Hi guys tried searching for the answer to this with no luck so sorry if its been asked before.
How do I go about making a feather inlay on a rod?
Do I just hold the feather there and epoxy over it?
Thanks guys for all answers
Andi Robb

Use color preserver as a glue to lay the feathers in place, let dry for 24 hours and epoxy over.

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Super Tight Lines......Don

Hello Andi.

I do the same as Don.


Tight Wraps & Purrrrrddeee Feathers.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Yup, CP is required. If you use multiple feathers, you'll need to keep it wet, or attach in layers for the desired effect.

Another tip you'll learn soon is that dark blanks hide the feather features, so you might consider an under wrap with a light colored NCP thread first.

Terry

Practice, practice, practice. I do only one layer at a time, letting the cp dry before putting on another wet coat and another layer of feathers. It will take several coats of epoxy to adequately cover a complex feather inlay, if yours are anything like mine.

There are a lot of entries on this forum so try a search. Some guys wash their feathers before using them, but I have enough trouble keeping them in good shape without subjecting them to another step, and with mulitple coats of epoxy, I've not had a problem.

I find the best background for feather inlays is a light colored ramp made from foam seat shims or Riley's carbon fiber foam.

[clients.criticalimpact.com]

Quick question can a feather inlay be done on a rod blank???

Yes...... I prefer to put mine over a thread wrap but have done many directly on the blank.

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Super Tight Lines......Don

I did quite a bit of research before I tried for the first time. What I have come up with and what has worked is;
- pick your feathers - lay them out and get the configuration you desire
- dip in DNA and let dry - this will help remove any oils in the feathers to prevent problems with epoxy - necessary, not sure sine I have only done it that way - you may loose some color with dyed feathers - let dry, will only take a few minutes
- dip in CP and lay on the blank - I have layered feathers at once and is fine - I have problems with getting the feathers to lay correct and natural sometimes, so putting them on in layers my be a good idea
- note - when your layer feathers you will get a bump towards the bottom where the stem is thicker - it will not look like much but when you put finish on it seems to make it more pronounced
- let dry and then I take a Q-tip and DNA to clean the CP from around the feathers
- when you apply finish be careful not to brush to much and disturb the feathers - just get it on thick and let it sag and pull off the excess

As mentioned practice on an old blank or some cheap blanks. it is not really that hard just takes a few to get it down. Have fun they look great and you can do endless combinations.

I do exactly as Steve mentions and have not had any hiccups. Don't rush and try to layer the feathers. I usually wait 15-30 min before adding the next feather to help minimize any movement. I have had good success with Cason's color preserver but think any will work. Use your brush to help get the fibers to lie properly by gently pulling toward the tip once on the blank. Make sure to hold onto the stem with something.

Lay the feather upside down on a piece of paper. LIGHTLY spray with workable fixative. Stick on rod blank....repeat as necessary. When you have them all on hit it with Cp. Let dry and finish. If you want to use duck feathers or any other feathers that may be a little oily then spray with matte clear instead of CP. Light coats work best. I tried CP for years. I like this better.

my .02

Vic

Victor Heal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lay the feather upside down on a piece of paper.
> LIGHTLY spray with workable fixative. Stick on rod
> blank....repeat as necessary. When you have them
> all on hit it with Cp. Let dry and finish. If you
> want to use duck feathers or any other feathers
> that may be a little oily then spray with matte
> clear instead of CP. Light coats work best. I
> tried CP for years. I like this better.
>
> my .02
>
> Vic


That is interesting, I might have to give that a try.

I now use Permagloss. I noticed that on a dark blank in just the right light I had a shadow on the blank where I applied CP. In that case I put the feathers directly on a glossy blank. No such such problem with Permagloss. As discussed on this board many times, I keep the Permagloss in a sealed small tin can and extract it from a small hole near the bottom of the can. The hole is sealed with a sheet metal screw when not in use. The PG lasts a long, long time.

Ya
But
You can play with CP the water based You can dip the brush in water and sofften CP in order to move the feathers
With permagloss that dries Really fast -- you are not going to do anything with it once set up
It is on and if you don't like it Too bad

Bill - willierods.com

I suggest that Perma Gloss is not for beginners, it just sets up too fast and doesn't allow for repositioning the feathers, especially bad if doing layers. The advantage of water based CP is the time it allows for working the feather layout.

I seem to have plenty of time to position my feathers. If i am doing multiple feather layers, I may have to wait for it to dry between layers.

I used CP for years, then one day saw the dreaded shadow on the rod under the rod finish where the CP was. It was hardly perceptible, but bothered me. Maybe it was the CP I was using, U40. But from here on out it is PG for me. I guess each man to his own, as with so many other things in rod building.

I was trying to find something on YouTube to see how this is done but could not find anything does anyone have a link??

Frank, hope this helps

[www.rodbuildingtutorials.com]

Thanks Bob that willrealy help