Chopping your own fletching..?

[MikeW]

OK color me stupid but I have a "Little Chopper" and a Viao(SP?) and I just grounded and dyed my own Turkey feathers. Am having a fit getting any consistency at all, never done this before.

The main thing is the height on the feathers, how do you get the feathers to stay put? There is no room to get your fingers in there to hold them in place and close the lid tight enough so they don't move on ya. I've probably trashed 50+ feathers trying to figure it out.

Am I an idiot or what? Anyone else had this problem? Am ready to sell them right now and just go back to buying them.

[stringstretcher]

Try this Mike, but use pop cycle sticks!!!
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=090620#000000

[MikeW]

WoW! after reading that thread I think am going to just sell my choppers or trade them. I can't see going though all that trouble(they should just work) after dumping all this cash into these things. Not to mention all the time and trouble of grinding your own feathers. I'll just buy them from now on.

Thank you for your response

[stringstretcher]

Check with Magnus on here.  He is a sponsor and will set you right up without you having to do anything.

[McDave]

If by "Viao" you mean the Vario Clipper, I'm surprised you have consistency problems.  I had consistency problems with the Little Chopper, which was the reason I paid more to get the Vario.  The reason the Vario is more consistent is that it has grooves that tightly hold the quill in place during the chop.  I get my feathers full-length, but sliced lengthwise and ground.  Once I got a batch where the quill was not ground down enough to fit in the Vario grooves, and then the consistency was as bad as with the Little Chopper.  So I think you have two choices: either you can grind down the quills until they fit in the grooves, or you can widen the grooves until they fit your quills.  But if you plan to use Tru-flight full length feathers in the future, you might want to leave the grooves alone, because they seem to be set to fit that width of quill.

[MikeW]

If by "Viao" you mean the Vario Clipper,

Yes that's what I meant.
 

The reason the Vario is more consistent is that it has grooves that tightly hold the quill in place during the chop.

Well that is probably my problem then, they aren't holding it at all, and the stuff(rubber or what ever) next to the groves came off after a 1/2 dozen chops or so. Right now am totally disappointed in both of these products unless I can figure out how to use them and produce a decent product. Neither one of the them came with any instructions what so ever.

[David Mitchell]

MikeW, I have two Little Choppers and have no problem with them when I do the following, SIMPLE, things.  If you cut both ends of the feather with the chopper, you will very often get a funky hump toward the front of the feather.  That is caused by the quill turning when you strike it.  What I do is lay the feathder in the chopper with the front end of the feather just INSIDE the chopper blade so it isn't being chopped--just the back end of the quill is chopped.  Then hold the quill against the base of the chopper with 2-3 fingers as you gently lower the blade onto it.  Then I gently press down on the top to hold things in place when I remove my fingers and strike the top of the chopper rather sharply with a rubber mallet.  Since I started moving the front edge of the feather back until it just clears the cutter blade before chopping, I no longer get the funky little humps on the front of the feather.

[dnovo]

I have several Little Choppers and do like David does and have no issues. But more and more I am using my feather burner. It works especially well when I am doing splicing.

[Rob DiStefano]

if you have a vario, yer not using it correctly.  that chopper "locks in" the feather base so it won't move.  

there is a knack to using the li'l chopper, and IF the quill base is too wide you WILL have chopping issues - i stick any feathers with too wide a quill base 'tween a pair of 1/32" thin sheet metal slats and shave down only the wide side of the quill base with a single edge razor blade.  that WILL fix the chopping wiggles.  make sure to line up, lay down the chopping blade on the feather, while holding down the feather with a finger or two.  when lined up well, remove yer fingers, have the blade touch the feather, and give the block a smart whack.

[Doc Nock]

Drewsbow made me a 3"x7/8" out of a Li'l Chopper that mimics the A&A profile.

Those shorter feathers are a bear to do what Rob explained.. but alas, it's the quill width after reading both threads.

I trimmed the skin and nails off several fingers trying to do Rob's method and still got inconsistency.

When I'd push the chopper down gentle to mark the cut on the quill, then use a sharp box cutter to nick the quill there, it worked.

I'd think Charlie's idea to make a "holder" would be simpler than re-trimming all the quills?

Mike, if you're going to all the fuss to split, dye & grind your own quills, the bit of extra work to be sure they work in your chopper seems a small additional time investment... (???)

...but frustration has it's own limits!  that ole "straw that broke the camel's back" stuff, eh?  

[Tom Leemans]

I do exactly as David does. No worries. Another way to cut feathers I came up with was when I wanted to make my own size banana fletch. (except I clip the back end of the feather off when done)
I made a template from some banding strap. I lay the template on top of the feather, hold it down on a cutting mat and follow the template with a rotary cutter. Works pretty good!

[Rob DiStefano]

choppers are one of the reasons i went back to feather burning.   :D

[Zradix]

I've found that cutting feathers to length before chopping fixed 99% of the problems.

[LongStick64]

I just got the mini chopper and no problems for me. I use a rubber mallet and the feather stays in place very easily.

[Bldtrailer]

Burners love that smell(when the wifes not home)

[thunder1]

I retired my chopper and went back to burning as well. The smells not that bad but if it bothers the wife that bad use a scented candle to cover it up.

[Rob DiStefano]

i love the smell of burning feathers, my wife doesn't - too bad for her.      


sorry honey!    

[JamesV]

Mike..............I feel your pain.

After two hours of messing with the feathers from one turkey RW LW I threw they whole mess in the garbage, don't need that hastle. I can buy finished feathers with no aggervation included.

[Bjorn]

This is surprising to say the least; I don't know what y'all are doing or not doing, I have chopped thousands of feathers and very rarely have had any problems whatsoever, and most I know have had similar good results.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I chop consistent feathers with multiple lil choppers.  Use a rubber mallet and keep the front of the feather base just inside the cutter.   Works great.