From Raw Feather to Completed Arrow Fletch

[rfd]

From Raw Feather to Completed Arrow Fletch

or, how to grind yer raw feathers for cheap 'n' easy.

a left wing turk feather with the ends cut off
   

use a sharp blade to strip the feather
   

stripped and ready to grind the base
   

resize the stripped feather to best fit yer jig
   

a pair of .038" thick sheet metal strips that are about 1.5" wide and 8" long
   

sandwich the stripped feather 'tween the sheet metal strips
   

leave the feather base exposed and clamp
   

i use a stationary sanding wheel w/120 grit abrasive to grind down the feather's base,
BUT, a belt sander or some 80-100 grit glued to a flat surface works just as well
   

press into the abrasive, leave a thin white base line remaining
 

now all that's left to grind off is the excess base on the SIDE of the feather
 

press lightly against the abrasive 
 

a beautious feather fletch with a perfect base, ready for chopper or burner
 

insert into chopper
 

and one good whack later
 

ready to fletch!
 

fletched!
 

[Red Badger]

Sweet - and how much for the chopper and other odds n ends ?   

And....

How are they attached to the shaft?  is there a jig?  I know they have a slight twist in the ones I have...

[rfd]

Sweet - and how much for the chopper and other odds n ends ?   

there are more than a few ways to shape feathers - a long and sharp knife can chop them straight, a pair of scissors, a chopper (as shown, $20), a feather burner ($90)

And....

How are they attached to the shaft?  is there a jig?  I know they have a slight twist in the ones I have...

feathers used for arrow fletching MUST be of the same wing (right or left) and can be attached by using a pin (to the fletching and into the wood shaft) fore and aft and some glue (duco cement, $3).  i prefer using clear fletching tape in a fletching jig ($30) and then "spotting" each fletch fore and aft with a dot of cement.  feathers can go on straight (parallel to the shaft) or slightly angled (offset) or twisted (helical).

i'll put up some posts on arrow making, and maybe some on string making.