Recycling a turkey and making it fly again

[Sharp Things]

I enjoy making my own arrows. Ive been making them for about 38 years. While I enjoy compounds and recurves,, I also make my own longbows and my own broadheads to hunt with. Likewise I make my own cedar arrows. I took a few pictures of the last batch I am working on. This not the ONLY way to make arrows. Its just one way. There is more than one way to skin a cat and while I love cats, I can’t eat a whole one by myself but I digress.

We save the wings from the birds we kill so we can make them fly again.

I like to use the primary feathers but I also use the secondary feathers if they seem fitting for the purpose.

I trim away both ends that are less than useful.

Turkeys are dirty, smelly, oily birds so the feathers need a bath in warm soapy water

Even though this turkey died once, Its gonna get dyed again. This time red but sometimes green or yellow, etc. I use RIT dye, really hot water and a little vinegar.

After a rinse and air drying.

Lots of folks use a razor knife to split their feathers and I have done it that way for years but I find a 14 tooth very thin bandsaw blade offers more control and is a bit easier/safer.

 

[Sharp Things]

I fabricated a holder that allows me to grind/sand the base and sides of the feathers. Nothing fancy but it works.

Then a trip on the drill press against a sanding drum with a wood spacer slightly larger in Diameter than the drum to allow for consistent spacing.

 

[Sharp Things]

I don’t chop my feather although that is a perfectly fine method to employ. I tend to burn my feathers either in advance of fletching using a simple clamp I made from office supplies and a red hot wire.

Or I burn them after fletching (also using a hot wire)

I like to dip and crest my cedars in colors that match the feathers.

I have a few fletching jigs that date back pretty far but for a bit more helical I use this newer Bohning jig.

Here is another batch.

Couple that with a homemade broadhead and it makes for one very satisfying way to pass the time and a way to increase the level of satisfaction and accomplishment when you take game with a homemade bow and homemade arrows.

 

[bwhntMT]

Works of art! Impressive to see your passion at work. Very cool.

 

[alvongunden]

That’s awesome! Can you go into more detail on how you use the office clamp and wire? I’ve never seen that before but I like the idea behind it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sharp Things]

A hot wire or even a wood burner is used to trace the metal edge of the feather shaped clamp.

 

[Davebuech]

Very nice work! Like tying flies but bigger!

 

[pirogue]

Thanks for sharing. Great post.