a few pictures of the last batch I am working on. This not the ONLY way to make arrows. Its just one way. There is more than one way to skin a cat and while I love cats, I can’t eat a whole one by myself but I digress.

We save the wings from the birds we kill so we can make them fly again.

 

I like to use the primary feathers but I also use the secondary feathers if they seem fitting for the purpose.

 

I trim away both ends that are less than useful.

 

Turkeys are dirty, smelly, oily birds so the feathers need a bath in warm soapy water

 

Even though this turkey died once, Its gonna get dyed again. This time red but sometimes green or yellow, etc. I use RIT dye, really hot water and a little vinegar.

 

After a rinse and air drying.

 

Lots of folks use a razor knife to split their feathers and I have done it that way for years but I find a 14 tooth very thin bandsaw blade offers more control and is a bit easier/safer.

 

 

[RGKulas]

I fabricated a holder that allows me to grind/sand the base and sides of the feathers. Nothing fancy but it works.

 

 

 

 

Then a trip on the drill press against a sanding drum with a wood spacer slightly larger in Diameter than the drum to allow for consistent spacing.

 

 

 

 

[RGKulas]

I don’t chop my feather although that is a perfectly fine method to employ. I tend to burn my feathers either in advance of fletching using a simple clamp I made from office supplies and a red hot wire.

 

Or I burn them after fletching (also using a hot wire)

 

 

I like to dip and crest my cedars in colors that match the feathers.

 

I have a few fletching jigs that date back pretty far but for a bit more helical I use this newer Bohning jig.

 

 

Here is another batch.

 

Couple that with a homemade broadhead and it makes for one very satisfying way to pass the time and a way to increase the level of satisfaction and accomplishment when you take game with a homemade bow and homemade arrows.

[SELFBOW19953]

Ought to put this in the "How To" forum.  Good stuff!!

[Joe2Crow]

very impressive. thanks for sharing

[bofish-IL]

Nice job they look great

[Fletcher]

Great thread, Ron.  Thanks!

[Gordon Jabben]

Ron, I had to grab a couple of turkey feathers and head to the band saw. Good tip, worked great.  Thanks for sharing.

[centaur]

Very nice! I use my turkey feathers, too, but I must admit yours look better than mine. Thanks for the tips.

[monterey]

Well, I came on the forum today to ask about dyeing and there was the answer already posted  
Your finished arrows are very well done.  A level to aspire to.

Do you wash and dry before you dye?

Like the band saw approach too.  Just this morning split some with a razor knife.  Works OK but I may have gotten a few out of whack.

I'm interested in your hand made broadhead too.  Any chance you might Post something on that?

[stykbow67]

Very cool thread! Thanks for sharing!

Steve

[the rifleman]

Nice!  Great colors and shapes.  Very cool binder clip shield cut fixture.

[reddogge]

Question. I used some secondaries once and they whistled pretty bad. Do yours? The primaries didn't .

[Matty]

Awesome dye job!how long do you let them sit in the RIT for?

[Roadkill]

Drug back up from the past;     I did a batch of turkeys yesterday--came out really nice. Great tutorial

[RJonesRCRV]

You said you make your own cedar arrows, as in buy shafts or split and shape from raw wood?

[RJonesRCRV]

Good post by the way.  Hopefully I can try making my own fletchings this year.

Awesome work! You have waaaaaaaaay more patience than me.

Bisch

[Jon Stewart]

Can you show how you burn the feathers prior to fletching. Thanks for the post.

[Homey88]

Very nice!