Spring turkey season provides us with the opportunity to collect some of the best feathers for fletching.
Everyone has his favorite technique for processing feathers, and recently I found a better way to do the first step: splitting the quill. I’ve tried hand and pliers stripping, and pulling against a knife blade stuck in a cutting board, but neither method gave me control for a straight cut; however, my skinning knife does. With a deep belly and rounded cutting edge, you can insert the point into the quill, punch it through, and then roll the edge through the quill channel for a clean, controlled split.
The feathers are then ready for your favorite grinding technique.
Kinda like a pizza cutter, huh? Oh wait…..
Nice tip! I have a bunch of goose feathers I would like to process. I would love to see easy tips on feather grinding.
Yep….this works great. Showed my buddy, he thought knife was a special tool I’d found. Once I started using this method, haven’t bought feathers in years. I use a Dremel tool with sanding disk to grind feathers. Put in fetching clamp and eyeball it. Then sand flat with paper. Quick and easy.
Those cheap Harbor Freight belt sanders work good for grinding if you use a fletcher clamp. I like a straight metal clamp works good.
I pinch each end of the feather ( after splitting the quill) between thumb and forefinger, “stretch” tight, and hold square to the spindle on a spindle sander. I eyeball the grind. You will be a pro after a couple of feathers.
Where did you get that skinning knife please? Make and model? I can think of a few other similar tasks that particular blade shape and size would be great for.
Thanks.
I made the knife from a 10″ circular saw blade. Walnut handle. Commercial Ulu blades have the same deep belly.
Thanks. Can you please provide some specs on blade dimensions and such. I think I know someone who could make me one. Thank you.
Lengths: total 8″; blade 3 1/2″; handle 4 1/2″ . Thickness: blade 1/16″; handle 9/16″. Max width of blade 2 1/2″. Handle width 1 1/4″. Double bevel edge.
I long time ago I read a tip in book or magazine that I still use today in splitting turkey feathers.
Take a wooden or rawhide mallet and pound rib firmly and thoroughly. Then you can either start a cut or just grab with
hands and pull apart. This leaves or removes most of the pith. Put in clamp and file or sand smooth. Shortens processing time.