I just received a bunch of feathers. I tried stripping them and the quills seems a little dry. Should I lightly steam them to make the outer surface of the quill more flexible so it separates cleaner?
That might work, worth a try. I usually split the quill and grind them down for that reason, don't want to loose many.
Ron
If you want to strip them and they are too dry put them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for a day or so and then try them. You can split and grind without doing this. Pat
I would split em with a razor and grind em on a sander.
GOOGLE THIS: "bowyers edge feather grinding jig"