Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: SEMO_HUNTER on June 02, 2011, 01:42:55 pm
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Had about 25-30 turkey feathers left so I ground, chopped, and dyed them yesterday. Been wanting to try my hand at dying feathers for awhile now and had a hankerin' for some Red Barred Turkey Feathers so here's what I did.
First run a sink a few inches deep with hot water and a couple drops of dawn dish liquid, then toss the feathers in there to soak.
Then follow this recipe.
1 1/2 cups water 2/3 cup white vinegar (probably could have done with less vinegar?) and you could double the recipe for a larger batch.
You may need to add another packet of kool aid mix if you add more liquid to the recipe, depends on how dark you want them.
I used the old style kool aid with no sugar added, just die and flavoring.
Heat in microwave for 4 minutes, then stir in 1 packet of Cherry Kool aid. Put back in micrwave for 1 more minute while feathers are floating in the kitchen sink, they only need about 5-10 minutes to remove a little bit of the natural oil.
Remove from microwave, stir again and drop feathers in. No need to rinse them, I just shake the excess water off and toss them into the Kool aid/vinegar solution. I left mine in there for about 15 minutes cause I wanted them nice and dark!
Here's the results.
The 3 solid ones on the right were bright yellow and I just threw those in to see what they would turn out like......bright red was the result.
(http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/ww146/mohunter68/RedTurkeyFeatherswithKoolAid.jpg)
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Dang, those turned out nice! I wonder if you'll have any issues with the dye bleeding?
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They look good,nice job. :)
Pappy
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Thanks Jonathan I have no idea, but I doubt it cause I don't hunt in the rain and kool aid stains everything it touches. I think the vinegar sets the color so it won't come out? I dunno.........this is the first time I used it so I'll have to wait for a field test. I doubt that it's much different than the results you get from Rit dye though, and a whole lot cheaper. This dye job cost me exactly zero cause I already had the ingredients in my cupboard.
Thanks Pappy! ;D
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Very cool stuff....try running some tap water over a few after they have dried a few days..Lots of Kool aid colors to pick from..
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Great job I like it a lot,going to give it a try myself,thanks for shareing that with us.
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Excellent results! I'm definitely going to have to try this with some goose feathers....
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Thanks guys and your quite welcome.
Maybe somebody will try Lime or Lemonade and post their results back here? I'm also a big fan of chartruese feathers so anything that comes close to that will be my next dye job.
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Nice job Semo, thanks for the dye / process recipe. How did you get your fletching cut out so nicely? I've been gathering tons of wings this year...got a few from gun hunters and a few fresh road kills so I am about ready to attempt a few arrows, although I have a LONG ways to go on knapping out my own heads.
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That's the 5" Little Chopper sheild cut Lee. About $22 bucks at 3 Rivers I believe, unless they went up?
Watch the classified ads and you'll find them used on occasion, that's where I got mine and I really like the sheild cut. Mine actually come out around 4.750" which is perfect, not too long and not too short.
Now that I got my BBO glued up for the TG bow swap I can relax for a bit and work on fletching some of the Gold Tips I just got done footing with aluminum shafting.
Can't decide if I wanna put wraps on them or not? Might need to order some more from Onestringer, thinking maybe blaze orange would go with the Red barred turkey feathers?
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If you use enough wild turkey fletching you'll eventually get tired of looking at 'em. You must be at that point Chris ;). Nice job!
You can do a little adjusting on that chopper to lengthening it's cut. I like 'em a little bigger myself, that's only because my shooting is getting terrible ;D...........Art
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Thanks ol boy!
I wouldn't say that I'm really "tired" of them cause they are still the best compared to anything commercial I have ever bought, but then I'm kind of a control freak and if a feather doesn't meet my standards it's my fault and I'm not upset about it.
On the other hand I have so many arrows fletched with the natural turkey feather colors that I wanted to spice things up a bit, but still shoot my own processed feathers. Did that make any sense?
I just ordered a couple dozen blaze orange arrow wraps from Onestringer, so I'll see how these new arrows look with that color combo. Should be easy to see them fly, but hell to find after they are blood soaked. Don't matter at that point really cause the deed is already done by then.
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Two natural barred and one red looks pretty dang sweet...!
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That's what I was thinking too nclonghunter. I think they will look nice on a blaze orange background too, soon as my arrow wraps get here I'll fletch some up and post a few pics.
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just pick up some cherry kool aid.
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thanks for the how-to. have to check out the colors on the packs next time at the store.
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I just had a thought and I may try it later today and just see what happens, but do any of you all can your own beets? That brine that's left over will stain anything it touches, so I'm just wondering what a white feather would look like if I soaked one in the beet juice for a little bit? I don't think it would be red, but more of a purplish burgandy color.
The thing is that it's already got a bunch of vinegar in it and highly concentrated.
I'll do an experiment and see what happens.
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Semo,a similair question was asked to stain wood. Dark Soul said that any fruit or vegetable based stain will eventually just turn varying shades of brown in time.
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interesting beet juice, I eat alot of pickle beets I'll have to give that a try next time I finish my beets.
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this is preety awsome cant wait to try it thanks for the info
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nice ;)
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Here are a few withe the orange dye and the limonaid does not work. I tried to find some lime to try, but they were sold out ??? Would really like some that are green and yellow
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh49/hillbilly061/Mobile%20Uploads/0726110548.jpg)
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SEMO CAN'T GET ANY BETTER.
LEE and anyone else.
This is a little trick I used for 20 years when I got choppers.
Get a paint stired and chop a feather out of it. TAKE AND CUT 1/8 inch off the bottom.
Glue on a handle from the same stick.
Now when you put the feather in to chop it hold it down with your pattern. Chop it holds it down and in place while your cutting it. COMES OUT PERFACE EVERYTIME.
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i did the same thing as crookedarrow,but i used popsicle sticks.they are thinner than the paint stick.it is a great help holding down the feather.you'll get a cleaner cut.
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Dollar store....box of food coloring. Four colors, endless combinations. Add in the color possibilities of Kool-Aid blending and it becomes staggering. Just don't spill it on the countertops, that's all I'm saying! :'(