Can anyone give as simple of an explanation to the process of taking feathers of off a turkey and turning them into fletching? I know this isn't a short process. Any tips and info appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Cut them off the wings, split them lengthwise with a sharp utlity blade, grind flat enough to hold to your shafts and chop or burn your intended shape.

w8n4rut,

When you kill your bird and get to the wings. clip the quill of the wings as close down to the base of the wing bone as you can get. I use side cut pliers, or tin snips to do this. then follow the link I'm gonna post below. very easy method from Rob. Good luck and if you have more questions ask away there's plenty of folks here to answer your questions. Here's the link.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=000111  

Good luck,

John

Thanks for the info.

Just got the feathers cut off. Going to be outside for most of the day but when I get in for the evening Ill read up the link you posted.

Thanks again,

Tim

Just read the link above. Amazingly simple!
I can't believe I've ever paid for fletches!

Thanks again guys.

Tim

Don't forget to put them in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer for awhile to kill anything that might be on them.

that link makes it look pretty easy, is it?

Please just be sure and wear a quality 2 cartridge respirator! Feather dust can cause serious health issues. Just ask Stringstreatcher. A dust mask isn't enough!!!!

Was there someone that may have posted that if you send them one wing, they would do the other for you?  I may be dreaming

Hey Tim,

Sent you an email.

Spurs.  You are not dreaming, because that way me.  I can no longer do that.  I will and am grinding what was given to me prior to April, and that will be the end of grinding for trade.  My health will not allow it.  I will continue to grind on a minimal bases, but will have to charge.

I sent in L.+ R. to Raven Arrows, they kept the R. and I got the L. and pay shipping. PM me if you need contact info.

Stingstretcher, I am sorry to hear about your health problems.  I hope things get easier.

wixwood, I might drop you a line.  I am going to play with a few first, and if I can't do it then I will send them off.

I should have the tools I need to grind on the feathers and get them ready for the chopper.

It will be the weekend before I have the chance to work on them but will post pics and results when I get to them.

Thanks again for the input!

Tim

Rob's link is how I do it too.  Pretty easy.  Wear a good respirator!  Some prefer to use an osculating drum sander, but the disk sander works too.

Can you pretty much expect one feather 5" in length from one turkey wing feather or can you squeeze and get 2 on some feathers?  The quills get really wide towards the base?

I love the link;  I took my turkey last weekend and saved his wings cant wait to try making my own feathers cool.

I presume that the primary wing feathers are used for the fletching rather than the secondaries? What's the difference, in performance, between the two?

my sister-in-law has a turkey farm.is there any differance in wild feathers and tame bird feathers?