Splicing Feathers

[Two Beards]

I'm trying my hand at splicing feathers. As I understand, one way is to use full feathers, peel the membrane, glue the pieces together and use a chopper or burner to cut the feather.
My problem is I'm having extreme difficulty separating the membrane from the quill. It seems the quill and membrane are too dry and hard for separation. I've ruined a number of feathers trying. I purchased my feathers from 3 Rivers.
Any suggestions?

[BAK]

Nope, I bevel cut all the  quill joints, glue them together with a tiny dab of super glue, then chop.

By bevel I mean at the same angle as the barbs grow out of the base.

[kevsuperg]

Yep me too. I just chop out the piece I don't want, add in the piece I do want .
 put it all in a clamp and glue to the shaft.
I've never removed any membrane. I also don't splice much anymore.
 Good luck.

[The Whittler]

The feather I want to use for splicing I put in a clamp and use a block and sandpaper. I just go slow until the base is gone and all I have left is the membrane of the feather.

[snag]

Stripping the membrane is definitely the best way. It can take some practice. What is the make of your feathers Two Beards? Not all feathers are created equal.

[AndreasLundin]

I had the same problems but only with a certain colour. I soaked a cotton ball in water and put that in a sealed bag with the feathers for a few days. Made the world of differance.

Rehydrate the feathers slightly.

[Gdpolk]

What brands of feathers work best for stripping the membranes?  I'm going to be trying my hand at it soon for the first time.

[snag]

I've found the BearPaw's to be excellent. They use feathers from mature birds. TrueFlight are very good also.

[Gdpolk]

Originally posted by snag:
I've found the BearPaw's to be excellent. They use feathers from mature birds. TrueFlight are very good also.

Good to know.  Thanks for the advice from a pro.  I've never used any feathers other than Tru Flight in the past but also haven't ever done any custom splicing.  Now that I'm looking to up my game a bit, so to speak, it'll help to know which products to look for.