Removing feathers without damaging them?

Double Creek · 03-08-2006, 08:17 AM

I need to remove some feathers for bare shaft tuning, but I don't want to mess these feathers up... What is the best way to get them off? I'm thinking holding them over some boiling water to loosen the glue?

newman1 · 03-08-2006, 10:09 AM

Your not shooting carbons are you?

Alex The Hawk · 03-08-2006, 10:22 AM

I just use a hair dryer and heat them slightly then I take a scaping blade real sharp and remove the shank from the arrow ,you must hold the blade firmly as you cut the glue.

Double Creek · 03-08-2006, 10:37 AM

Wood arrows.........

Arthur P · 03-08-2006, 12:33 PM

Steam will soften the quill, but I've never had it do anything to the glue. The feather will come off easier, but the base of the quill will stay stuck to the glue and the glue will stay stuck to the shaft. So, I wouldn't recommend it.

I'd take a small exacto knife and carefully run it between the feather and the shaft several times on each side, going just a fuzz deeper each pass, until you make it through the glue. It'll work if you're patient and have the time to kill.

I usually have a few arrows with messed up fletching anyway, so those are the ones I strip down to bare shaft with. Run the blade WITH the shaft's grain. If you go against the grain, you risk digging into the shaft. You stand a very good chance of messing up the crown dip in any case.

If I don't have any bad fletches and I'm desperate to bare shaft, then I figure the price of new feathers is less than that of my time and impatience.

Double Creek · 03-08-2006, 01:20 PM

These are the high profile 5 inch'ers and they are hard to come by... I hate to strip 3 or 4 off and not be able use them again...

The Mind · 03-09-2006, 10:42 AM

Use a hatchet - don't worry about shaving the cedar down or anything like that, you can use wood filler and that won't even effect spine. Anyway, chop those feathers off, you'll likely take the nock off too and will have to replace that part for sure. When you go to reglue the mutilated feathers, you will have to really be careful and use a LOT of glue. Its the only way, because the quill will be in pieces, broken and bent and you'll have to force the sucker to lay flat on the shaft.

Oh, and sand the wood filler down too - it'll make the re-used feathers stick better

I'M KIDDING !!! Don't re-use feathers ........... use new ones.

deerhunter518 · 03-14-2006, 07:01 PM

Good Idea. That will probably work best, chemicals will damage the feathers