Feather recovery (from bloodsoaking)

KrEn · April 24, 2011, 04:05:00 PM

How do you guys get feathers restored to flying condition again after pass throughs, or shots where fletching ends up inside an animal?
Typically they ar all lying flat, glued up with gore... Can they be fixed, or just replace?

K

RC · April 24, 2011, 04:08:00 PM

I just wash`em up and then put them in the sun a bit to dry. If I`m at camp I`ll put them on the dash of the truck and cut the defrost on a bit.RC

zipper bowss · April 24, 2011, 04:27:00 PM

Like RC said,I just wash them up real good.Then after they dry,if they need a bit more care.I use a little steam to bring them back to nearly new condition.
Bill

PICKNGRIN · April 24, 2011, 04:35:00 PM

An old toothbrush, water and dishwashing soap. Worked well on some dried blood on white feathers.

ishoot4thrills · April 24, 2011, 04:43:00 PM

Rinse with cold water first of all. Cold water washes blood better than warm or hot water for some reason.

Then maybe use the soapy water and let it soak. I then "sling" or wave the arrow around hard while holding onto the opposite end of the feathers to dry it off, unless you have access to the blow dryer as mentioned above. Just make sure you dry it someway and then kinda flare it out with your fingers to give it some life. It's hard to make it good as new but you can make it much better.

30pointbuck · April 24, 2011, 05:07:00 PM

wash them up real good let them dry.

KentuckyTJ · April 24, 2011, 05:14:00 PM

I also use cold water (no soap) and a toothbrush going with the grain. I've found it important to not just let them dry but fluff them backwards against the grain with your fingers as they dry so the individual pieces of feather mate back together better.

bolong · April 24, 2011, 07:25:00 PM

Same here. I wash it off with cold water, then spin it a few times and let it dry. Then kinda ruffle them back toward the point. They don't have to look good as new to still shoot good.

April 24, 2011, 10:42:00 PM

If you can wash them in cold water before the blood dries it comes off very well. After it dries it is harder but will still come pretty clean. I just put cold tap water in a bucket and swirl my arrow around in the water. Then shake off and let dry.

Bisch