How to Strip a Feather

Strip away unwanted blooms from a feather.

It's common practice to shape and dye plain feathers, such as those taken from a turkey, to create the look of more expensive and rarer feathers, such as those taken from endangered or protected species like the eagle. Stripping the feather "blooms" from the quill is an easy, quick way to groom a feather, pulling off fuzzy bits or thinning the fibers to restyle a feather to resemble another. Because the stripping process cannot be undone, straighten the feather's webbing over a warm light bulb and pull the fibers upward into place. This ensures that the areas you strip are the correct areas.

Things You'll Need

• Nail scissors

Instructions

1. Hold the feather in your hand. You will see that the webbing, or veins that hold the feather blooms, lie a particular way. Orient the feather in your hand so that the webbing is pointing upward.

2. Grasp the quill firmly and pinch the blooms in the area to be stripped between your thumb and forefinger.

3. Pull the blooms down and away from the quill to strip.

4. Clean up any residual blooms or webbing with small, sharp nail scissors.

References

• Crazy Crow Trading Post: Imitation Eagle Turkey Feather Preparation Tips
• Beaucatcher Fly Fishing: Black Heron Spey
• Custom Dolls, Houses and Miniatures; "Learn To Dye Your Own