Hey guys,
I'm doing some feather inlays for the first time and have two questions
1) do you have any tips for me from your own experience
2) What are some of your favorite feathers to use that would fit a 6wt?
Thanks in advance
oh, and also... should I use a color preservative on the feathers?
Full Version: Favorite feather inlays
My favorite inlay, a simple two-feather jungle cock over guinea hen:
I try to come up with a color scheme (wraps/seat) and accent that scheme with an inlay pattern, and it's never specific to any type of rod. This is what I replied to the same question on another forum. Your results may vary.
"After choosing what feathers to use, I wash them carefully in a mild dish detergent, rinsed carefully, and blotted on a paper towel to dry. I trim them to the size I want to use. If I'm applying them to thread wraps, I put on a thin coat of epoxy first and let it set. using a clear color preserver like Gudebrods, I coat the surface, then I dip a bodkin in the CP and touch the feather to get it to stick to the tip. Here's where I can go two ways.
1) put the feather in place and brush it with CP while holding the feather down with the bodkin, or
2) dip the feather in CP and stick it on.
Either way, when you have plenty of CP on the feather and it's soaking it up, you can arrange the fibers with the brush or bodkin.
Let it dry a few hours, and coat again or until the feathers are completely saturated and covered with CP. That way no air gets trapped when you apply finish over them, and it looks much better. I've done simple inlays with one or two feathers, and complex (for me) inlays with different feathers with 6 different feathers or a simple inlay for the ferrules with jungle cock tips as line-up marks.
I also like to accent my signature with ginger hackle tips
When I try to get complex inlays, they don't really look that great. I don't have much imagination. Some guys do great work just using epoxy, but I tried it and didn't like the results. Check out www.rodbuilding.org for some unreal photos. Have fun and let your imagination run. Once you get the hang of it, you won't ever have a rod without inlays.
Dave
I try to come up with a color scheme (wraps/seat) and accent that scheme with an inlay pattern, and it's never specific to any type of rod. This is what I replied to the same question on another forum. Your results may vary.
"After choosing what feathers to use, I wash them carefully in a mild dish detergent, rinsed carefully, and blotted on a paper towel to dry. I trim them to the size I want to use. If I'm applying them to thread wraps, I put on a thin coat of epoxy first and let it set. using a clear color preserver like Gudebrods, I coat the surface, then I dip a bodkin in the CP and touch the feather to get it to stick to the tip. Here's where I can go two ways.
1) put the feather in place and brush it with CP while holding the feather down with the bodkin, or
2) dip the feather in CP and stick it on.
Either way, when you have plenty of CP on the feather and it's soaking it up, you can arrange the fibers with the brush or bodkin.
Let it dry a few hours, and coat again or until the feathers are completely saturated and covered with CP. That way no air gets trapped when you apply finish over them, and it looks much better. I've done simple inlays with one or two feathers, and complex (for me) inlays with different feathers with 6 different feathers or a simple inlay for the ferrules with jungle cock tips as line-up marks.
I also like to accent my signature with ginger hackle tips
When I try to get complex inlays, they don't really look that great. I don't have much imagination. Some guys do great work just using epoxy, but I tried it and didn't like the results. Check out www.rodbuilding.org for some unreal photos. Have fun and let your imagination run. Once you get the hang of it, you won't ever have a rod without inlays.
Dave
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