When attempting feather inlay, I cannot lay the feather on the blank properly because of its stiff shaft. Is there any way to soften them? I tried steam but did not make it softer.
Thank you.

burnish the feather shaft first then apply

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I don't try to use feathers with stiff shafts. I do my designs so that the shafts I use are laid along the blank, not around it. Only the soft parts of the feathers wrap. I've never tried burnishing , but will. Might open new design options.

The smaller the blank diameter, the bigger the challenge.

It isn’t particularly easy but I have shaved the backside down with a razor blade.

Thank you very much for the information!