andgott Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 After a long absence, I got back in the forge! Work has been keeping me VERY busy- But now I've got at least 4 months off, so I plan on spending a lot of time swinging my hammer... This is my first attempt at a feather. There are a few things that I'll do differently next time, but over all I'm pretty satisfied with it. It started life as a 1/4" x 1" piece of bar stock- -Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 That looks really nice. A few hundred more and you can build a complete iron bird. Explain your process, as well as what you would do differently. Good job, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I like it! Yes, please explain your process. One of my sons wants one and my first attempt wasn't very good. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry H Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 That is one nice feather, I guess that's why you're here, birds of a feather......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 i really like that - has inspired me to try one. ! awaiting with interest your method and problems etc... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Nice feather......try one using angle iron. By flattening the angle iron you have a ready made center ridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andgott Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 I spent a little more time in the shop today- And tried another feather. I was a lot happier about the result this time- I used a similar process, but did the things that I thought I should do differently... This time, I started out with a smaller piece of stock- It was 1/4" x 1" bar. First, I tapered out the quill, Using the edge of the anvil to create a 'shoulder'. At this point, I left it square, so it would be easier to grip when I was forging the tip end later. Next, I forged the rough shape of the 2 sides of the feather using a cross-peen hammer, on the face of the anvil. I thinned both sides of the feather, leaving plenty of material in the middle to form the rachis (Stem). Then I used a treadle hammer to form the rachis- I have a small, rectangular, flat punch that I ran down both sides of the rachis to get a sharp, defined edge. After this, I forged out the vanes, using the peen of a hammer. Once the feather was mostly done, I cut the end of the feather off. Then, using vice grips to hold on to the tapered quill end (sorry, traditionalists!), I forged the tip of the feather, and the vanes on the end. I wanted a 'split' in the vanes, so I cut a v shaped notch with a chisel, the forged it a bit more to make it look a little more natural. After letting it cool down, I did the final forming of the edge cold, again using the peen of the hammer on the face of the anvil. Then, I flipped it all around, and finished rounding & tapering the quill. Total time was about 35 minutes- Not too bad for a second go! Hopefully, this all makes sense!! But, Since an average songbird has 2000-4000 feathers, I've got a long way to go -Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick L. Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Well Andrew it appears you have the feather process down. It looks great ! Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Nice feathers! Now you only have 3,998 to go to cover that song bird, better get busy. You must be a bird fancier to know the proper name of feather parts or a biologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted February 11, 2010 Share Posted February 11, 2010 Nice start and great improvement on your first, well done, One of our guild members received a commission for an owl, and this is what he came up with, his name is Terry the tawney owl, and his cousin helped as a model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andgott Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 You must be a bird fancier to know the proper name of feather parts or a biologist. I've got a somewhat more than normal interest in birds, for sure! I was headed into the Biology field, but I got sidetracked in college... But, I live with three pet Parrots, so I'm surrounded by birds all the time! That owl is INCREDIBLE! As is the tree trunk he's on. Superb work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windancer Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Old thread, I know, but beautiful feathers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper Iron Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Glad the thread came back! Beautiful stuff. Add to the to do list. That owl is insane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camero68 Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 You are off to a good start. The feather looks great and you are improving as shown in the second one. You should be proud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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